Alibi Ike

by Ring Lardner

I was goin' anyway because I thought I had a good start."

Cap prob'ly would of hit him with a bat, only just about that time Doyle booted one on Hayes and Carey come acrost with the run that tied.

Well, we go into the ninth finally, one and one, and Marquard walks McDonald with nobody out.

"Lay it down," says Cap to Ike.

And Ike goes up there with orders to bunt and cracks the first ball into that right-field stand! It was fair this time, and we're two ahead, but I didn't think about that at the time. I was too busy watchin' Cap's face. First he turned pale and then he got red as fire and then he got blue and purple, and finally he just laid back and busted out laughin'. So we wasn't afraid to laugh ourselfs when we seen him doin' it, and when Ike come in everybody on the bench was in hysterics.

But instead o' takin' advantage, Ike had to try and excuse himself. His play was to shut up and he didn't know how to make it.

"Well," he says, "if I hadn't hit quite so qui

Genres: Short Stories, Sports, Fiction, Classics, Humor, Comedy

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 1915

About the author

Ringgold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre.

Father of author Ring Lardner Jr.

Reviews

[Majenta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Pleasant.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading the book “ALIBI IKE” by RING LARDNER. I read the paperback book while listening to the audible version narrated by the actor JOE E. BROWN. They was together every mornin' and evenin' for the five days we was there. In the afternoons Ike played the grandest ball you ever see, hittin' and runnin' the bases like a fool and catchin' everything that stayed in the park. I told Cap, I says: You'd ought to keep the doll with us and he'd make Cobb's figures look sick." This is based on the classic baseball movie”ALIBI IKE”. With his job on the line, Chicago Cubs manager Cap (William Frawley) needs to turn around his lackluster team fast -- especially since nothing less than the pennant will keep him employed. Fortunately for Cap, rookie pitcher Frank "Ike" Farrell (Joe E. Brown) has just the talent to pull up the fledgling team. However, Ike always has an excuse or a lie handy for every problem -- and the real trouble comes when a group of gamblers look to fix the Cubs' games, and Ike is their main target. Fun book and movie!