CHAPTER XVITHE SCRUB TEAM
With the beginning of the outdoor season baseball practice at Pennington took on an entirely different atmosphere. In the first place the squad was increased to more than twice its regular size with the first day of the season. To be sure it began to dwindle almost immediately for many of the new candidates discovered that they were hopelessly outclassed by the rest of the men, or else many of them who had just come out to “fool around” with the squad soon realized that they were in the way of better players and “cluttering up the field,” as Mr. Rice good-naturedly put it, so one by one they dropped out of the practice and found more pleasure in acting as spectators than in romping around the field.
So, by the third day of the outdoor work, the squad had again been reduced by men dropping out, until there remained about thirty players; enough to compose three teams with a couple of substitutes to spare.
Immediately this happened Mr. Rice and his assistant, and coach of the scrub teams, Mr. Clarkson, proceeded to organize a first team, a first scrub team and a second scrub team which amounted to a junior team, composed of the younger boys of the squad, and after that practice began in earnest.
Of course, the first team was picked entirely from among the sixteen players who had taken part in the indoor practice for the previous three weeks. Of the sixteen original players Coach Rice built up a team composed, first of all, of Tad Sloan, captain and catcher, long Lafe Gammage, last year’s first baseman still in his old position, Mickey Daily at second, Buck Hart short stop, Gould, last year’s second string man at third, Dave Gleason in right field, Jed Stafford center field and Dutch Hecht in left garden. Big George Dixon, the holdover pitcher from last year, was assigned as the first team pitcher. This aggregation was called the Penningtons.
The second, or scrub team, called the Penguins, was built up of the best material available of the remaining candidates. Al. Canner, the substitute catcher, was behind the bat catching for HoneyWiggins or Cy Gordon, both of them second string pitchers; Dick Runyon held down first, Cas Gorham played second, Brownie Davis made the short field, Jeff was picked to fill third, with Rabbit Warren at center field, Wade Grenville, Jeff’s roommate, in right field and Fat Daws holding down the job of left fielder.
Of course, all the fellows realized, and it was hardly necessary for Coach Rice to announce to them, that all the positions were temporarily filled, and it depended entirely upon the ability and the amount of baseball brains displayed whether the men would hold onto the jobs they were assigned to or whether they would move up to the first team or down to the second team.
As they had been selected, however, both teams were mighty good collections of baseball talent, and as it soon proved very evenly matched for skill and baseball brains. Of course, the first team had certain advantages because the fellows were generally older and a little more experienced in baseball playing, but that did not count for a great deal when all was said and done.
To be sure it was not the pleasantest thing possible for Jeff to be classed as a second stringman, but he realized that Gould, being a scrub team man of the previous year had first call on the third base position.
“I’m going to give him a rub for the place though,” he assured himself secretly when the selection of teams had been announced and he found Gould in the position he coveted.
North Field provided two diamonds, one at the extreme north end and one at the south end, and the last named was considered the scrub team’s home grounds, while the big diamond at the north end was the home grounds of the first team. Every afternoon for the first week of the outdoor practice the two teams turned out upon their respective diamonds and proceeded to limber up in earnest. The first few days were devoted to throwing and batting practice as in the gymnasium, but in addition to this the coaches took the fellows for short jogs about the field to stretch their legs and develop their lung power.
They devoted some of this early work to correcting individual faults. Mr. Rice and Mr. Clarkson watched each player carefully, as he ran, fielded or took his turn at the bat, and whenever they saw any of the boys making errors ordeveloping minor faults they were quick to take them aside and give them careful and painstaking drilling until such faults were corrected.
In that way every afternoon of the first week of the outdoor season was taken up with preliminary work and it was not until Saturday that Mr. Clarkson felt that the Penguins were ready for their first clash with the Penningtons.
It was a five inning game and it was played on the Pennington’s home grounds with the Penguins batting as the visiting team and it developed into a real battle before the fifth inning finally closed,—a contest in which Jeff Thatcher and Rabbit Warren stood out conspicuously among the scrubs. It resulted disastrously for the first team not in the matter of scores so much as in the loss of one of its capable group of outfielders. Dave Gleason went to the bench with an injury to the calf of his leg; a strained tendon which besides being very painful threatened to keep him off the field indefinitely. This happened in the very first inning and as a result Jeff’s roommate, Wade Grenville, was the first player to be moved over from the scrub team to the first team. He took Gleason’s place in right field and TinyDrexel, a diminutive Sophomore and substitute scrub team fielder was moved into the line up.
Gleason’s injury resulted when he slid for the plate in the first inning trying to squeeze over the first run on a close decision. He tallied all right but when the dust had cleared away he could not get up. Al. Canner, the scrub catcher, and Coach Rice, who was umpiring, had to help him to his feet. He was lying with his right leg doubled up under him in a position that told plainly enough that no boy could fall that way and not suffer as a result.
“My golly, he’s broken his leg,” exclaimed Al. Canner throwing off his catcher’s mitt and stooping over him.
