W. G. Braund - The Only Del: The Greatest Batsman in the Land

W hen in the name uv the sweet baby Jaysus in velvet pants are were gointa have all these bluddy rocks out uv here? freckle-faced Fergus Maloney called out to his friends from Central High School as they struggled to lay out a baseball diamond on the vacant lot beside Fire Engine House Number Five .

Lord thunderin, weve bin at this fer nigh onta six hours now, lads, groaned slope-shouldered and generally high-spirited Shaymus Finnegan, whose cheekbones seemed ready to burst through his sallow skin. He stopped picking up stones long enough to draw a ladle full of cold water from a fire bucket, pour half its contents onto his shock of curly red hair, and take a big swallow .

Keep at it, shirkers, else its not gointa be ready for tomorrow, fifteen-year-old Ed Delahanty told his friends as he picked up a boulder and effortlessly flung it into a wheelbarrow, rattling and nearly knocking the rusty old thing over .

Ed was tall and square-shouldered, with clear ocean green eyes, a dimple in the center of his square chin, and wavy light brown hair under his sweaty flat cap. His attitude and carriage were self-assured, laid-back but at the same time ready-for-anything. His rugged good looks made him popular with the high school girls, who did their best not to be caught staring when he passed them in the halls .

The teamsters fields a helluva lot rockier than this, muttered straw-haired, soft-spoken Logan OShea, who was exhausted and just wanted to go home and rest up for tomorrows big game. Hed be doing the twirling for the Fire Engine House Number Five team .

The firemen were letting the boys do most of the work, though theyd begun the job by smoothing the uneven lot with an old plowing blade dragged by two of the horses from the team that pulled their engine wagon. Most of the fire fighters were busy washing the hook-and-ladder. Two tossed hay up into the loft. Four others were trying to harmonize well enough to get up a barbershop quartet, but the baritone was drowning the others out .

In a far corner of the sleeping quarters a frail old fireman sat on his bed peering at a stereopticon into which hed loaded pictures of scantily-clad French dancers. My, but women are beautiful things, he murmured to himself .

Salt-and-pepper haired Mike Whalen, a veteran of the Cleveland force from the days when it was still made up of volunteers, watched the boys work. He thought back to a game in the Firemens League between the Screw Guzzles and the Red Hots that had sent three men to the hospital and sipped from a bottle of Doyles Hop Bitters he kept in his back pocket. The tonic was a blend of hops, dandelion, mandrake roots, and grain alcohol. He restored the bottle to his pocket and picked up a lantern to polish .

That Delahanty kids a real fire plug, he said to no one in particular .

Wheres that come from anyway? asked twenty-year old Sean Murphy, whod been hired to complement the stations crew after Davey Callaghan had been badly burned in the tannery blaze. Murphy was patting the head of the scrawny Dalmatian that herded the horses to safety after the crew reached the scene of a fire. I know its what you call a stocky fella, but what is a fire plug ?

The water mains were made from hollowed-out logs back in the day, Whalen explained, setting down the lantern and pulling a pipe from his pocket. When we got to a fire wed dig up the cobble stones down to the main and bore a hole into it so the holed fill up with water. Then wed draft it with the steam pumper. When we finished fightin the fire, wed seal the main with a plug. The next time there was a fire in the neighborhood, wed dig up the plug and not have to cut into the main again .

Back on the lot, Shaymus Finnegan stuck his newsie cap onto his sopping head and went back to working and talking. I know it sounds crazy, but I heard tell the Teamsters first baseman is usin a glove, an old brakemans glove he found at the railyard .

Me father says sum fella that plays fer Saint Louis is wearin one, said Fergus Maloney. Uv course all the other players laugh at him .

Can ya blame em? asked Shaymus. Cricket players dont use gloves, ball players ought not to either. The measure uv a players the number uv calluses on his hands and how many fingers hes had broken. Wearin a glove just aint manly .

Well Albert Spalding, the twirler that won fifty games a couple uv times for Boston, started wearing one when he went to Chicago and switched over to first base, said Logan OShea. Now that hes retired hes started up a sports equipment company that makes baseballs and fingerless gloves with padded palms .

Can yas picture Jimmy McCormick goin out ta the pitchers box wearin a glove? Fergus asked the others .

Or Sure Shot Dunlap goin out ta second base wearin one? asked Ed Delahanty .

Didnt George Wright make a wad of money selling mouthpieces for catchers? asked Logan .

He did so, said Fergus, calls um rubbers. And apparently Deacon Jones has talked Spalding into makin masks fer catchers .

Masks? Muther Mary uv God! exclaimed Shaymus Finnegan. You must be daft .

Have ya taken leave uv your senses? asked Ed .