Rain, rain go away
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Details, page 2
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
Monday
April 13, 1987
Vol. 97, No. 131
(USPS 650-640)
Kansas House, Senate recess
By CHRISTOPHER HINES Staff writer
The city hall in Mound City was built in 1868 and houses the old city jail.
The state Legislature took a two and a half week recess Friday without finishing some of its homework, including several bills concerning money and programs for the University of Kansas.
"This year is exceptional in that so many bills are in conference and that so many issues are unresolved," said State Rep. Jessie Branson, D-Lawrence. "This is becoming more so every year."
Mound City retains small-town values,
State lawmakers did, however,
approve a state lottery, liquor by the
drink and a bill prohibiting nuclear
waste disposal in Kansas, before
going into recess. Two weeks ago, the
Senate threw out by four votes the
death penalty, despite strong support
from Gov. Mike Havden.
When lawmakers return on April 29 for a thrust to four-day 'wrap-up'
pration bills
allocate $3.9
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1988 fee increases,
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by JOSEPH REB Staff writer
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Peanuts said he got flustered about being with another man's woman, especially a man he was gonna have to hit against the next day, so he got away from her quick and played the whole next day praying to God and His sweet mercy that the pitcher hadn't heard nothing about it.
the preacher back I heard about sbbe in So now, here he was back in town again one year later, and he was scared even more. He said he'd been thinking about Chesterfield for a solid month and dreading it north all the way up the map.
kid I am I gonna do? That gorilla's had a year to find out, and if he has, he's gonna kill me."
"Cheer up," I said to Peanuts. "Maybe he's dead."
But Peanuts just kept mumbling over and over how that pitcher was gonna kill him.
When we got back to the square, Whip was draped back across the hood of his car and he said, "Peanuts, a big friend of yours name of Jojo come by looking for you. He said he'd be awful glad to see you at the same tomorrow."
I never seen nobody as scared as Peanuts was then. His eyes were big, and his tongue was hanging out. He looked like a dog in the headlights of a car.
This Jojo had left word that he'd be playing pool across the tracks if Peanuts wanted to see him tonight.
Whip said to Peanuts, "That was an awful big man, and he was smiling real funny and talking through his teeth like he was mad. What you done, boy?"
I started to say something, but Peanuts looked at me like he was about to cry. All the guys gathered around, wanting to know what kind of trouble was up. But I didn't say nothing 'cause I'd promised, and Peanuts just shook his head and said something like nothing in a jittery voice.
Bunk hopped into the back of one car and propped his feet up, and Rollblock put his big self on the hood of the other car, 'cause it was their turn to stay with the cars. We never expected no trouble, but once in a while folks got a little too curious, so we always left a couple guys with the cars. Nobody liked car duty, 'cause then they missed out on nightliftin'.
So anyway, we left Bunk and Rollo with the cars in the square and went out looking for someplace to go, which was pretty easy to find in that small a town. It don't take too long to find the place where everybody is.
Those were special times. Sure, everybody had it tough, but somehow that made it more fun. Nights we'd go out, and it was warm and the music might be playing somewhere. The menfolk in town would tolerate us, 'cause we was doing what they'd be doing if they could. And the small-town ladies was always glad to see us, 'cause they'd seen nothing but the same old men for so long. Then here come 10 ballplayers to town, none of us too bad looking and a few pretty good, and all just looking for a little fun.
We went in, and the boys started talking around to the ladies and pretty soon the place was lit up. I stayed close to Peanuts, and we got us a table in the corner and sat for a while. I tried to get him to have fun, but he wasn't gonna have none. See, Peanuts was looking out across the tables, and all the pretty ladies and smoke was in his eyes and the music was in his ears. He'd probably met that girl in that same place.
"Peanuts." I said. "are you thinking
about that lady?"
"Nah," Peanuts said to me. "I'm thinking about tomorrow, walking away from the plate with my bat in one hand and my head in the other."
I could see we was wasting our time, so I hauled him up and pulled him outside.