“Fine slide, Gleason, but I’m afraid it’s going to cost you something, poor kid,” said Mr. Rice lifting his body so that his leg could be straightened out.
The coach felt of the member carefully while Dave’s face was distorted with pain.
“Isn’t broken. Ankle isn’t even sprained. Where does it hurt you, Dave? In there?” Mr. Rice dug his thumb deep into Dave’s calf and he groaned with pain.
“Shucks, that’s too bad. I know what it is now. Pulled a tendon. That means a mighty painful leg for you for weeks. Guess you’re on the bench for a while. Here, you fellows, lend a hand. He can’t step down on his right foot. It will hurt too much. Lift him. Put his arms around your shoulders. That’s the way. Take him over to the bench and one of you run over and call Dr. Stout.”
Dutch Hecht and Lafe Gammage came over from the bench and all but carried Gleason back to the stand where they made him comfortable while one of the boys on the side lines ran off to the administration building to get Dr. Stout.
“Wade, you go out and play right field for Gleason. Clarkson, put Drexel in for Grenville, will you, please? All right, everybody on your toes now. I want my team on its toes every second of every minute of a game.”
The run that Gleason brought over was the first run and the only run that the Penningtons made in the first two innings. But it was quite sufficient to keep the Penguins in second place, for none of them seemed to be able to find big George Dixon for anything but the scratchiest kind of ahit. He fanned the first two men up and while Brownie Davis reached first on an infield hit and an error by Gould at third, he stayed there because Dick Runyon’s best efforts at bat could not help him any.
Jeff was the first man up in the second inning, and while he found the third ball Dixon shot over for a slashing solid smack he did nothing more than give Gould a chance to retrieve the error he had made in the first inning. Jeff’s drive was a hot liner that shot across the diamond about waist high and looked good for a single, but Gould somehow managed to get his hands onto it and knock it down. Then with a snappy throw he got the ball to Lafe Gammage about two-fifths of a second ahead of Jeff, thus making the first out of the inning and smothering Jeff’s chances to get on base.
Tiny Drexel, who followed Jeff, fanned after three balls had been waited out, but Rabbit Warren who was next on the batting order laced out a clean single between first and second and Fat Daws followed with almost a duplicate of the same bingle and advanced Rabbit to third, takingsecond himself on the throw to nip Warren which did not succeed in its purpose.
With two on it began to look as if the Penguins would have a chance to flap their wings and crow or utter whatever kind of a noise Penguins are supposed to utter. But their triumph was short-lived for Honey Wiggins, while he could handle a stick better than the average pitcher, was not equal to the job of bringing in the necessary run to tie the score. He knocked a long, sky scraping foul that lumbering Dutch Hecht gathered in with that serene certainty that marked him as the most reliable kind of a left fielder, and the inning closed with Rabbit and Fat Daws still on. The score 1 to 0 in favor of the Penningtons.
The second inning closed with the big team unable to find Honey Wiggins for more than one hit which Captain Tad laced out himself. But the sturdy catcher was left on third after Lafe Gammage and Mickey Daily on instructions from the coach had sacrificed him into the position to score. Buck Hart was not able to get a hit beyond the infield and he was easily thrown out at first by Cas Gorham who fielded his drive withease and threw the ball to Dick Runyon while Buck was still ten feet from the first sack.
Again the Penguins met a stone wall defense in the beginning of the third inning and could not get a man beyond second base. But when the Penningtons came up for their half of the same inning it “looked as if the old ball game was going up in smoke right there,” to quote Rabbit Warren.
Wade Grenville led off the batting order that inning and as he stepped to the plate his old team mates began to josh him.
“Hey, you Penguin, what are you doing in there?” yelled Cas Gorham.
“Oh, look at our first victim,” yelled Jeff. “Come on, Honey, put one over for this boy. We’ve got to get him right off. On your toes now, every one.”
Honey evidently did put one over with the first ball pitched but the “victim” refused to be “got.” Wade leaned on the horsehide with a smash that sent it cannon balling into left field and just out of reach of Fat Daws, who made a good recovery and snapped over a throw that cutWade off from making more than one base on his drive.
“Wow, look at that for a starter,” yelled Buck Hart on the coaching line. “Come on now, fellows, let’s all be the same kind of victims. Let’s go!”
Jed Stafford was the next batter up and Honey Wiggins knew how dangerous this port side stick artist was and he eased over two balls before he sizzled across the first strike. He tried to slip strike two over on the next ball but Jed liked incurves, which were outs to him and he met the ball with the end of his bat for a neat little Texas leaguer over Cas Gorham’s head and just out of his reach. Wade romped down to second and Stafford was safe on first by a mile and a quarter.
The redoubtable Dutch Hecht was up next and Honey Wiggins knew that Dutch was just as sure at the bat as he was in the field. For a while it looked as if he intended to pass the fielder for he put over three balls in succession. Of course, Dutch, with natural baseball brains, waited out the next two just to see if he could draw anotherball and make first, thus filling the bases. But when it stood three and two it was noticeable that he gripped the bat harder and dropped his shoulders forward a little, ready to land on the next delivery.
