The Southpaw (48 page)

It picked up again in the middle of November (we was married on the 10th by Judge Real, the Mayor of Perkinsville’s brother) and carried over past Christmas and the first of the year, but this time all of them pleasant and cheerful from people that said what I said was right, and actually I begun to feel like a human being again. There was a time when I doubted that I had 5 friends in the world, when many people in Perkinsville would hardly speak to me, when the mail brought nothing but hate and the papers wrote nothing but insults. But then the drift of the mail changed, and then, as you know, the writers themselves voted me both Most Valuable Player and Player Of The Year which I believe I mentioned before in this book but see no harm in mentioning it again for the sake of those folks that might of missed it.

I could also use this space to answer the 1 thing most people most usually ask, “How do things look for this coming year?”

I do not know. I think New York will be the team to beat. Boston is cleaning house from top to bottom, as you know, and it will be a few years yet before they are back in it. I can’t see Brooklyn a-tall. The youngsters at Cleveland are now 1 year smarter, so I expect it will be Cleveland give us the most trouble. 1 year can make a great difference.

But I do wish the Mammoths could come up with 1 more left-hander, for Sam Yale is on the long road down and I do not think Keith Crane can fill his shoes. It is the whole history of the Mammoths that they are short dependable southpaws.

Otherwise the book is done. There is probably a lot that ought to went in but got lost in the scuffle and probably lots more already in that needs to be scratched out. Take it or leave it. Believe it or not. I do not care too much what you believe. Holly says tell folks the truth and they will sooner or later come to believe it, and Aaron says the same.

Anyhow, this is it. It sure run long. 

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The Southpaw
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Mark Harris’
Bang the Drum Slowly
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