| H.L. Mencken (1880–1956). The American Language. 1921. |
Page 393 |
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| PITCHER (indicating the catcher)—Ask him! |
| CATCHER—Ask yourself, you yella bum! (To the manager) He’s been shakin’ me off all day. |
| MANAGER—What was it Peck hit? |
| PITCHER—I was tryin’ to waste it. |
| CATCHER—Waste it! You dinked it up there chest high. 2 He couldn’t of got a better cut at it if he’d of tooken the ball in his hand. |
| PITCHER (to the catcher)—You could of got Shawkey at the plate if you’d of left Jack’s peg hop. He never even hit the dirt. |
| CATCHER—It would of been a short hop and I couldn’t take no chance. You wasn’t backin’ up. You was standin’ over in back of third base, posin’ for a pitcher (=picture) or somethin’. |
| MANAGER (to the catcher)—What the hell happened on that ball on Bodie? |
| CATCHER—He (referring to the pitcher) crossed me up. I ast him for a hook and he yessed me and then throwed a fast one. |
| PITCHER—It was a curve ball, just like you ast me, only it didn’t break good. |
| MANAGER (to the pitcher)—And what about Ruth? Is that all the more sense you got, groovin’ one for that big ape! You’d of did better to roll it up there. |
| PITCHER—The ball he hit was outside. |
| MANAGER—You mean after he hit it. For God’s sakes, use your head in there! This ain’t Fort Worth! |
| PITCHER—I wisht to hell it was! |
| MANAGER—And you’re li’ble to get your wish! |
Glossary
|
| In there: In the pitcher’s position. |
| Up there: In the batter’s position. |
| Shakin’ me off: Refusing to pitch the kind of ball I signalled for. |
| Waste: To pitch a ball so high or so far outside that the batsman cannot reach it. |
| Dink: To throw a slow ball. |
| Hook: A curve ball. |
| Peg: A throw. |
| Hop: To bound. |
| Hit the dirt: To slide. |
