Читать книгу Rage. The Legend of "Baseball Bill" Denehy онлайн

71 страница из 92

In one of my early starts for Auburn, I pitched against the Wellsville Red Sox. When I warmed up, I had great stuff. My ball was tailing, my curve was sharp, and I was throwing strikes. I started the game with two strikeouts, but then I couldn’t get anyone else out, and manager Clyde McCullough had to come to the mound to get me. I went into the clubhouse, had a beer, then another, then another, and by the time the game was over I was tipsy. After the game, McCullough called me into his office. Not only was I drunk, but I was feeling sorry for myself, down in the dumps, and despondent.

Clyde and I both were staying at the Auburn Hotel. Clyde was another old-timer. Twenty years earlier he was the scout who had brought Jackie Robinson to speak to Branch Rickey before Rickey signed Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers and break major league baseball’s color barrier. Clyde had a world of experience, and he saw how uptight and nervous I had been, and he wanted me to relax and not be so grim about my job.