Sudden Strike 3 Arms For Victory Crackedl

With Close Combat: Gateway to Caen you can play at the strategic and tactical level, putting yourself in the boots of both the generals and the platoon commanders. You can move or combine your battlegroups on the strategic level and decide the outcome of battles on the tactical level. You will command squads in close combat situations, using small arms, mortars, machine guns, armored cars, and tanks to triumph against the enemy. You command artillery and mortar barrages and even air strikes. You will get to know individual solders, platoons, battalions, and the larger brigades and battle groups which they comprise.

Sudden Strike 3 Arms For Victory Crackedl

THE series ended Tuesday, but I had stayed in Philadelphia anextra day on the chance of there being some follow-up stuff worthsending. Nothing had broken loose; so I filed some stuff aboutwhat the Athletics and Giants were going to do with their dough,and then caught the eight o'clock train for Chicago.Having passed up supper in order to get my story away and grabthe train, I went to the buffet car right after I'd planted mygrips. I sat down at one of the tables and ordered a sandwich.Four salesmen were playing rum at the other table and all thechairs in the car were occupied; so it didn't surprise me whensomebody flopped down in the seat opposite me.I looked up from my paper and with a little thrill recognized mycompanion. Now I've been experting round the country with ballplayers so much that it doesn't usually excite me to meet oneface to face, even if he's a star. I can talk with Tyrus withoutgetting all fussed up. But this particular player had jumped fromobscurity to fame so suddenly and had played such an importantthough brief part in the recent argument between the Macks andMcGraws that I couldn't help being a little awed by hisproximity.It was none other than Grimes, the utility outfielder Connie hadbeen forced to use in the last game because of the injury toJoyce--Grimes, whose miraculous catch in the eleventh inning hadrobbed Parker of a home run and the Giants of victory, and whoseown homer--a fluky one--had given the Athletics another World'sChampionship.I had met Grimes one day during the spring he was with the Cubs,but I knew he wouldn't remember me. A ball player never recalls areporter's face on less than six introductions or his name onless than twenty. However, I resolved to speak to him, and hadjust mustered sufficient courage to open a conversation when hesaved me the trouble."Whose picture have they got there?" he asked, pointing to mypaper."Speed Parker's," I replied."What do they say about him? " asked Grimes. "I'll read it toyou," I said:Speed Parker, McGraw's great third baseman, is ill in a localhospital with nervous prostration, the result of the strain ofthe World's Series, in which he played such a stellar rle.Parker is in such a dangerous condition that no one is allowed tosee him. Members of the New York team and fans from Gotham calledat the hospital to-day, but were unable to gain admittance to hisward. Philadelphians hope he will recover speedily and willsuffer no permanent ill effects from his sickness, for he wontheir admiration by his work in the series, though he was on arival team. A lucky catch by Grimes, the Athletics' substituteoutfielder, was all that prevented Parker from winning the titlefor New York. According to Manager Mack, of the champions, theseries would have been over in four games but for Parker'swonderful exhibition of nerve and----""That'll be a plenty," Grimes interrupted. "And that's just whatyou might expect from one o' them doughheaded reporters. If allthe baseball writers was where they belonged they'd have to buildan annex to Matteawan."I kept my temper with very little effort--it takes more than apeevish ball player's remarks to insult one of our fraternity;but I didn't exactly understand his peeve."Doesn't Parker deserve the bouquet?" I asked."Oh, they can boost him all they want to," said Grimes; "but whenthey call that catch lucky and don't mention the fact that Parkeris the luckiest guy in the world, somethin' must be wrong with'em. Did you see the serious?""No," I lied glibly, hoping to draw from him the cause of hisgrouch."Well," he said, "you sure missed somethin'. They never was aserious like it before and they won't never be one again. It wentthe full seven games and every game was a bear. They was one biginnin' every day and Parker was the big cheese in it. Just asConnie says, the Ath-a-letics would of cleaned 'em in four gamesbut for Parker; but it wasn't because he's a great ballplayer--it was because he was born with a knife, fork and spoonin his mouth, and a rabbit's foot hung round his neck."You may not know it, but I'm Grimes, the guy that made the luckycatch. I'm the guy that won the serious with a hit--a home-runhit; and I'm here to tell you that if I'd had one-tenth o'Parker's luck they'd of heard about me long before yesterday.They say my homer