Land he did, but, thanks to Honey Wiggin’s strategy, he did not land as solid as he might have for Honey gave him a high one right at his shoulder and Dutch cut under it enough to shoot a swift head high drive straight for third base.
Jeff was right in line with it and he did not need to move to get his glove on it. With a snappy throw he got the sphere over to Cas Gorham before Wade could get back to his base and the result was a double play with Stafford left on first. That made the Penguins breathe easier, but they were not out of the woods yet, for big George Dixon was up for the next man at bat and he promptly laced out a hit that got him on first and advanced Stafford to second. Again the Penningtons had two men on base and a dangerous hitter up. Captain Tad selected his bat and walked to the plate.
“Two down, Honey, old boy. Play to this one,” coached Brownie Davis, and Rabbit Warrenfrom the field yelled, “You’ll pull out of this yet, Old Stocking. Let’s go.”
“Let’s go is right. Play the batter. He can’t get anything by us,” encouraged Jeff as he slapped his hand into his glove and moved out a trifle.
Drexel, Daws and Warren were moving out, too, for when Captain Tad leaned on it sometimes he leaned hard enough to make it interesting for the fielders. He did this time.
Contrary to expectations Honey Wiggins shot over a swift ball that grooved the plate, and contrary to expectations also Captain Tad swung hard at the first ball pitched. There was a loud crack and Jeff started backward. But the ball was still mounting when it passed over his head. He turned and watched Rabbit Warren racing across the outfield. Stafford and Dixon, running on anything for the third out, lumber past and start for home. Captain Tad was streaking for second as fast as he could go which was very fast indeed.
Back ran Warren, going as fast as he could travel and keeping his eyes on the ball over his left shoulder. Back he ran into deep left field,and he was still going when the ball started falling plummet like just ahead of him. Rabbit made a wild lunge and a dive. The ball plunked into his glove and he went down and rolled over and came up to his feet, the ball still gripped in his mitt. It was the most spectacular catch of the day and the Penguins and Penningtons went wild with enthusiasm.
“Some ball playing for the first day of the season,” yelled Mr. Clarkson enthusiastically, as the sides began to change. The score was still 1 to 0 and the fourth inning had started.
And it remained 1 to 0 in spite of the best efforts of the Penguins, for George Dixon, pitching in almost mid-season form, still held the fighting scrubs down through the remainder of the game and Honey Wiggins, with the fine support he was receiving from the rest of his team, tightened up perceptibly and did not let the first team squeeze in another tally. For the first game of the season it was a fine exhibition of baseball and the eighteen players left the field bubbling over with enthusiasm.
The locker room in the basement of the gym. was an interesting place when the whole squadgathered there to change their dusty and sweaty uniforms for more appropriate clothes for the dining hall.
“Jiminy, that was a great catch you made, Rabbit, old boy,” said Jeff enthusiastically, slapping his friend on the shoulder.
“Well, I had to match that double play you pulled, didn’t I?” said Warren grinning from ear to ear.
“Sure you did, you old Indian. I begin to think we’ve got a better team than the first team at that. Notice how anxious Coach Rice was to get Wade over on the other side just as soon as Dave Gleason pulled a tendon. Poor Dave. Heard anything from Dr. Stout?”
“Yes,” yelled Buck Hart from another section of locker, “I passed him coming in and he says Gleason has a mighty mean leg. He’ll have to use a crutch for a week or two or perhaps longer.”
“Shucks, that’s too bad for Gleason. But the Penningtons needn’t worry. We have lots of bright young men on the Penguins ready to step into the breach. Look at Rabbit Warren, for instance. Why, he’s the original skyscraper.When they won’t come down to him he flies up and gets ’em. He’s been putting hair tonic on his shoulder blades, and hanged if I don’t think he started to grow wings the way he climbed up for that one to-day. Give him time and he’ll be—”
Further remarks of a similar nature were cut short from Jeff by a sweater that came sailing through the air and wrapped neatly about his head. When he unwound it Rabbit Warren was grinning at him.
“No more publicity this evening, Jeff. That’s a good job for one day. You’ll talk me onto the first team yet.”
“Well, believe me, if Wade Grenville wasn’t rooming with me he wouldn’t have made it to-day. See what I did for him. Why, Rabbit, you wouldn’t believe it, but I make Wade stand on the bed every night and catch glasses filled with water. If he spills any he has to sleep in a wet bed. That’s why he’s such a good fielder. How about it, Wade?”
“Yes, you old sleeper, you. All the practice I ever get from you is practice in how to snore in three languages. Fine lot of help you are tome. I’m thinking of changing my room now that I have advanced to real company. That Penguin outfit is some bunch of birds. They know about as much about baseball as—”
Wade did not get any further before several members of the scrub team began to bombard him with everything from catcher’s mitts to baseball shoes and he had to beat a hasty retreat into the shower room.