WOOZY HUZZAHS

September 2, 1924

Rachel and her father took an early train back to New York because Saul actually had to work for a living, and I was thrilled just to see him get away from his team before he had a heart problem and the wedding was called off. Last night at dinner it was decided Rachel and me would hitch next Saturday night. That seemed a little too quick to organize things and learn my Jewishness, but the whole thing was going to be at their synagogue, Saul already knew the date was open, and he wanted to get the thing done so he could follow the end of the pennant race without distractions. Boy does he ever sound like me.

Mama was on a crying routine this morning because she knew her other man was leaving and she'd be all alone, but I said maybe she'd meet a new guy at the wedding if she kept her face dry for a couple hours. She liked that idea, but was kind of wishing it was an Italian wedding instead.

Benny came by to take me to our next game with Brooklyn but wanted to stop at Mort's first to "pick something up" that he left there. There was a big sign on the door that said PRIVATE PARTY TODAY but he opened it up anyway and shoved me inside.

"Surprise!!!"

Two dozen or so people were waiting for me, the usual Mort's regulars and a bunch I knew from the neighborhood, and they toasted me with tall glasses of bubbly red liquid I'd never seen before. Mort came around the counter, pounded my back and walked me to a table with a giant bowl of the same drink. "Super Vinny cherry fizzer! In honor of your soon-to-be betrothicals." He poured me a mug of it and it was down the hatch. It was spiked with someone's homemade illegal wine and had some kind of kick.

"We didn't know when you were leaving for New York," said Benny, "So I thought we should take care of this celebration business right away." A phonograph started up with jazz music, and a few of the saucier girls who were there took turns dancing me around, and before long I was having the time of my life. Even Pop Lloyd from the nearby Hilldale Daisies showed up.

It was sure a decent place to follow our 7th place team. Mort ran over with ticker reports after every inning, and when I wasn't laughing, burping or doing the Charleston I followed the best I could. Back-to-back home run belts by High and Wheat gave Brooklyn a quick 2-0 lead, but then Burleigh "Ol' Stubblebeard" Grimes threw what could've been the worst inning of ball all year, seeing what his team's situation was. Harper tripled, Sand singled, Holke doubled, Cy singled and Wrightstone walked before he even got an out. Wilson hit into a double play but then Mokan reached on a single and errror, Grimes kicked another one away and it was 4-2 us.

Wilson homered later after they got a run back to make it 5-3, then it was 5-4 after a High triple, and then Bill Hubbell coughed up the lead in the 8th, giving the Robins three beginning with a High double this time. We got one back on two walks, a bunt and a grounder, so it was 7-6 going to the last of the 9th. The ticker also told us that the Bucs were losing yet again to the Cubs, so this was suddenly a huge game. Mort poured in another batch of Super Vinny fizzer, and the guests who could still stand were bunched around the ticker waiting for every pitch.

Mostly everyone seemed to be pulling for Brooklyn, being Giants and Pirates haters, but when Philie hero Cy Williams came up with one out against Ehrhardt and the ticker suddenly said WILLIAMS HOME RUN...BRK 7 PHL 7, the place divided itself with cheers and boos. Benny was off in the bathroom getting sick when Brooklyn's Eddie Brown scored what was about to be the winning run in the 10th on a Hubbell wild pitch, but when news came across that Pittsburgh had lost, his face looked less green right away.

Can this be a pennant race yet, we wondered? Brooklyn will be up at Braves Field next Saturday for a double-header, but if the games go late, will Mr. Stone be able to give his daughter away before midnight? Oh, the lives of insane baseball fans...

—Vinny

BRK 201 001 030 1 - 8 16 2
PHL 400 010 011 0 - 7 12 2

Cal Butterworth tracked me down at Mort's during the party and asked if I could "report" the American League games for him. I guess he was sick all day himself from eating too much Chicago steak last night.

National League games:

CUBS 9-18-3, at PIRATES 6-13-0
This one isn't that close until the 9th, when Pete Alexander loses it and gives the Bucs four runs. Old Pete is now a whopping 17-4 and the Cubs are over .500! Cooper has a 1-0 lead into the 4th but Chicago scores in every inning after that. Unfortunately for them, Ray Grimes goes out for two whole weeks with a twisted leg, so catching anyone higher than them could be a problem.

GIANTS 8-18-1, at BRAVES 5-10-0 (10 innings)
The no-hitting Braves make it tough for the should-be-hitting-better Giants, but without Kelly in their lineup I guess we should give them more credit. Skinny Graham pitches three great relief innings before New York gets three off him in the 10th, and the McGrawsters sneak past the Reds into third place.

American League games:

at YANKEES 5-8-1, RED SOX 4-10-4
Is Ruth hitting a homer every day now? Well, he's got 41 after his smash here off Fuhr, and the Yanks are given the win for a birthday present when Boston third-baseman Clark makes two 2-base errors in the 7th inning to go with his three for the game.

TIGERS 6-12-0, at WHITE SOX 1-4-1
Too bad Cal is laid up with gout and misses his ace Rip Collins go to 23-3 with another fabulous performance. Cobb racks up two singles and a big late triple as Detroit picks up a half game on the sitting-around Senators.

INDIANS 14-17-1, at BROWNS 9-15-0
Just another tight little pitching game between these two. Dixie Davis is just plain awful for the Brownies, giving up a 3-run inning, a 4-run inning and a 5-run inning before he's dragged off the mound.

NATIONAL LEAGUE through Tuesday, September 2
Pittsburgh Pirates	81	48	.628	—
Brooklyn Robins	76	55	.580	6
New York Giants	72	57	.558	9
Cincinnati Reds	73	58	.557	9
Chicago Cubs	66	65	.504	16
St. Louis Cardinals	64	66	.492	17.5
Philadelphia Phillies	54	78	.409	28.5
Boston Braves	36	95	.275	46
AMERICAN LEAGUE through Tuesday, September 2
Washington Senators	82	49	.626	—
Detroit Tigers	73	60	.549	10
Chicago White Sox	68	63	.519	14
Boston Red Sox	64	67	.489	18
New York Yankees	63	67	.485	18.5
St. Louis Browns	63	70	.474	20
Philadelphia Athletics	57	75	.432	25.5
Cleveland Indians	58	77	.430	26