148 Cherry Street
Stockbridge Massachusetts
Mr. Bill Carrigan
54 Pine Street
Lewiston, Maine
July 30, 1930
Hi, me boyo,
I'm not sure if you got the news way up there in Maine, but I'm back in uniform again. I'm a Pittsfield Mohawk!
About a week ago, I decided I wanted to give coaching a try. I talked to Sarah and the kids, and every one of them encouraged me to get back onto the field. Sarah was unsure about how she felt at first, because she's paid her dues as a baseball wife for so long. When she realized I'll be coming home most nights, she put her support behind the idea one hundred percent. The longest trip from Stockbridge to another league city is the journey to Fitchburg, which is about 120 miles away. That's a lot more manageable than the long western trips we used to make with the Red Sox!
There is something else I wanted to share with you, too. My first day with the club, I was working with some of the fellows in the batting cage. I was demonstrating something to them, and I was hitting line drive after line drive. John Sanders, the manager, said "You've got a better swing now than any player in the league." I didn't believe him--Archie Graham, for one, is a swell hitter, and he's fifteen years younger--but I had to admit I felt comfortable in the cage.
I decided to take some infield, and I discovered that I couldn't range far enough to play second base anymore--but I had no problems at all when I moved over to first. I decided to give third base a try, and once I got my arm loosened up, I was doing fine there, too.
I sat down with John, and he expressed some interest in adding me to the roster as a player, too. We are all set at first base; Chandler Maxwell is batting well over .300, he's a fine fielder, and he's only 23. However, there's been a hole at third all season long. John told me I could probably help the team on a part-time basis right now.
The idea appeals to me enough that I'm going to continue working out, and if things go well, I might be doing more than coaching. Sarah and the kids think it's a fine idea, especially the younger boys, who don't really remember seeing me play. A few of the newspaper boys have been watching, and I think they believe they are on to something, but I haven't seen anything in the papers yet. I doubt I'll be able to keep this a secret very long, but I wanted to share it with you first.
Wish me luck, pal!
Pat
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