Barnett, Walter "Barney"

Dear Santa Claus: Please bring me a big strong needle to pick out "shot" with, just in case I need another one. Give Earl Stapp a new cow blanket. He has a new cow. Bring Bill "Malaria" King a pair of long woman's stockings to keep his calves warm. Orville Berry needs a pair of ear muffs with a cap attached. Gather up all the extra ball players you have around the North Pole and bring them along for Barney Barnett. He'll thaw them out by spring. Don't bother about bringing Fred Trimble any teeth. He has a set now. Please tie a bell onto J. L. Nelson so the boys will hear him coming in time to wake up. Give Nels Weaver and "Blackie" Myers a new hog pen equipped with a good sow. Give John Williamson a new ball bat. He gets such fun out of swinging one. Thanks, Santa. Ima Wishin.

Barney Barnett, manager of the Vinegar Hill Mine is worried that with the purchase of the Commerce Mining and Royalty Company by the Eagle-Picher Mining and Smelting Company that his baseball team will now not be able to defeat the combined strength of the two major companies. They may be more than his team can handle on the diamond. But it is bet that Barney will not give up with out a mighty struggle. Both ball clubs, the Eagles and the Miners, have been assets to the mining industry in the district, and has always increasing good fellowship among the miners of the companies sponsoring the teams as well as among the hundreds of baseball fans who follow the two teams through the baseball season.

Saw Walter "Barney" Barnett, and he said, "I want you to announce to the whole world that my ball team is anxious to match a few games with a certain $10,000,000 team.

Barney Barnett reports that he finally succeeded in trailing down Byron Hutchens and that the game between Barney's team and the Eagles is scheduled for next Sunday. Byron was so excited about Barney having contacted him that he didn't even know where the game would be played. Byron said he didn't see how he could ever match a game with Barney when he couldn't reach the man by telephone. Tuesday evening Chad happened to see Barney, who said, "There are two telephones in the Barr Mine office and neither one has been out of order or disconnected in the last 15 years. Chad understands that Byron is a busy man making ready to move his catching equipment to Cardin Oklahoma, so Chad will take it upon herself to drive that long mile and a half and see when Bryon wants to play us."

This afternoon will find many a hard rock lead and zinc miner and his family traveling over the highways to Baxter Springs Kansas to witness the long-looked forward-to game between Barney Barnett's Miners and the Eagle-Picher Eagles. The grandstand will hold 2,500 persons, and it is expected to be packed. Barney has promised to keep the Eagles busy fishing balls out of Spring River. And just Friday, Byron Hutchens said that Barney had better buy several hundred feet of wire netting from Bill Goodwin unless he wants to import a Bunch of deep-sea divers. Yes, Byron stated that the Eagles' bats will be aimed river-ward. Keith Holland, Eagles' scorekeeper, allows as how Barney will need horses for his outfielders.

Rivalry has existed for a long time between the two semi-pro teams which are composed of miners. When a baseball fan wants a bit of extra-super fun he can go to a game between the two teams, the Eagles and the Miners, and watch for the rootin' spree between Bryon Hutchens and Barney Barnett. It has been reported that the Eagles might stand a good chance of beating Barney's team unless Byron commits one of his mental errors. Watch your peg, Byron. The boys on the Eagles team say they took N. A. Keithley, Jr. to raise and the first thing they discovered was that N. A. raised the clubs' batting average. John Williamson, Miners' first baseman, will probably be found behind the Miners' scorecard for about three more weeks. John received a broken ankle in a game at Kansas City recently. If John works as hard for the Miners on that scorecard as he does on first base, they're mighty apt to win. Bob Montgomery, Eagles' hot corner kid, is off the swing crew now and is hitting the ball in splendid form. Mickey Nance of the Miners has been hitting a little over.400 this season, having collected two to four in every game except one. McCorkle has been married long enough now that he should be hitting his old stride. Barney says he expects big things from Lloyd Shafer and his big bat. Fans, watch for that bat. Folks say it is a whopper. If Jack McGoyne muffs the ball today he'll have no alibi because he mowed his own outfield. It has been said that Dale Goforth has the makings of a good catcher, but must learn to stop catching the ball with his bare hands. Really, you should have seen Dale's antics after catching one of Bob Montgomery's fast ones in his meat hand.