On the way to the square, Peanuts wasn't talking any, so I thought about how I might help him out. Now this was Peanuts' business, and I knew right well I couldn't go messing with another man's business, but I thought of something I could do. I'd sneak over to the pool hall and get a look at this Joo. I figured I'd know him to see him see we'd played him before, and maybe he wasn't as big and bad as Whin made him out.
Now back at the cars, Bunk was sacked out in the back seat of one car, snoring to raise the hairs on a cat's back Rollo, who was made out of as much stuff as two normal-sized men, which I guess is a good thing for a catcher, was sitting in the other car, eating an apple and listening to the crickets chirp. I told Rollo to keep two good eyes on Peanuts for me.
So anyway, I left Peanuts with Rollo that night and went looking for Jojo. I peeked in the back door of the pool hall, and there he was, big as life and twice as mean. I recognized that jaw of his underneath a Chesterfield ball cap from when we played him before. He looked like he was carved out of some kind of thick, dark wood, but then again, maybe he was just the whole tree. I seen why Peanuts was worried, and when I got back that night I didn't say nothing to him about it.
The sun crawled up the next day, and we had ourselves a ball game to play. Everybody got stretched out right so we wouldn't have nobody get hurt. We had to on the team, and you need no to play, so we didn't believe in no injuries.
We put on our uniforms, which was still dirty from our last game, and got to the ballfield right by noon. There was lots of people there for the game, looked like all the town and most of the county, so all of us was happy 'cape we'd make some money. All of us 'cept Peanuts, of course, who was thinking he wouldn't live to send it.
That Jojo looked even bigger out on the mound than he had in the pool hall. I walked down to the end of the bench to get a better look at him and seen him smiling like a housecat with a throat full of feathers and a meal in his belly. I said a little prayer for Peanuts.
We was visitors, so we got first bats, and Peanuts was our first batter. He picked up his bat and looked our bench up and down, maybe so he could remember everybody's face when he got to heaven. Everybody but me looked back at him kind of funny, like he was crazy, 'cause they didn't know what was going on.
The crowd was hollering for a game, and the umpire yelled for a hitter, so Peanuts walked up to the plate, dragging his bat behind him.
Peanuts dressed face-down into the dirt so fast, his bat fungin in the air for a second before it fell on top of him. Only thing was, the ball was straight over the plate, about belt-high if Peanuts had stayed on his feet.
So Peanuts tiptoed into the box and got ready for a fastball between the eyes. Jojo went into a big windup and threw a hard one.
The umpire yelled strike, and the crowd laughed their fool heads off. The guys on our bench looked at each other wondering what was up.
The next pitch was the same place. a
blue streak right down the middle. Peanuts ended up in the same place, flat on his face in the dust.
Peanuts didn't take the quick dive on the next pitch, but it was coming straight for his head, so he went down again. Even some of the guys on our bench laughed when the pitch curved across the plate for strike three.
Peanuts pulled himself up and walked back to the bench with dust and chalk on his face. The guys asked him what was wrong, but he just shook his head and got his glove.
We walked out to the field after we were out. Peanuts always started the game by buying a bag of peanuts so he could eat them while he was playing, and that's why we called him Peanuts. But this time he just walked straight out to his spot by second base and stood there.
I hollered in from left field, "Hey,
Peanuts, don't forget your peanuts."
He looked out at me and nodded. He walked over and bought some but just put them in his back pocket and forgot about them.
The game was one of those tight ones where almost nobody hits the ball. Sure, Whip was throwing the Rosseau Rocket past everybody, but Jojo was pitching good, too, and we couldn't do much with him.
Joek kept on playing with Peanuts. He was teasing him with that fastball that was too fast to take a chance on and that curve coming straight at his ear. Peanuts didn't take no chances, and he dove for cover every pitch and struck out every time. The crowd was laughing themselves blue in the face.
So we battled it out and got to the last inning tied nothing to nothing. The crowd was screaming for their team, and we was wondering if we were gonna lose for the first time all summer. There was some long faces on the bench, but none was longer than Peanuts'. He was worn out from getting laughed at. He told me when he left the bench for the plate that he was going to stand in this time.
