June 9th, 1951: Ottis
Johnson took a turn for the worse as fluid built up in his fractured
skull.
June 10th, 1951:
And he died in the early hours of June 10th.
next start was scheduled for June 12th against Ottis Johnson’s
Dothan team. On June 10th, Johnson died in the hospital of his
injuries. When it was announced that Clifton would pitch against
the start, the Browns refused to play.
The Browns made their point by forfeiting the July 12th game but
were far from finished with Clifton. They made it known that they
would never again play in a game he pitched in…..
with Clifton playing right field….
June 18th, 1951: Clifton
took the mound against Ozark and threw a 4-hit shutout.
The Dixie Runners played Dothan again, with Clifton leading the
offensive assault. It is believed that Headland had announced
Clifton as their starting pitcher, then changed their minds and
went with Billy Williams instead. If this is true, it must be
assumed that Bubba Ball, Headland’s manager, did it to directly
dig at Dothan owner Charles Smith for his refusal to play when
Clifton pitched. This was the straw that broke Charles Smith’s
back….. (Note: Dothan forfeited two games during this stretch
but it is unclear when the second game was forfeited)
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