was lucky. Maybe it was; but, believe me, itwas time things broke for me. They been breakin' for him all hislife.""Well," I said, "his luck must have gone back on him if he's in ahospital with nervous prostration.""Nervous prostration nothin'," said Grimes. "He's in a hospitalbecause his face is all out o' shape and he's ashamed to appearon the street. I don't usually do so much talkin' and I'm ravin'a little to-night because I've had a couple o' drinks; but----""Have another," said I, ringing for the waiter, "and talk somemore.""I made two hits yesterday," Grimes went on, "but the crowd onlyseen one. I busted up the game and the serious with the one theyseen. The one they didn't see was the one I busted up a guy's mapwith--and Speed Parker was the guy. That's why he's in ahospital. He may be able to play ball next year; but I'll bet myshare o' the dough that McGraw won't reco'nize him when he showsup at Marlin in the spring.""When did this come off?" I asked. "And why?""It come off outside the clubhouse after yesterday's battle," hesaid; " and I hit him because he called me a name--a name I won'tstand for from him.""What did he call you?" I queried, expecting to hear one of thedelicate epithets usually applied by conquered to conqueror onthe diamond."'Horseshoes!'" was Grimes' amazing reply."But, good Lord!" I remonstrated, "I've heard of ball playerscalling each other that, and Lucky Stiff, and Fourleaf Clover,ever since I was a foot high, and I never knew them to startfights about it.""Well," said Grimes, "I might as well give you all the dope; andthen if you don't think I was justified I'll pay your fare fromhere to wherever you're goin'. I don't want you to think I'mkickin' about trifles--or that I'm kickin' at all, for thatmatter. I just want to prove to you that he didn't have nolicense to pull that Horseshoes stuff on me and that I only givehim what was comin' to him.""Go ahead and shoot," said I."Give us some more o' the same," said Grimes to the passingwaiter. And then he told me about it.Maybe you've heard that me and Speed Parker was raised in thesame town--Ishpeming, Michigan. We was kids together, and thoughhe done all the devilment I got all the lickin's. When we wasabout twelve years old Speed throwed a rotten egg at the teacherand I got expelled. That made me sick o' schools and I wouldn'tnever go to one again, though my ol' man beat me up and thetruant officers threatened to have me hung.Well, while Speed was learnin' what was the principal products o'New Hampshire and Texas I was workin' round the freight-house anddrivin' a dray.We'd both been playin' ball all our lives; and when the townorganized a semi-pro club we got jobs with it. We was to draw twobucks apiece for each game and they played every Sunday. Weplayed four games before we got our first pay. They was a hole inmy pants pocket as big as the home plate, but I forgot about itand put the dough in there. It wasn't there when I got home.Speed didn't have no hole in his pocket--you can bet on that!Afterward the club hired a good outfielder and I was canned. Theywas huntin' for another third baseman too; but, o' course, theydidn't find none and Speed held his job.The next year they started the Northern Peninsula League. Welanded with the home team. The league opened in May and blowed upthe third week in June. They paid off all the outsiders first andthen had just money enough left to settle with one of us twoIshpeming guys. The night they done the payin' I was out to myuncle's farm, so they settled with Speed and told me I'd have towait for mine. I'm still waitin'!Gene Higgins, who was manager o' the Battle Creek Club, lived inHoughton, and that winter we goes over and strikes him for a job.He give it to us and we busted in together two years ago lastspring.I had a good year down there. I hit over .300 and stole all thebases in sight. Speed got along good too, and they was severalbig-league scouts lookin' us over. The Chicago Cubs bought Speedoutright and four clubs put in a draft for me. Three of'em--Cleveland and the New York Giants and the BostonNationals--needed outfielders bad, and it would of been a pipefor me to of made good with any of 'em. But who do you think gotme? The same Chicago Cubs; and the only outfielders they had atthat time was Schulte and Leach and Good and Williams andStewart, and one or two others.Well, I didn't figure I was any worse off than Speed. The Cubshad Zimmerman at third base and it didn't look like they was anydanger of a busher beatin' him out; but Zimmerman goes and breakshis leg the second day o' the season--that's a year ago lastApril--and Speed jumps right in as a regular. Do you thinkanything like that could happen to Schulte or Leach, or any o'them outfielders? No, sir! I wore out my uniform slidin' up anddown the bench and wonderin' whether they'd ship me to Fort Worthor Siberia.Now I want to tell you about the miserable luck Speed had rightoff the reel. We was playin' at St. Louis. They had a one-runlead