Friday, May 1, 1953
COLUMNS
Page Three
WILD PITCHES
by
Marvin Jordan
Well, hello, baseball fans. How
do I know that you’re baseball
fans? You wouldn’t be reading
this column if you weren’t. Now,
would you? Of course not. We-1-1,
here we go. Batter up. Don’t stand
too close to the plate. I might bean
you with one of my wild pitches.
I had a chance to take a trip
with the boys the other day. Man
oh man! What-a time we had! We
went over to Pfeiffer. We won the
game, too. Big Johnny Nelson was
the star that day. His chunking
was just too much for the home
team. Johnny set them down with
only two hits while his teammates
rapped the Pfeiffer pitcher for 12
safe blows and coasted in with the
victory to the tune of 5-2. John
ny came within four outs of pitch
ing himself a no-hitter, too. Good
work big Johnny.
I was talking to Johnny in the
Blue Goose (in case you don’t al
ready know it, the Blue Goose is
the college bus) after the game,
and he told me an interesting inci
dent that happened to him while
he was pitching high-school ball.
It was back in 1950 when he was
pitching for Bethel. In one par
ticular game, Johnny’s brother was
catching while Johnny was hand
ling the mound duty. Johnny said
that he remembered one play in
which his brother dropped the ball;
and, when he picked it up and
threw it back to the mound, a run
ner on third base’ broke for home.
At the same time, Johnny was
trying to pick a runner off first
base. He then discovered that in
stead of the ball, he held a peeled
Irish potato.
“When the runner going home
reached the plate,” said Johnny,
“my brother tagged him out while
I just' stood on the mound ^i'ith
the potato in my hand. Everybody
was getting a big laugh out of the
whole thing, and I sure felt fool
ish.”
Max Matthews then broke in and
said that he remembered some of
his high-school baseball days, too.
“I played for Angier High School,”
said Max, “and one afternoon in a
tight game with Lafayette, I hit
a ball way out over the right field
er’s head. That ball had ‘home run’
written all over it, but I never got
the home run because when I
rounded first base, for some rea
son that I can’t explain, I fell flat
on my face. I felt stupid.”
“My biggest thrill came in 1952
when I broke up a game with
Boone Trail by hitting a grand
slam home run in the 10th inning
to break a 13-13 tie.”
Jimmy Womble said that he
could top that. Jim said that he was
playing first base for Deep River
High School in 1951. In the final
game of the season Deep River was
playing Greenwood for the county
championship. Incidentally, Jack
Brooks was playing second base for
Greenwood. Small world, isn’t it?
Jimmy said that he went to bat in
the bottom of the ninth inning with
the score tied and two men on base.
He then hit a hard line drive that
bounced off the second baseman’s
head, thus driving in the winning
run.
After the game the Greenwood
coach asked his pitcher why he
didn’t charge the ball. “Charge it?”
roared the pitcher, “I was trying
to get out of the way of the blame
thing.”
Well so far, so good. I haven’t
beaned anybody yet. Let’s hear
Captain “Plug” Brickhouse’s story.
He played for Elizabeth City High
School.
“I shall never forget my first
game. We were playing Tarboro
High School and I was playing
third base. The second batter to
come to bat hit me a ground ball,
and I scooped it up and threw it
20 feet over the first baseman’s
head. It landed in the top of the
Louisburg Is Edged by
Henderson
In a game played in a slow rain
Louisburg was edged by the Hen
derson Independents 3-1.
The game was played on even
terms until the fourth when Hen
derson scored two runs on one hit
and with the aid of three errors
led 2-0. They added another run
in the fifth on three hits to lead
by three points.
Louisburg scored their only run
on two walks and one hit to trail
3-1.
Fuller pitched a hitless ball
game for Henderson for five in
nings. Then he gave way to Flem
ing, who gave up only one hit.
Maynard and Ross led Hender
son at bat each with 2 for 3. Hal
Perry had Louisburg’s only hit.
The game was called in the seventh
because of rain.
E.M.I. Tramples Over
Louisburg
Not enough practice due to rainy
weather proved costly on Friday,
March 20, as the E. M. I. Rams
trampled Louisburg by the score
of 15-6. Hewitt kept the game well
in hand for his team as he struck
out 14, walking only one, and scat
tering 8 hits.
Louisburg used four men on the
mound, but one proved to be ef
fective as the Rams collected 15
hits. Leading man at bat for the
Rams was Brittain with four hits
in six trips to bat. Womble and
Brickhouse led Louisburg, each
with two for four. Price drove in
the first run for Louisburg with
a triple. Strother hit a home run
with the bases empty.
A Bit of Wit
Here we sit.
Hand in hand
Fingers clasp
Interwine,
Here we sit
Hand in hand
Hers in hers
Mine in mine.
—Lenoir Rhynean
Ofjtm
- NIC£ TRy THtR^ SROLER!
Chowan College Defeats
Louisburg
right field bleachers. Everybody
almost died laughing and I felt like
a hfel. I din’t know what to do.
I looked over at the coach, and he
was shaking his head. I was lead
off man at bat that day, and ^ I
struck out three times without tak
ing the bat off my shoulder. I
was so scared that every time the
pitcher threw, I stepped out of
the box with both feet.”
That’s pretty good, Plug, but I
think we have one that can beat
that. It’s Hal Perry’s story. Hal
said that he earned the name “Bird
Nest Perry” while he was play
ing center field for Bunn High
School in 1951. Let’s let Hal tell
about it.
