Читать книгу No Money, No Beer, No Pennants. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression онлайн

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After graduation Roger continued his dazzling play on the sandlots. The Cleveland Naps paid close attention, signing him to a contract in February 1910. Stories circulated that it was Lajoie himself who urged the Naps to acquire the nineteen-year-old infielder. The contract offered $125 a month, yet John Peckinpaugh still had deep misgivings about his son becoming a ballplayer. This may seem odd, that a former player would be strongly against his son pursuing a professional baseball career, but John Peckinpaugh enlightened his son that ballplayers were drunkards who did not want to work. Regardless of the stern warning, Roger signed the contract, joining the Naps for spring training in Alexandria, Louisiana. Henry Edwards recalled his first impression of the young shortstop, writing, “I never will forget how Roger did swat the ball that spring. There was a river back of the left field fence and Peck became a very expensive asset because of the baseballs he hit into the water.” Pitchers soon figured out that Peck had trouble hitting the curve, though, which stopped the baseballs from landing in the river. The Naps decided to send Roger to New Haven, Connecticut, where he worked on making contact with the breaking ball.