The first pitch was a fast one straight for the head, and not a man in the world could have got out of its way but Peanuts. He pulled back from it chin-first and ended up flat on his back.
I looked out on the mound, and I seen Joo was through playing with Peanuts 'cause he wasn't smiling no more.
Our boys all stood up 'pause they knew that pitch was supposed to knock Peanuts in the head. But we didn't do nothing, partly 'cause we didn't want to fight the whole town and most of the county, I'm guessing. I guess that was a little yellow of us. Peanuts was on his own.
Three more fastballs straight at his head, and three times Peanuts somehow managed to get away from them. The umpire pointed to first base, and Peanuts took his walk, raising a cloud of dust as he tried to clean off his uniform.
Somebody out of the crowd hOLERed,
“What’re you doing, Joio?” The big kid
was just pounding his glove and staring
over at first base.
Bunk was up to bat, and I was on deck ready to bat next. Joo got ready to pitch, but instead he threw the ball over to first base.
He threw that ball as hard as he humanly could right at Peanuts' head. Maybe Joo thought the sight of that ball coming straight for his head might freeze Peanuts, and I seen that it did for a second. But Peanuts ducked at the last second, and the ball rolled out into right field. By the time the ball got thrown back
in, peanuts was standing on third base with some more dust on his shirt and an uppty look in his eye. He'd ducked Joo's best fastball.
Joo walked Bunk and me both, and the crowd was crying out for him to throw some strikes. The catcher came out to talk to Joo, and I figured out what was up. With the bases loaded, Peanuts would have to try to score if Rollo hit the ball, and Joo would be waiting at home plate to let poor Peanuts have it. I seen Peanuts on third, and he knew it too.
But Rollo struck out and so did Ham Henry after him. It was two outs with the bases loaded, and Whip Washington came up. Whip swung as hard as he could, and the ball bounced real slow right back to Joo. Jojo picked it up and smiled 'cause he had it just like he wanted it.
Now the crow was yelling at Jojo to touch home, throw to first, do something to get an out, but Jojo didn't hear. He walked over to the third base line and started walking toward Peanuts, one foot on each side of the line like he was climbing a rope.
I don't know how long everybody just stood there. The crowd was confused, not knowing if they should cheer or boo or what. But out of that came a holler.
I was standing between first and second, and I could see the fear of God and Jojo in Peanuts' eyes. Jojo got about halfway between home and third and stopped, just begging Peanuts to try to get him past he so he could take a shot at him.
"Joio." some lady yelled.
She was down in front, standing with her hands on her hips and looking at Jojo.
Joo took a look at her, and I figured this was the lady the whole fight was over.
Then I saw Peanuts, but just for a second. He took off toward home plate like a streak of summer lightning. He was moving so fast he was just a blur. Jojo never even seen him, and Peanuts slid through Jojo's legs so fast he singed the big kid's socks.
The amazing thing was, he'd built up so much speed that he just kept sliding, all the way across home plate and back to the backstop. Then he got up and took off running out of the park.
Well, the crowd hollered their heads off 'cause they'd never seen nothing like that and they wasn't sure if it was legal. The umpire signaled safe, then bent over to look at the brown streak down the line where Peanuts had slid.
Sure enough, it was peanut butter. Peanuts had run so fast and slid so hard that those peanuts in his pocket turned to butter.
We won the game, and when we got to the town square, we found Peanuts in the back seat of one of the cars, hiding under a pile of clothes. He wouldn't talk nothing about what happened, even when we told him he won the game for us. But he did have his old smile back.
So we changed his name to Peanut Butter 'cause there wasn't nobody ever gonna forget about that game. And every year after that, every time we got close to Chesterfield, ol' Peanut Butter would ask to please skip that town and just go somewhere else. And we always did 'cause he was the best little guy there was.
Rob Knapp, Tulsa junior, is a journalism major.
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KANSAN MAGAZINE/April 10, 1987
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