STL All Sports

Many years ago, when he was an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Casey Stengel made a sensational catch that squashed a winning rally during an important game. As Casey trotted in from his position, he wowed the cheering crowd by doffing his cap and letting a little bird fly out from under it.

When Stengel was playing in the Pittsburgh Pirate outfield, he had one particular fan in the old right-field bleachers. This character loved Casey and his idol could do no wrong. It so happened that Casey had been having a lot of trouble with the Pittsburgh front office over salary differences, and settled on a contract that was none too pleasing to him. Came a day when somebody hit a hard drive that skipped between right and center field, and Stengel's worshipper rose to his feet and clamored for his hero to go get the ball. Stengel, however, only loped carelessly after it.

"Run!" implored the fan in horrified tones. "Casey, please run!" Casey stopped altogether and turned to explain matters to his personal fan.

"I'd love to run after that ball, pal," he said, and his voice trembled with honest emotion, "but, believe me, I can't do it. They don't pay me enough to eat, and I'm weak from hunger."