CHAPTER X
GETTING IN SHAPE
"There's something right off the bat for a starter," exulted Robbie."Now, how about the rest of the team?"
"I think they're just about as good as they come," remarked Joe."Jackwell and Bowen are a big improvement on Hupft and McCarney both infielding and batting. Burkett is digging them out of the dirt at firstall right, and Larry takes everything that comes into his territory.Our outfield is one of the heaviest hitting in the League----"
"And it will hit harder yet when you're playing out there the daysyou're not in the box," chuckled Robbie. "They'll have to move back thefences in the ball parks for your homers. You'll break up many a gamewith that old wagon spoke of yours."
"Oh, the days I play in the outfield, one of the men will have to bebenched," mused Joe. "Which one shall it be?"
"We'll let that depend on the way they keep up with the stick," saidMcRae. "That will be a spur to them. Neither Curry nor Wheeler norBowen will want to sit on the bench, and they'll work their heads offto keep on the batting order. There again it will be a good thing forthe team. Every man will be fighting to make the best showing possible."
"Talking about Jackwell and Bowen," remarked Robbie. "Have you evernoticed anything queer about those birds?"
"They don't seem to be as husky as they might be," observed McRae."Just the other day they begged to be let off because they said theywere sick. Over eating, perhaps. That's a common fault with youngplayers when they first come into the big League and eat at the swellhotels."
"It wasn't that I meant," explained Robbie. "They seem to be nervousand jumpy. Looking around as though they expected every minute to feelsomebody's hand on their shoulder."
"I've noticed that," said Joe. "It was only the other day I wasspeaking to Jim about it. Probably it will wear off when they get alittle better used to big-league company. I'll have a quiet little talkwith them about it."
For another hour they discussed matters bearing on the welfare of theclub, and then Joe went back to Mabel.
"I thought you'd forgotten all about poor little me," she said, with anadorable pout of her pretty lips.
Joe looked around to see that no one was observing them, andstraightened out the pout in a manner perfectly satisfactory to both.
"Well, did McRae fire you, as you call it?" asked Mabel.
"Hardly," answered Joe, as he settled himself beside her. "In fact,instead of kicking me downstairs he kicked me up."
"Meaning?" said Mabel, with a questioning intonation.
"Meaning," repeated Joe, "that he made me captain of the Giant team."
"What!" exclaimed Mabel, as though she could not believe her ears.
"Just that," was the reply.
"Oh, Joe, what an honor!" exclaimed Mabel, with pride and delight. "I'mso proud! That's another proof of what they think of you."
"I suppose it is an honor," agreed Joe, "and it will mean a nicelittle addition to my salary. I'll clean up over twenty thousand thisyear altogether. And, if we get into the World Series, there willbe a few thousands more. But it means a great addition of work andresponsibility."
"You mustn't overtax yourself, dear," said Mabel, anxiously. "Rememberthat your health and strength are above everything."
"If I felt any healthier or stronger than I am now, I'd be afraid ofmyself," replied Joe, grinning. "Don't worry, honey. All I care for isto make good in my new job."
"You'll do that," said Mabel, proudly, as she patted his hand. "You'dmake good in anything. You'd make a good president of the UnitedStates."
"I'd be sure of one vote, anyhow, if I ran for the presidency," laughedJoe. "In fact, I'm afraid they'd have you pinched for repeating. You'dtry to stuff the ballot boxes."
The long journey ended at last, with all the players glad to be backin what they fondly referred to as "little old New York." There wasno brass band to meet them at the station, nor had the fans turnedout in any great numbers, as they did when the Giants returned from atriumphant trip. It was an unusual experience for the Giants, who hadthe reputation of a great road team and commonly arrived with scalps attheir belt. At present, however, they were distinctly out of favor. Nordid they derive any comfort from the brief and sarcastic references totheir return in the columns of the city press.
Joe and Mabel took a taxicab to the hotel where they usually made theirheadquarters. Reggie, to his regret, had not been able to accompanythem, though he promised to come on later.
"Beastly shame," he had said, in parting, "that I could only see theGiants when they were coming a cropper. But I'll get to the big citysoon and see them get even with those rotters. My word! It's beensimply disgustin'!"
The perfect rest during the journey had been of immense benefit toJoe's injured leg and foot, and he was overjoyed to find that he wasnow as fit as ever. The perfect physical condition in which he kepthimself had contributed toward a quick recovery.
The relief and satisfaction of McRae and Robbie over his condition wereunbounded, for with Joe out of the game the Giants were a different andfar inferior team.
