SCHOOL BEATS THIS JUNK ANY DAY

RECENTLY, IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE: Phillies and Reds have Sunday off and the Spanelli Bunch heads for the beach...Vinny and Benny get their pockets picked in miniature golf by five floozies...The Giants beat the Bucs for the first time and tighten things...

June 9, 1924

The last week of school is always a big joke. We play stickball in the yard, or hopscotch, or leapfrog, or tiddley-winks, or just bug the girls for five days. It makes it even easier to slip away to a ball game, not that I've had any trouble lately with Mr. Tuggerheinz just about pushing me out the door.

But I definitely would've had more fun on a seesaw today, because against Pete Donohue, a wallahonie if there ever was one and by far the worst starting pitcher on the Cincy team, all the Phillies could do was get three measly singles, one of them by pitcher Johnny Couch. Donohue actually had a no-hitter going until Couch's hit with one out in the 8th! In the meantime, the Reds were busy plastering balls every which way, and ended up with 16 hits as they are now right behind the Pirates in the standings again. Roush has been killing us, and he got another single and homer today in front of a much smaller crowd. The way the Phils have been playing at Baker Bowl lately, it's no wonder people are off shooting marbles somewhere.

Benny got disgusted around the 6th inning and disappeared for half an hour to gamble on balls and strikes with his friends in the back row of the bleachers. I've never been a gambling person but I can see how it can help pass your time when something horrible or boring is occupying the rest of it, like this icky game. Hubbell throws against the Cuban guy Dolf Luque tomorrow, so let's hope for no Benny-gambling.

Good night, reader-people!
—Vinny


CIN 020 020 200 - 6 16 2
PHI 100 000 000 - 1 3 0

Other National League games today:

at ROBINS 3-8-2, CUBS 2-7-0
Today's excitement sure wasn't in Philadelphia. With Dazzy Vance's team not hitting for him again and down 2-0 to the Cubs' Tony Kauffman, Brooklyn ties the game in the 4th on a Hank DeBerry double. The game stays scoreless until two outs in the last of the 9th, when Vance walks up and smacks a deep fly over the wall to win the game for himself!

at GIANTS 4-5-2, PIRATES 1-5-0
Maybe the most thrilling game of the year. Ray Kremer and Jack Bentley match zeroes for eight innings at the Polo Grounds, the Giants with only two singles, before a disastrous two-base error by Youngs in the top of the 9th scores Traynor with the first run of the game. But O'Connell singles to start the bottom of the 9th, Youngs walks, and George Kelly finally does something useful with a sharp single to tie everything back up. Babe Adams replaces Kremer and Hack Wilson blasts his first pitch into the left field stands for The Shot Heard 'Round the Five Boroughs of New York. McGraw's Mashers are just two and a half games out of first!

CARDINALS 4-12-0, BRAVES 1-10-0
This might seem amazing to you, but the Braves lose a game. Actually since opening the season with a 9-9 record they are 3-30. That ain't good. St. Louis meanwhile is only four games out!

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Monday, June 9
Pittsburgh Pirates	32	18	.640	—
Cincinnati Reds	33	20	.623	0.5
New York Giants	30	21	.588	2.5
St. Louis Cardinals	30	24	.556	4
Brooklyn Robins	25	25	.500	7
Chicago Cubs	24	29	.453	9.5
Philadelphia Phillies	21	31	.404	12
Boston Braves	12	39	.235	20.5