BOMBS AWAY!!

June 3, 1924

This time I left school early, went to lovesick Benny's place and got him going. For the last year he's been living with a poor immigrant family that doesn't speak English about twenty blocks away from me, and after eating their cannolis and drinking some of their muddy coffee I talked Benny out of bed, into his clothes and up to the ball park for some baseball medicine.

Except now I'm sick. Jimmy Ring was on the mound after his fabulous first win the last time out, and the Cardinals were in no mood to keep him smiling. Specs Toporcer, one of the only big leaguers brave enough to wear glasses, singled into right to start the game. Wattie Holm tripled off the center fence. Ray Blades doubled. The Amazing Hornsby hit one so far over our heads in the bleachers that we didn't have time to turn around and look at it. Bottomley singled. Clemons singled. Cooney singled. Chick Hafey roped a double and it was 6-0. Art Fletcher finally went out to either talk to Ring or give him a pill, and then guess what? Pitcher Leo Dickerman lined a shot to Wrightstone at third, who tagged Cooney off the base and whipped it to second to nab Hafey for a triple play!

That was the only highlight for us. Hornsby singled and tripled his next two times up, Mitchell relieved and was no better than Ring, and the Cards laid waste to Baker Bowl with a 24-hit bombardment. By the 5th inning it was 14-2 and I had some idea of what Papa must have gone through in that horrible trench that day in France. The Phillies have played pretty darn well on the road, but at home they just can't stop their pitcher-bleeding.

For his part, Benny hasn't given up on Ruth Malcolmson yet, writing her a 15-page love poem with the words "sorry" and "regret" splattered all over the place. I said don't expect her to ever reply but he didn't care. I guess it's always good to write something down to get your tough feelings out. Like I just did.

Good night, reader-people!
—Vinny

STL 611 330 300 - 17 24 1
PHL 011 000 000 - 2 7 2

Other National League game today:

REDS 6-12-1, at BRAVES 0-7-1
Why did the Braves even show up at the park with Eppa Rixey pitching for Cincy? He suffocates them in their sleep with ease while the injury-stabbed Reds hit their typical three triples from fill-ins and get closer to the Giants and Bucs in a race getting ever-tighter.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Tuesday, June 3
Pittsburgh Pirates	29	15	.659	—
New York Giants	27	18	.600	2.5
Cincinnati Reds	28	20	.583	3
St. Louis Cardinals	26	23	.531	5.5
Brooklyn Robins	22	22	.500	7
Chicago Cubs	21	26	.447	9.5
Philadelphia Phillies	20	27	.426	10.5
Boston Braves	12	34	.261	18