Mabel had plenty of shopping and sightseeing to keep her spare timeemployed through the day, and at night she and Joe had a delightfultime taking in the best shows on Broadway.
The first morning that the team turned out for practice on the PoloGrounds, Joe sought an opportunity for a quiet talk with Iredell.
The fact that McRae had made a generous interpretation of the clausein Iredell's contract regarding his salary as captain had not abatedthe resentment of that individual. He had been moody and grouchy eversince his displacement, and had nursed his supposed grievance untilhis heart was fairly festering with bitterness. He was sore at McRae,but even more so at Joe, as his successor. The latter, he persuadedhimself, had intrigued to get his place.
"I'm going to have a talk with all the boys together, Iredell," Joegreeted him pleasantly, in a secluded corner of the grounds. "Butfirst I wanted to see you personally. I just want to say that we'vealways got along together all right, that I value you as one of thebest players on the team, and that I hope our pleasant relations willcontinue."
But Iredell was in no mood to take the olive branch that Joe held outto him.
"I suppose I'll have to do what you tell me to," he muttered sourly."You're the boss now."
"I don't like that word 'boss,'" returned Joe. "I don't have any of thefeeling that that word implies. If I have to exercise the authoritythat has been given me, it will be simply because that's my job, andnot because I have a swelled head. McRae's the boss of all of us. Yousay you'll have to do what I tell you to. But I'm hoping you'll do yourbest, not because I tell you to, but because you want to do whatever isfor the best interests of the team. How about it, Iredell? Does thatgo?"
"Oh, what's the use of talking about it," snapped Iredell. "I'll do mywork as shortstop. You've got the job you've been working for. Let itgo at that."
His tone was so offensive, to say nothing of the implication of hiswords, that Joe had to make a mighty effort to restrain his naturallyquick temper. But he knew that he could not rule others unless he hadfirst learned to master himself. So that it was with no trace of angerthat he replied:
"Listen to me, Iredell. I haven't worked for this job. I didn't wantit. I hadn't even thought of it. I was struck all in a heap when McRaeasked me to take it. And at that time, you'd already resigned. That'sthe absolute truth."
Iredell made no answer, but his sniff of unbelief spoke volumes. Joesaw that while he was in this mood there was nothing to be gained bytalking longer.
"Think it over, old boy," he said pleasantly. "I'm your friend, and Iwant to stay your friend. I know how well you can play, and I'm sureyou're going to do your best with the rest of us to bring the pennantonce more to New York."
He moved away, and a little later had gathered the rest of the team inthe clubhouse.
"I'm not going to do much talking, fellows," he said. "McRae hasalready told you that I'm to be captain of the team. I'm pr
oud to becaptain of such a bunch. I feel that all of us are brothers. We've beencomrades in many a hard fight, and there are lots of such fights aheadof us. But all our fighting will be done against the other fellows andnot among ourselves. I'm counting on every one of you to go in and workhis head off for the good of the team. That must be the only thing thatcounts with any of us.
"I don't want to exercise a single bit of authority that I don't haveto. But I'm not going to fall down on my job if I can help it. If Ihave to call a man down, I'll call him down. While we're out on thefield, what I say will have to go. You may think it's right or you maythink it's rotten, but all the same it will have to go. But you'llunderstand that there's nothing personal and that whatever's done isfor the good of the team. You know I'd rather boost than roast, andthat I'll praise a good play just as readily as I'd blame a bad one.Now how about it, fellows? Are you with me?"
"We're wid ye till the cows come home!" shouted Larry,enthusiastically. "Three cheers for the new captain!"
Rousing cheers shook the clubhouse and sealed the compact.
Then, with a new spirit, the Giants plunged into the pennant fight. Itwas a hard fight that lay before them, and none of them underratedit. But the grim determination that had been in evidence many timespreviously was now again to the fore, and it boded ill for their rivals.
Mabel, after a tender parting, had returned for a brief while toGoldsboro, and Joe concentrated all the energies of brain and body onhis new task. Like the war horse, he "sniffed the battle from afar,"and was eager to plunge into the thick of the fray. Would he emerge thewinner?
Baseball Joe, for the time being, gave no more attention to Iredell'sgrouchiness. He knew the player felt sore, but never realized how farthat soreness might carry the fellow.
"I'll fix him some day, see if I don't," muttered Iredell to himselfwhen on his way to the hotel that night. "I'll fix him. Just wait andsee! I'll teach him to ride over me!"
Baseball Joe, Captain of the Team; or, Bitter Struggles on the Diamond Page 10
