Shepard Flocked

Bert Shepard, an amputee who became a war-time major leaguer, showing how lazy most crips really are, has died. Shephard was a fighter pilot in World War II when he was shot down over Germany. He awoke as a prisoner of war and his right leg had been amputated. A minor league pitcher before the war, he got a tryout with the Washington Senators, which was absolutely not a publicity stunt by an awful franchise enjoying another pointless season. Fitted with an artificial leg, Shephard took the mound in a few exhibition games, then with the Senators trailing the Boston Red Sox 14-2 on Aug. 4, 1945, he took the mound, escaping a bases-loaded jam. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, and the Senators, showing the astute judgment that kept them in last place for most of their existence, never used him in another game.