Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 261, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 October 1919 — DAVENPORT GOOD AS ORATOR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DAVENPORT GOOD AS ORATOR

Tail Pitcher Never Lost Opportunity to Tell His Mates How to Win Baseball Games. . Dave Davenport, besides being the tajlest man in baseball, possesses the greatest line of chatter in diamond circles. Dave is. quite some, talker. .He talks himsplf into the reputation of being thegreatest- clubhouse pitcher in the American league, according to one of his fellow players with the Browns. It was a habit with Fielder Jones to hold a meeting in the clubhouse just before going out on the field. Fielder would talk over with his men about the weak points of the opposition and tell the pitcher he Intended using where to pitch to each man. After Fielder had finished his oration Dave would immediately get on the "old soap box,” as the players say, and tell how he baffled this and that player with certain shoots. Dave sel-

dom gave anyone else a chance to utter a word, and the meeting generally broke up with the tall boy still telling how the game should be played on that particular afternoon. It sometimes happened, however, that Davenport would be sent to the mound. The players on the bench would eagerly watch the tall Texan. He had a habit of tossing up a slow ball quite often, and invariably some player on the opposing side would connect for a terrific wallop to. the fence. The fact that Davenport was pounded’ hard and yanked out of the game on a number of occasions never caused the big fellow to cease telling his teammates how to play the game. Dave meant well and his teammates enjoyed the act immensely. >

Dave Davenport.