STL All Sports

If you don't think there are any hazards to playing the game of baseball, think again after reading this story. The Philadelphia Athletics, in the good old days when Connie Mack really had a team of giants, were working their way east after spring training in California, and stopped in a small town in Colorado to play an exhibition game against the local club. The field on which the game was played consisted of a diamond set in the great open spaces. In the outfield, without a fence to back him up, was Eddie Collins. In the last inning, with the score tied, one of the local heroes got hold of a pitch and drove a high fly that soared a few feet over Eddie's head. The runner pattered around the bases as the ball sailed out into space, one eye cocked on Collins to see whether he was going to make the catch. Collins was a step short of making an easy catch when he suddenly stopped in mid-stride and backed away, and the ball landed in the sand and began to roll. Instead of trying to retrieve the ball, Collins walked gingerly towards the infield as the runner put on an extra burst of speed and slammed over the plate with the winning run.

Connie Mack stopped Collins as he came into the dugout. "What happened?" he asked gently. "Lose it in the sun?"

"No," answered Collins.

"Mebbe you lost your footing in that awful sand?" asked the sympathetic Mack.

"Nope," replied Eddie.

"Misjudge the ball?" persisted Mack.

"No. "

"Well," demanded the by-now exasperated manager, "why didn't you at least try to pick it up?"

"Would you," asked Collins scornfully, "if there was a great big rattlesnake between you and the ball?"