SWEATY DEPARTURES

May 21, 1924

By the time I went downstairs to get us a morning newspaper it was 94 degrees and my socks were sticking to my ankles. Summer got to Chicago early and it took me about five seconds to realize there's no way I could ever live in this place, even though it has the best hamburger meat in America.

We took a streetcar to Cubs Park this time to save our energy, and had bought ice cold lemon-limeades before we even got to our seats. Today we waited in line like normal fans and got some way down in left field because Benny was afraid to owe Mr. Capone any more favors. We were still shaking from our getaway driver job last night and wanted to just leave town in peace.

Art Fletcher finally wised up and stuck Johnny Couch in our rotation instead of the lousy Glazner, and it paid off in this one. After Cy gave us a 2-0 lead off the bat with a 2-run single Couch looked he needed to rest on one because he gave up a Friberg double, Grantham triple and Hack Miller single in a row to tie the game. Then him and Aldridge started pitching zeroes like no one's business.

In the bottom of the 5th, though, with the metal arms of the seats burning us if we touched them and sweat dripping off our hair, we almost fainted when Couch served up a 2-run belt by Grantham that got the Cub fans jumping all around us. A Harper triple and two-out Wilson single made it 4-3, and then in the 8th, Cy took an Aldridge ball and shot it out of his bat cannon to tie the game! Suddenly the heat didn't bother us, and Benny would have ripped off his shirt and twirled it if we didn't have a pair of cops watching us.

Couch got into jams in the 7th and 8th and 9th but got out of them and we went into extra innings. A tall creepy guy with a heavy italian accent appeared behind our seats around that time and asked why we hadn't taken the free tickets Mr. Capone left for us and we had to explain we were leaving for St. Louis that night and weren't able to give any people any more rides. He said fine, but if we needed any cash while we were in St. Louis we should look up a guy named Big Toe Sam who runs a pool hall there. We said thanks and the guy finally disappeared so we could suffer through the rest of the game.

Turns out we didn't even need to. Cy walked with one out in the 10th, Wrightstone singled him to third, and after Wilson moved the runner to second with a grounder, Mokan ripped a 2-run hit in front of the Hack Man in left. Couch gave up a single to Grimes to start the Cub 10th but then took care of all business and we'd won three out of the four!

To celebrate we decided to cool off by heading over to a Lake Michigan beach, which was packed so tight there wasn't even room to lay down. The water was cool and gave us complete chicken skin, and Benny tried to drown me a few times and followed a couple cute girls wearing bloomers through the water before they told him to get lost, and then we went back to the hotel to start packing.

But when we opened the room door we couldn't believe it: Someone had been in there going through all our stuff.
I can't really call it a robbery because there was nothing stolen or even worth stealing and Benny kept all his money in under a floor mat in his car which didn't make a lot of sense but worked out this time. Was it one of Capone's guys? Maybe someone from that warehouse we drove away from yesterday. Anyway, we were real spooked and packed up in maybe five minutes and got the heck out of Chicago before something worse happened.

No one seemed to be following us, but there were lots of cars on these roads out of town so you never know. The drive to St. Louis isn't that long and with Benny on the gas pedal it'll sure be a lot shorter. Good night, reader-people!

PHL 200 001 010 2 - 6 13 0
CHI 200 020 000 0 - 4 9 2

Other National League games today:

at CARDINALS 11-15-1, BRAVES 6-11-2
Boston's in no mood for another losing streak so they score four times off Sothoron right out of the box. It takes five innings for Genewich to give it up, and after the Braves get two runs in the 6th to take the lead again, St. Louis gets five with the help of a big Bottomley triple and put the game to sleep. Hornsby is at it again with two doubles and a single, and boy I can't wait to watch him hit up close tomorrow!

ROBINS 4-8-0, at REDS 3-9-1
Brooklyn takes a tough final game and ends up splitting in Cincy, as they get four singles for two runs off Mays and Dubut in the 8th to win it.

at PIRATES 8-12-2, GIANTS 6-10-2
When will the Bucs ever lose? To put it the opposite way, when will the Giants win another game? It's Jack Bentley's turn to pitch awful today, giving the Pirates six runs in the 5th with two outs after New York had tied the score against Cooper. St. Louis pulls ahead of the rotten Giants now into fourth place.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Wednesday, May 21
Pittsburgh Pirates	23	10	.695	—
Cincinnati Reds	23	13	.639	1.5
Brooklyn Robins	20	14	.588	3.5
St. Louis Cardinals	19	17	.528	5.5
New York Giants	17	17	.500	6.5
Chicago Cubs	14	22	.389	10.5
Philadelphia Phillies	13	22	.371	11
Boston Braves	10	24	.294	13.5