It's about World Series time again, and my mind turns once more to my Little League triumphs during the 1950s. Next, I ask myself the perennial question: Who is Derry's greatest athlete? Such a question is hard to answer. We have been home to an Olympic medalist, a Notre Dame football star and a few professional athletes. If you made that query just before the First World War, there would have been hands-down unanimity. The premier Derry athlete of the first quarter of the 20th century was Lefty Tyler.
George "Lefty" Tyler was born in Derry on Dec. 14, 1889, the son of a shoe worker. He attended the local schools and pitched for the Derry Athletic Association when they won the state championship. In 1910 he was signed by the Boston Braves of the National League. He would later pitch in two World Series (1914, 1918). He retired in 1921 with an impressive 2.95 ERA. In the future I will write other articles about his career and the "Miracle Braves" of 1914. This time I will tell you about a different type of pitching he practiced both on and off field.
Whenever you see a picture of Lefty Tyler he will inevitably have a toothpick in his mouth. This piece of lip lumber had nothing to do with prying a furtive piece of bacon from his molars. Also in his mouth he would carry underneath his tongue a few dozen pieces of No. 8 birdshot. With years of practice he developed a high degree of manipulative skill with his tongue. Without any obvious facial gestures, he could clandestinely move one of these little lead pellets to a position just between his lips.
Next, he would adroitly maneuver the toothpick to where it was just behind the birdshot. Then, with a little pressure, he would "catapult" the pellet out of his mouth. It was reported that he could shoot birdshot with all the speed and accuracy of a skilled marksman using an air rifle to shoot BBs. He could unfailingly hit targets as far away as 50 feet. One of his team members said that at 20 paces "he could knock the eye out of a nit on the noggin of a gnat."
Impressive!
A number of stories survive of how Lefty used his skill with birdshot for his team's amusement and benefit. One rainy day, the team was lounging rather bored in a hotel lobby. The game had been canceled so there wasn't much to do. From across the room, Lefty spotted an elderly man reading his morning newspaper. Suddenly, without warning, the old man jumped from his seat as he was startled by something hitting his newspaper. He first checked out his paper and then looked all around the lobby. He didn't see anything strange, and soon the old gent went back to peacefully read the news. Then, "ping," it was hit again. The old gray beard fiercely scrutinized everyone in the room, but no one was looking at him — including that thin man who was sitting in a chair at the other side of the lobby, nonchalantly chewing on a toothpick.
After being hit for a third time, the old boy got up and moved to another part of the room. Soon he relaxed and started again to peacefully read the news of the world. Within a minute, however, he was hit again, then again, and again. Finally he got up from his chair and left the lobby shaking his head and muttering to himself. Next Lefty turned his attention to others who were within range of his mouth gun. At the reception desk was a lady who was just checking into the hotel. Such a target was too inviting to be ignored. As soon as she bent over to write her name, Tyler hit her with a pellet right in her, uh, bustle. Some of his teammates had to run out of the lobby to avoid laughing out loud and giving Lefty away.
Lefty Tyler used such lobby stunts for a real purpose during baseball games. He was frequently called upon by his team to be a line coach. There, near first or third base, he would stand all alone with his toothpick in his mouth. From this position he could easily see the signals from the bench. To get the attention of a runner on first, second or third, he would zing him in the seat of his pants with a piece of birdshot. Once the player was looking at him, Tyler would flash him the secret hand signal which let the runner know what the team manager wanted him to do.
It was also known that Lefty would stand at first or third base and "annoy" members of the opposing team. No one could predict when they would feel the sting of a bullet from Lefty's mouth. He was so good at secretly shooting shot that it was almost impossible to catch him at it. Occasionally, however, he would be thrown out of a game for popping an umpire with birdshot. In time, many umps wouldn't let him coach first or third base if he had a toothpick in his mouth.
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Rick Holmes is Derry's town historian. "Nutfield Rambles," his latest book of stories, is available at the Highway Superette and the Municipal Center. He is always available to speak to school, church and civic organizations.
