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Chicago Examiner October 7, 1917
CICOTTE IS MASTER OF SALLEE IN 2-1 FIGHT
South Side Hurling Idol Downs McGraw’s Veteran Southpaw in Thrilling Box Duel to Open Big World’s Series Struggle.
By Charles Dryden.
HERE is a difference between the pink perfumes of Broadway and the more noble whiffs from our only stock yards. The day was cool and the rendering vats were not at their best. Still the poison gas was sufficient to wither the Giants in spots—that and the Cicotte shine ball, which licked the enemy 2 to 1 in the first chunk of the big baseball classic.
In one respect the White Sox were ungrateful. They threw down Dean Fullerton. the Jules Verne of baseball. His predigested score called for five tallies, and the Sox amassed but two. The bats of McMu!l!n and Happy Felsch clipped these runs from Slim Sallee with some assistance from John Collins. This athlete contributed three of the seven home blows, and only one of them helped. Felsch’s homer in the fourth was the winning marker.
As a General Jackson once saved New Orleans, so did a modern hero save the Sox. He did it in the seventh by traveling on his shape to capture a fly ball from the bat of Lew McCarty. There was a Giant on first when the General slid to the rescue in left field. Had he fallen short the run on first would have gummed the works. There should be a statue, erected to General Jackson halfway between tho town pump and the garage at Greensville, S. C.
In the center below Happy Felsch is shown crossing the plate after his winning home-run drive. Gandil is waiting his turn at bat while Sallee and McCarty are conferring over the catastrophe. At the right below is Eddie Cicotte.
M’CARTY MAKES TRIPLE.
Though McCarty was foiled in this instance, the Sox were unable to head him off in the fifth. The Giant backstop led with a triple and rather than see his mates go runless, Slim Sallee helped Lew across with lady-like single. The Great Zim and Kauff were blinded by the shine bal!. At least, they did nothing to it. Holke pared off two of the seven blows on his side. Soon atter the first of his efforts in the second round, Holke was caught asleep standing up after the manner of a weary truck horse. Cicotte slipped the pill to Gaudil and the sleeper was trapped off the bag.
The game was fast and brilliantly played, considering its importance to the athletes. Persons embarking in large financial undertakings. {Corner of paper torn}…the scene the goat was up on the camouflage stuff.
Both pitchers observed the prevailing against passes. Cicotte issued one and Sallee none. Each pitcher set a pair of batsmen down on strikes and each side committed one error. At a time like this lt ls unfair to the guilty parties to mention their indiscretions in the Introduction. Look up the errors in the box score.
FIRST MAN UP SINGLES
A clean single by Burns off Clcotte to open the show choked the bugs tor a moment Their voices returned when Herzog and Kauff skied to General Jackson. A volume of boo greeted the great Zim, who has friends ln all parts of the world. Burns swiped second and when Zim closed the round with a soft fly to center he got more boos. John Collins cracked a single to right off Slim Sallee in the home half. McMullin bunted to the slab and Sallee pegged to first instead of second. The Giant infield looked peeved. Captain Herzog went over and stroked Sallee’s fur the right way and everything was all right. Fletcher heaved out Ed Collins, the author, and Herzog went back and captured Jackson’s short fly.
Holke scratched a hit in thc second after two gone. Gandil went after the ball, then backed up and let Cicotte cover the bag. The pitcher arrived late and Holke got his hit. He was standing a few feet from the bag, thinking about the blow, when Cioctte fired from the hip and the astonished Giant droped dead in tracks with his fingers a few inches from the canvas. The Giants had never seen a pitcher so quick on the draw.
In the Sox half Felsch popped to short. The great Zim knocked over a warm wallop from Gandil, reached back for a handful of the ball and threw the runner out. Sallee grabbed a hump backed liner from Weaver and tossed him out.
SOX SCORE IN THIRD
Always looking for the cut of it, George Burns got a pass after two down in the third. Up to that moment it was the only pass in the ball park outside of those in the press coop. Herzog followed the free ducat with a single to right. Gandil raced over in front of the visiting dugout and prevented Kauffs foul from injuring some of the Giants. Chick caught the ball, retiring the side.
Much as he would reach for his fork at the dinner table, Zim stuck out his hand, in the home third, and stopped Schalk’s hopper. First out. Cicotte singled to center. He tried for third on John Collins’ safe rap to right. Cicotte tried for third, but Robertson’s peg beat him there. John reached second on the throw. McMullin doubled to center and John was the first man to score in the series. Ed Collins filed to Fletcher in foul ground.
PLAYS THAT RESULTED IN FIRST SOX RUN
In the upper picture Eddie Cicotte is shown being tagged ‘ out at third base by Heine Zimmerman. Cicotte tried to go from first to third on John Collins’ single to right. but Robertson’s throw caught him. Those in the picture are: (1) Zimmerman; (2) Cicotte; (3) Umpire Evans. The picture below shows a play that happened a moment later. J. Coilins went to second when Robertson threw to third. He was safe, Zimmerman’s throw being late. J. Collins scored a moment later on McMullin’s double. Those in the lower picture are: (1) J. Collins; (2) Herzog; (3) Zimmerman; (4) Cicotte; (5) Evans.
FELSCH MAKES HOME RUN
Robertson blew himself a double in the fourth, after two down. He whacked the ball on a line over Collins’ dome of thought. McMullin tossed out Holke.
In the Sox half. Slim Sallee was thinking of a pass for Felsch. The southpaw had thrown one-fourth of it. Happy copped the second pitch and shot lt among the weary homesteaders in the left field bleachers. The ball dropped in the lap of a youth who sat sixteen hours or such a matter on a soap box in the alley waiting for the gates to open. There was one out when Felsch nicked this homer. Gandil and Weaver wasted no time in getting their outs.