in the eighth, when their pitcher walked Speed with one out.Saier hits a high fly to centre and Parker starts with the cracko' the bat. Both coachers was yellin' at him to go back, but hethought they was two out and he was clear round to third basewhen the ball come down. And Oakes muffs it! O' course he scoredand the game was tied up.Parker come in to the bench like he'd did something wonderful."Did you think they was two out?" ast Hank."No," says Speed, blushin'."Then what did you run for?" says Hank."I had a hunch he was goin' to drop the ball," says Speed; andHank pretty near falls off the bench.The next day he come up with one out and the sacks full, and thescore tied in the sixth. He smashes one on the ground straight atHauser and it looked like a cinch double play; but just as Hauserwas goin' to grab it the ball hit a rough spot and hopped a mileover his head. It got between Oakes and Magee and went clear tothe fence. Three guys scored and Speed pulled up at third. Thepapers come out and said the game was won by a three-bagger fromthe bat o' Parker, the Cubs' sensational kid third baseman. Gosh!We go home to Chi and are havin' a hot battle with Pittsburgh.This time Speed's turn come when they was two on and two out, andPittsburgh a run to the good--I think it was the eighth innin'.Cooper gives him a fast one and he hits it straight up in theair. O' course the runners started goin', but it looked hopelessbecause they wasn't no wind or high sky to bother anybody. Mowreyand Gibson both goes after the ball; and just as Mowrey was setfor the catch Gibson bumps into him and they both fall down. Tworuns scored and Speed got to second. Then what does he do but tryto steal third--with two out too! And Gibson's peg pretty nearhits the left field seats on the fly.When Speed comes to the bench Hank says:"If I was you I'd quit playin' ball and go to Monte Carlo.""What for?" says Speed."You're so dam' lucky!" says Hank."So is Ty Cobb," says Speed. That's how he hated himself!First trip to Cincy we run into a couple of old Ishpeming boys.They took us out one night, and about twelve o'clock I said we'dhave to go back to the hotel or we'd get fined. Speed said I hadcold feet and he stuck with the boys. I went back alone and Hankcaught me comin' in and put a fifty-dollar plaster on me. Speedstayed out all night long and Hank never knowed it. I says tomyself: "Wait till he gets out there and tries to play ballwithout no sleep!" But the game that day was called off onaccount o' rain. Can you beat it?I remember what he got away with the next afternoon the same asthough it happened yesterday. In the second innin' they walkedhim with nobody down, and he took a big lead off first base likehe always does. Benton throwed over there three or four times toscare him back, and the last time he throwed, Hobby hid the ball.The coacher seen it and told Speed to hold the bag; but he didn'tpay no attention. He started leadin' right off again and Hobbytried to tag him, but the ball slipped out of his hand and rolledabout a yard away. Parker had plenty o' time to get back; but,instead o' that, he starts for second. Hobby picked up the balland shot it down to Groh--and Groh made a square muff.Parker slides into the bag safe and then gets up and throws outhis chest like he'd made the greatest play ever. When the ball'sthrowed back to Benton, Speed leads off about thirty foot andstands there in a trance. Clarke signs for a pitch-out and pegsdown to second to nip him. He was caught flatfooted--that is, hewould of been with a decent throw; but Clarke's peg went prettynear to Latonia. Speed scored and strutted over to receive ourhearty congratulations. Some o' the boys was laughin' and hethought they was laughin' with him instead of at him.It was in the ninth, though, that he got by with one o' the worstI ever seen. The Reds was a run behind and Marsans was on thirdbase with two out. Hobby, I think it was, hit one on the groundright at Speed and he picked it up clean. The crowd all got upand started for the exits. Marsans run toward the plate in thefaint hope that the peg to first would be wild. All of a suddenthe boys on the Cincy bench begun yellin' at him to slide, and hedone so. He was way past the plate when Speed's throw got toArcher. The bonehead had shot the ball home instead o' to firstbase, thinkin' they was only one down. We was all crazy,believin' his nut play had let 'em tie it up; but he comestearin' in, tellin' Archer to tag Marsans. So Jim walks over andtags the Cuban, who was brushin' off his uniform."You're out!"says Klem. "You never touched the plate."I guess Marsans knowed the umps was right because he didn't makemuch of a holler. But Speed sure got a pannin' in the club-house."I suppose you knowed he was goin' to miss the plate!" says Hanksarcastic as he could.Everybody on the club roasted him, but it didn't do no good.Well, you know what happened to me. I only got into one game withthe Cubs--one afternoon when Leach was sick. We was