Washington, Aug. 9.
Friend Al: Well old pal don’t be surprised if you pick up a paper some a.m. and see where I have walked out on this bunch of cuckoos and pulled a Mays on them only it won’t be no 2 or 3 wks. before I land somewheres else as they’s a certain club in this league that would give their eye to get a hold of me as it would mean the pennant. Don’t think I am bosting Al as I am just giveing you the facts and when I tell you what come off yesterday you will know who I refer. Even if the deal don’t come off I can give Gleason a good scare and maybe come to some kind of a understanding with him.
Well yesterday was our last day in Philly and the Detroit club had finished up their serious in Washington the day before and their whole bunch was over in Philly yesterday and out to see our game. Well afterwards we seen the whole bunch of them and Jennings kind of smiled at me like he wanted to see me alone so I give him the chance and he says what was on my mind. So I seen he was trying to give me a opening so I said I was tired of pitching for Gleason. So he says “Well I been watching the box scores where you pitched and it didn’t look to me like you was pitching for Gleason.” He is a great kidder Al but that is just his way.
Well he humed and haud and finely he says they was no use him talking to me as Gleason wouldn’t trade no pitcher to a club that was fighting him for the pennant. So I said maybe he wouldn’t trade me but suppose I walked out on him like Mays done on Boston why then maybe he would give me to the club that made the best offer.
So Jennings said “Yes but we tried to get Mays but all as we could offer for him was jack and we couldn’t offer nothing else for you and when a club offers money to Comiskey why it is like takeing coal to a castle.”
So I said “Well it looks to me like it would be to your int. to offer something besides jack as Gleason could use a couple of your ball players.” Yes said Jennings but when you begin talking trade to Gleason he can’t only talk in words of 1 sylable Cobb and Bush. Well I said if I make up my mind to walk out on him Cleveland or N.Y. will get me either 1 and you know what that means. So he says “I guess you won’t go to neither 1 of them clubs.” That is what he said Al and they’s only 1 way to take it but at that it wasn’t so much what he said as how he looked when he said it. He kind of half smiled and give me a kind of a wink and walked away from me and besides he was scared to make it to strong as a mgr. of a club is not supposed to temper with a player on another club. But last night just before we left for here I seen Bush of the Detroit club and I told him what had came off and he says why didn’t I go ahead and pull a Mays and see what happened. He says “We are going to win the pennant any way so you better take a chance of getting on a live 1.”
Well old pal I am not going to do nothing I will be sorry for and if our club wakes up and begins to show something I won’t leave them in the lerch but Gleason better get help to himself or he will wake up some a.m. and I won’t be around for him to snarl at me.
Well comeing over on the train I set with 1 of the reporters that travels with the club and he told me that Gleason had been trying to get this here Page that pitched the 11 inning game vs. Cicotte and Gleason wanted to pay cash for him but Mack must of been unconsious or something and any way he turned it down so it looks like Gleason would half to struggle along without Mr. Page and I guess we will get along just as good without him as from what I seen of him you could write up the game on his fast ball wile its comeing up there but maybe he would bring us luck as a bird that can make us go 11 innings for 1 run must have god with him.
Well I asked this reporter if Gleason had said anything about me lately and he said nothing that could be printed so I said well maybe I will have a story for you 1 of these mornings so he asked me what I meant and I said well if Gleason didn’t give me a square deal I would maybe pull a Mays on him and go to some club where I can get fair treatmunt. “Well” he says “if I was you I would cut out that line of talk as it may get back to Gleason and he will beat you to it.” Well Al I should worry if it gets back to Gleason or not as it might give him a scare but I don’t want him to know
