Strictly For Birdie

Tebbetts happened to know that it had been decided to farm out the young pitcher for another season. What happened here would not affect his future. Birdie called for a pitch which, experience had taught him, would look ginger-peachy to Mrs. Wakefield's boy. Dick hit it on a line to left center for two bases. The next batter popped up.

"You took real good care of your boy," the Giant coach, Herman Franks, yelled to Tebbetts.

"That was the pitch?" Tebbetts snapped. "Did it have something on it?"

"Pretty good stuff," Franks conceded.

"And the next pitch the guy popped up," Birdie said. "Same pitch, wasn't it? Listen, exhibition or World Series game, I don't take care of anybody. I wouldn't groove one for my mother."

Silently he added to himself: "I didn't say Wakefield's mother."