“The funniest that ever happen
ed to me was finding a bird nest on
the ground in center field. I had
seen bird nests in trees before but
never on the ground. I became cur
ious and reached down to pick it
up; and, when I did, the batter hit
a fly ball to me. However, I wasn’t
noticing the ball, and it sailed over
my head and went for a triple
knocking in three runs. To this
very day, the boys at home call me
Bird Nest Perry.”
Well, I guess I’d better quit
flinging these wild pitches before
I hit somebody. My space is used
up anyway; so I’ll be seeing you.
So long, now.
The Louisburg “Wildcats”
boarded the “Blue Goose” for a
game with the Chowan Braves on
Tuesday, March 31, 1953. They
were hoping for a chance to get
into the win column; but, unfor-^
tunately, Chowan won by the score
of 15-14.
Louisburg took a quick 1-0 lead
in the first inning, but Chowan
scored 7 runs in the bottom of the
first inning to lead 7-1. In the
fourth inning Ransom opened with
a double followed by two more by
Perry and Mangum to trail 8-3.
In the fifth the Wildcats scored
six runs on only 3 hits to lead
9-8. Chowan matched Louisburg in
the sixth by scoring 6 runs and
leading 14-9. In the ninth a sin
gle by Strother with the bases
loaded tied the score 14-14. In the
last of the ninth with two out Cho
wan’s Gibson singled home the
winning run to win 15-14.
Gibson was Chowan’s leading
hitter with 5 hits in 7 trips to the
plate. Ben Price led Louisburg with
3 singles in 5 official times at
bat. Fred Ransom added a dou
ble and a triple in 5 official times
up.
Spring Has Sprung
Spring at last! What a wonder
ful season! In high schools and
colleges all over the United States,
spring has finally arrived. Another
dreary winter season has come and
gone. Theffe will be no more cold-
motored automobiles, frost-bitten
students, icy pavements, stone-cold
classroom radiators, chapped
hands and lips, and slippery roads
on which to travel. Spring at last.
The first sign of spring at Louis
burg College that I saw was a little
yellow flower. I do not know the
name of it, but the little flower
was a beautiful and meaningful
object to me. The first sign of
spring. Soon I noticed a blue bird
on the school ground. Within a cou
ple of days the schoolyard was
covered with birds of all descrip
tions. The flowers really began to
bloom. Even my winter friend, the
,school squirrel, seemed to have a
little more vitality. With the flow
ers and birds, there came the birds
jjn the trees. The grass becEune
green again. Every creature of God
and nature that had been out of
sight soon came back to Louisburg.
Then, finally, I knew spring was
really here. One item that is miss
ing all the winter months became
a familiar sight. The students of
Louisburg, which are surely the
human element of nature, became
alive again out in the warm and
sunny weather. Students began
walking downtown, playing in
front of the school, and sitting
and talking with other students.
Spring has sprung. Ah! spring at
last.
QUERIES
Ed Bradsher, why do you like
your Accounting class so well?
Could it be D. D.?
Mary H.,
you?
you like Cuba, don’t
Rowe's Men's
Shop
Everything to Wear for Men
and Students
Lopisburg, North Carolina ,
Robert Stainback, who do you
know at W. C. U. N. C.?
Robert S. has his eye on a short
blond from Washington, if we un
derstand it! What about it Robert?
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Court Street
Louisburg, North Carolina
Poem
How high are you? Where is your
thinking done—
Close to the earth, or upward near
the sun?
How broad are you? Where does
your goodwill end?
Does race or creed determine who
is your friend?
How deep are you? Where does
your honor start?
Is it embedded in your inmost
heart?
’Tis thus God reckons, through
life’s little span.
The veritable measure of a man.
Anonymous
The ''Blue Goose''
Have you ever heard a machine
talk? There is one here at Louis
burg College that talks. This is the
story that it told me one day.
‘I am the ‘Blue Goose.’ ” — of
ficial athletic bus of Louisburg
College. I have seen many games—
baseball and basketball. I have
seen many wins and a few losses.
I have been with the college for a
long, long time.
“If you don’t mind waiting I’ll
tell you about myself. I came to
Louisburg College as a new bus;
now, I remain at the college an
old, tired, and worn-out piece of a
bus. I guess you know that I had
a nervous breakdown at the Cho
wan baseball game. I suppose the
tenseness of the tight Louisburg-
Chowan along with my long trip
did the trick. As buses go, I am
quite old. I seem to be just fading
away. 1 have been thinking of re
tiring, but I don’t think I’d be
satisfied with doing anything save
carrying out my functions. I just
have a craving for ball games, and
I don’t mind going to other activi
ties as long as I am nice and clean.
“Recently I got a surprise; I was
allowed to keep running. I was
recently repaired (i.e. greased),
tightened, received new tires, etc.
I am now ready to continue my
joyous rides.”
With that statement the “Blue
Goose” stopped talking. I pulled
her, kicked her, whispered nice
things to her; but with a look of
resigned countenance she kept si
lent; and, to this present day, she
will not say anything. So, until
the moon turns blue or the "‘Blue
Goose” talks again you will have to
be content with this report.
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2 bottles for the
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O'Neal's Drug
Company
Your Drug Store
Louisburg, North Carolina
Compliments of
H. C. Taylor
Hardware—Furniture _
Louisburg, North Carolina
WHEELER'S
Barber Shop
Year ’round air-conditioned
Phone 210-1
Louisburg, North Carolina
RAYNOR'S
Watch & Jewelry
Repairing
Keepsake - Columbia Diamonds
Bulova, Hamilton, Elgin
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Louisburg, North Carolina
ROWE CHEVROLET COMPANY
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LOUISBURG, NORTH CAROLINA