Lew McCarty in the fifth rammed the ball to the farthest angle of the lot in right center. He ran like a one-lunged furniture van and arrived at third base with both tires down. While Lew was enjoying a much needed rest Sallee dropped a safety over the infield and Lew finished his endurance run to the supply station. There was merit in this tally. The Giants worked hard enough to get it. Burns hit into a double play. Herzog fanned. The Sox contributed three polite outs to the Giants’ fund In the fifth, which at that time had reached the legal total of fifteen.
Benny Kauff, first up in the sixth, swung so hard at three pitched balls that his spine cracked and the mud flew from his shoe plates. Benny puts more pep in his striking out than any other man in the business, Zim and Fletcher skied.
In the last of the sixth McMullen’s hopper took a false bound and caromed off Buck Herzog’s nose. There wasn’t a chance for the ball to hit Buck ln tbe face. He recovered the ball and stopped MeMullen at first Ed Ooilins fanned and Jackson grounded to Holke.
One down in the seventh, Holke singled to right. Remembering the Cicotte shot from the hip in the secend, McGraw went out and nailed Hoike’s foot to the bag. General Jackson made nn elbow catch of McCarthy’s short fly. The general slid th« length of himself on his funny bones and came up with a clean catch. Sallee skied to center.
Felsch heading home after slam.
GANDIL GETS SINGLE
In the Sox seventh, one out, Gandil busted a low smash that looked like a white silk stocking as it passed Zim’s place of business. Chick stole second as Weaver struck out trying to protect the runner. McCarthy’s throw went to the outfield and Gandil rumbled along to third. Fletcher pegged Schalk out.
Buck Weaver let off the first error on the White Sox side of the sheet in the eighth. His high slam to first saved Kauff after two were out. Clcotte detected Benny in the act of stealing. Gandil relayed Cicotte’s peg to Ed Collins and Kauff was a dead bird.
One deceased in the home eighth, John Collins doubled along the left field line. The play at second was close. Fletcher indicated with his hands that he had John by two feet, one foot per hand. Mr. Rlgler refused to believe it. MeMullen hit to Zim, and J. Collins was trapped far from an island of safety. They got him sliding back to second. Me- Mullen tried to steal. Herzog took the throw and rode McMullen’s left hind leg to the bag. Cicotte pegged Zim out in the ninth, and Fletcher popped to Weaver. Robertson filed to his favorite Summer resort—right field.
PARK CROWDED EARLY
For two hours before the main show opened a free-for-all concert raged in the ball park. Among tho entries were a band of music rendering popular and patriotic ditties, a whistler, gangs of song boosters swallowing short megaphones and an orator dilating on the beauties of the Liberty bond. That part of it was more than all right. Thirty thousand persons, some of whom paid as high as $100 for a seat, wanted to see the ball game, so they sat through the concert. One scarcely could blame them for that.
Outside the park a living tide flowed both ways at the same time on Thirty-fifth street. Policemen
stationed on corners a block from the entrance asked westbound bugs if they had tickets. All said they
had and yet the crowd oozing away from the park was the greater. It’s wonderful how people will lie, even to a cop. Near the corner of Wentworth avenue three white-hatted Indians from the wilds of Wisconsin passed a bunch of cops.
We came that way later and asked the cops if they had seen any scalpers and the answer was no. Why is a policeman, anyhow?
An inspired’ genius sprung a novelty which his agents peddled along the sidewalks leading to the park. The innovation was a white sock with the word “Sox” printed on it in green. We often wondered why somebody didn’t think of this idea long ago. There seems to be money in it.
SOX ALL DRESSED UP.
Bleacher and pavilion gates closed about noon. There was no need of remaining open. Homesteaders who camped in the open all night rushed the Cherokee strip, so to speak, and the choice locations were gohbled up. An elderly bug got his whiskers full of sleet during the long night vigil. Neuralgia claimed him before the gong rang and he had to go home.
During the preliminary strutting in front of the stand the Giants wore the plain gray overalls they Inhabited throughout the playing season. It was useless to dress up. Colonel Fullerton had placed them on the short end of a 5 to 1 score in his morning paper. It would be de trop for an athlete to wear gay colors at his own funeral. With the Sox it was altogether different. Being on the long end of that score, even at that early hour, the Sox flashed forth in spotless white with red. white and blue stockings. Kid Gleason’s legs resembled a beer keg banded in the national colors.
1917 Chicago White Sox.
Left to right: “Honest” Eddie Murphy, John “Shano” Collins, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Oscar “Happy” Felsch, Harry “Nemo” Leibold.
UMPS AND MANAGERS POSE.
While the diamond valet was sprinkling talcum powder on the home plate an orator appeared in that vicinity The inside of the megaphone was red. Aside from this the rest of the oration was absolutely colorless, so far as the ear was concerned. The bugs got a flash of color when the flags of the allied nations were exhibited. Before the speech ended the spectators feared the red inside the megaphone was
caused by a hemorrhage of the lungs. No such luck. World’s series speeches seldom prove fatal.
With this feature out of the way the four umpires mobilized their faces at the home plate, being careful to stand where the light was best. A battery of cameras endured the shock. The umpires then stood around and pointed to all the cardinal points of the compass until their fingers punched holea in the atmosphere.
It is worth while to note that the four arbitrators are among the deans of the profession. Mr. O’Loughlin, Mr. Evans, Mr. Klein, and Mr. Rigler cannot be too highlyhonored. Manager Rowland and Manager McGraw posed in a group picture. With George Washington at one end of this line and Abraham Lincoln at the other certain bugs wculd feel that the last, two named were butting in.
Game One Box
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