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Posted By: Bob

Don't forget the mess in left field when the Royal Rooters paraded around the field only to see all their seats taken (they ALWAYS sat there) and caused the game to be postponed for a long time and Smokey Joe, who had warned up and was ready to go, was forced to sit there for almost an hour, then warm up again and pitch. Almost all writers of the day credited this fiasco with causing Joe's arm to go south and become injured, an injury from which his pitching career never recovered although he became a decent everyday outfielder with a decent batting average, good glove and still strong arm, just not strong enough to pitch. To say that Joe gave less than 100% that day is totally unfair and inaccurate. His going in to a full wind up with men on base might have been a combination of his panic at his sore arm and his concentration on that, a memory lapse with all the confusion attendant to the situtaion plus he might have been unable to pitch from the stretch because of the pain.