playin' theBoston bunch and Tyler was workin' against us. I always hadtrouble with lefthanders and this was one of his good days. Icouldn't see what he throwed up there. I got one foul durin' theafternoon's entertainment; and the wind was blowin' ahundred-mile gale, so that the best outfielder in the worldcouldn't judge a fly ball. That Boston bunch must of hit fifty of'em and they all come to my field.If I caught any I've forgot about it. Couple o' days after that Igot notice o' my release to Indianapolis.Parker kept right on all season doin' the blamnedest things youever heard of and gettin' by with 'em. One o' the boys told meabout it later. If they was playin' a double-header in St. Louis,with the thermometer at 130 degrees, he'd get put out by the umpsin the first innin' o' the first game. If he started to steal thecatcher'd drop the pitch or somebody'd muff the throw. If he hita pop fly the sun'd get in somebody's eyes. If he took a swellthird strike with the bases full the umps would call it a ball.If he cut first base by twenty feet the umps would be readin' themornin' paper.Zimmerman's leg mended, so that he was all right by June; andthen Saier got sick and they tried Speed at first base. He'dnever saw the bag before; but things kept on breakin' for him andhe played it like a house afire. The Cubs copped the pennant andSpeed got in on the big dough, besides playin' a whale of a gamethrough the whole serious.Speed and me both went back to Ishpeming to spend thewinter--though the Lord knows it ain't no winter resort. Ourhomes was there; and besides, in my case, they was a certain girllivin' in the old burg.Parker, o' course, was the hero and the swell guy when we gothome. He'd been in the World's Serious and had plenty o' dough inhis kick. I come home with nothin' but my suitcase and ahard-luck story, which I kept to myself. I hadn't even went goodenough in Indianapolis to be sure of a job there again.That fall--last fall--an uncle o' Speed's died over in the Sooand left him ten thousand bucks. I had an uncle down in the LowerPeninsula who was worth five times that much--but he had goodhealth!This girl I spoke about was the prettiest thing I ever see. I'dwent with her in the old days, and when I blew back I found shewas still strong for me. They wasn't a great deal o' variety inIshpeming for a girl to pick from. Her and I went to the danceevery Saturday night and to church Sunday nights. I called on herWednesday evenin's, besides takin' her to all the shows that comealong--rotten as the most o' them was.I never knowed Speed was makin' a play for this doll till alonglast Feb'uary. The minute I seen what was up I got busy. I tookher out sleigh-ridin' and kept her out in the cold till she'dpromised to marry me. We set the date for this fall--I figuredI'd know better where I was at by that time.Well, we didn't make no secret o' bein' engaged; down in thepoolroom one night Speed come up and congratulated me. He says:"You got a swell girl, Dick! I wouldn't mind bein' in your place.You're mighty lucky to cop her out--you old Horseshoes, you!""Horseshoes!" I says. "You got a fine license to call anybodyHorseshoes! I suppose you ain't never had no luck?""Not like you," he says.I was feelin' too good about grabbin' the girl to get sore at thetime; but when I got to thinkin' about it a few minutes afterwardit made me mad clear through. What right did that bird have totalk about me bein' lucky?Speed was playin' freeze-out at a table near the door, and when Istarted home some o' the boys with him says:"Good night, Dick."I said good night and then Speed looked up."Good night, Horseshoes!"he says.That got my nanny this time."Shut up, you lucky stiff!" I says. "If you wasn't so dam' luckyyou'd be sweepin' the streets." Then I walks on out.I was too busy with the girl to see much o' Speed after that. Heleft home about the middle o' the month to go to Tampa with theCubs. I got notice from Indianapolis that I was sold toBaltimore. I didn't care much about goin' there and I wasn'tanxious to leave home under the circumstances, so I didn't reporttill late.When I read in the papers along in April that Speed had beentraded to Boston for a couple o' pitchers I thought: "Gee! Hemust of lost his rabbit's foot!" Because, even if the Cubs didn'tcop again, they'd have a city serious with the White Sox and geta bunch o' dough that way. And they wasn't no chance in the worldfor the Boston Club to get nothin' but their salaries.It wasn't another month, though, till Shafer, o' the Giants, quitbaseball and McGraw was up against it for a third baseman. Nextthing I knowed Speed was traded to New York and was with anotherwinner--for they never was out o' first place all season.I was gettin' along all right at Baltimore and Dunnie liked me;so I felt like I had somethin' more than just a one-yearjob--somethin' I could get married on. It was all framed that theweddin' was comin' off as soon as this season was over; so youcan believe I was pullin' for Octob