The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-30
RECALLS GRIFF
AS SCHOOLBOY
Chancellor of Oklahoma Uni
versity Was Room Mate
of "Old Fox"
ALWAYS A BASEBALL FAN
Leader of the Washington Club At.
tended Wesleyan College at
Bloomington, iii.

Guthrie. Okla. April CT will always
pull for Clark Griffith to win. and now. Of
course. I am watching with great inter-
est the work of Walter Johnson. Clyde
Milan, Carl Cashion. and Griffith's other
stars. hoping they will win the pennant in
the American League this year
The speaker Is Rev. DIR. George II. Brad
ford. chancellor of the Oklahoma Meth
odist University, Methodist Episcopal min
lister, platform orator. aspirant for a
Methodist bishopric election. and member
of the national church board Of education.
Bradford and Clark Griffith were ROOM
mates at the Wesleyan University, Bloom
ington, ILL.,, twentyfour years ago. and
even In those days. according to DIR. Brad
ford. Griffith was entitled to the designa-
ton of odd Fox
1T was utterly impossible for Griffith to
study when springtime brought on base
ball fever says DR.. Bradford. He and
roomed together and studied Latin to-
gether. l remember this study in particu-
lar. He was fine student and an all
around excellent fellow, butte use a
common expression-baseball had. him
grabbed. and l believe that his success
today Is based on the founda ton for his
future career that he laid at Bloomington.
Could Not Resist Baseball.
Baseball commenced to work on Grif-
fifth regularly about this time of year, and
he just could not resist the call. / was
even then preparing for the ministry and
was kept hard at work most of the time.
Griffith would become entirely disguised,
however, with my attempts to study, and
many time he has thrown my Greek and
Latin books out at the window and then
hidden them underneath the walks and
httf NAaa ~ lInI
to put on an old glove and catch for him.
He used me for a battery mate while he
acquired control and speed and got his
curves TO working just right. He never
wanted to quit. and l was always the one
10 finally call halt l have stood many
time, with my back TO one of the build
ings, and caught Griffith while he was
getting his arm in condition for the spring
season.
We had good baseball team at
Bloomington. in those days. and Crit
fifth, of course, was one of the stars.
The best of my knowledge is that he
is the one big baseball star produced
by that school. I do not remember that
Griffith was studying with any particu-
lar future career in. his mind, and 1 am
certain that he was not studying for
the ministry, but he quit school before
he graduated in order to go into pro-
fessional baseball. His success shows
that he was correct in his Judgment. for
doubt II many graduates Of Wesleyan
make as much salary per annum as
does the Washington manager. learned
to love baseball because of my asso-
Citations with Griffith. and I am glad to
proclaim myself an ardent fan today"
DR.. Bradford Plays Ball.
DR.. Bradford still plays baseball oc-
casionally. He has appeared several
times this spring at Mineral Wells
Park diamond here in the faculty line
up against the Methodist University
team, and while not as good fielder
as in his younger days he still retains
his batting eye, as many of the student
pitchers have discovered.
1t is mainly through DR.. Bradford's
efforts. too, that Norman Price. man.
ager Of the Junction City team, of the
Kansas State League, was secured to
coach the Methodists this spring. Dr.
Bradford is taking a great interest in
Bill Moore, the Methodist pitcher, who
is developing a strike-out record this
year, that will be difficult to beat. In
the last four games he has pitched, fifty
players have whitfield