El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-10-11

-
/ N produces many companionships,
= as might be expected in a game
! where men live together and fight to
gether in a common cause, but these
3 comprehensive are generally as tran
STORY as the old pastime itself
The chums II a summer are split
asunder by the blasts Of winter and
/ by long stretches OF railroad track
! Players are constantly shifting around
I from one club to another. The friend
, ships formed on one club endure
| around the league, Of course. and on
( through life, but the bunkie business
IS not a stable feature Of the game.
However, II you ask an old baseball
man for some instance Of a conrade-
ship that had its beginning on the base
ball field and which survived the
changing seasons and the vicissftudes
Of the diamond generally. he will i'm
mediately think Of one. He will think
Of that one because # was the most
famous combination OF the kind ever
produced by baseball He viii think
Of John J. McGraw and Wilbert Rob
inson-
Pals they were through many and
many year; elbow TO elbow they went
along together through the old thick
and thin; friends. chums. brothers in
everything save by actual blood.
Old Side-Kfckers.
over 20 years ago. way. way back
IN the time Of the Baltimore Orioles
the friendship Of McGraw and Robin
son began
McGraw was then a skinny-legged.
peppery-tempered little yOungster:
Robby was more mature. and caImer
His phlegm was a sort Of safety valve
on the harhed disposition Of the tiny
chap who was TO become known as the
stormy petrol Of the big leagues.
a great salver. Robby. then. as now.
buffer between McGraw. raging around
third base. and Empirical ire.
Pay no attention TO that little fell
low down there" bulky Robhy would
humble soothingly through his mask
to some Infatuated gestfculatOr. He's
crazy, anyhow"
On the field and off the field the
big man and the little man were closest
chums. however What was AIcGraw's
was also Robby's. and what was
Robby's was McGraw's. All their in
terests were the same They put their
money together and opened UP a place
Of business When McGraw went to
St Louis to play there Robby went
along.
In 1911. when he was moulding his
three-time championship club. Nc
Graw got Robby to go south with him
and help with his pitchers. Later that
same season. when II looked as II the
Giants would surely win. McGraw's first
thought was OF Robbie.
Il want him in at the DEATH" said
McGraw. and the old Oriole catcher
came putting into Chicago in time TO
assist in putting new life into the
sagging pitchers Of the big town club
1t Lasted Long.
In passing. we desire to remark that
there never was n more amazing clan
ship than that developed by the old
Oriole club Lodge brothers could not
De as close 1t endures TO this day
After the season Of 1911 Robbie |
abandoned his business in Baltimore
and continued with AlcGraW as coach
Sor the young pitchers. besides acting
in an advisory capacity generally with |
the manager. |
Il was only when the league authorf- !
OF the rolls Of the various clubs that /
McGraw dispensed with RobinsOn's ser
vices, and then the Giant leader was
most active in trying to get his old /
pal placed in a managerial job.
Whether he had ANYTHING to do with
RObby landing in Brooklyn or not is j
imma terial, but certain il is that none ]
OF RObhy's friends rejOiced more than !
McGraw when he did land. No one t
predicted success for Eobby with great
er enthusiasm than McGraw-
It has been said that McCraw no
longer has his old friendly feeling to-
ward Robinson and that is probably
true so far as their relations on the !
baseball field are concerned. Baseball
demands a certain hostility between
them. but off the field their friendship |
IS probably unchanged
They are not the close pals as in |
that other day, bE a divergence Of in
-erests has naturally drifted them !
apart Scratch the feelings of McGraw
and Robinson toward each other and, |
whatever surface there may |
sppeaE Jouu find stratum OF the