Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-02-24
BRAVES OWNER A
PRODUCT Of OLD
BASE BALL SCHOOL
George Washington Grant Is
Fine Fellow, Good Sports
man Who Loves Game tor
the Games Sake,
Copyright, 1879
BY Hugh :. Fullerton.

Fellows, meet another good sports
man and good fellow VINO has come
among us. Mr.. George Washington,
Grant, the new controlling owner of
the Boston Braves, Mr.. Grant Of Chi
cago, New York London and the
world, who was baseball fan when
he did not have sou and remains a
fan with his riches, which are said
to run into millions.
Mr.. Grant is realizing one of the
ambitions of his young manhood IN
purchasing a major league ball club.
| fancy that he would rather own the
Chicago Nationals and have item
back over on the West Side, where
he used to root for them, than TO own
Roston:e but then, even in thoss
days he used to swear that Tenney,
Lowe, Long and Collins were the
greatest infielders and Young and
Nichols the greatest pitchers except
ing Griffith and Callahan, in the
world.
In those days Mr.. Grant didn't
have much. He used to pcddle soap
around Chicago, carrying it in a small
satchel over his shoulder, and he was
happy when business was so dull that
he could quit and go to ball game
BleaChers were good enough, but
later he became one of the most loyal
of the fans and one of the best
known among the players. He was
a great friend of Big Bill Lange, and
later of Jimmy Callahan, and he was
n frequent visitor at the Cottage.
He didn't peddle soap long He
commenced to rise. Then ! heard
from some of his old friends that ha
was getting rich-that he had bust
ness interests in New York He came
back occasionally always roofing for
his old team. Then he went to Lon
DON. over there it was his delight
. to seize upon any baseball man he
could find, carry him off to his hand
some home, and talk baseball. He
was one Of the pioneers in baseball
in England, and, when Comiskey and
McGraw took the White Sox and
Giants around the world. Grant was
one of the first to greet them, and he
entertained them rovally at his home.
Now he has bought a bg share of
the Braves, and baseball has gained
another of the right Kind of owners
--thpse who are in it for love of the
sport and not primarily for CONNER
cial reasons.
Lange has gone to France to teach
rector of the sport for the Y. NJ. c. A.
hut in Chicago, when the Braves &C
there for the first time this season
Mr.. Grant will find part of the old
Cottage crowd waiting for him.
The Cottage was one of the great
meeting places in Chicago in the days
of Anson's decline. It was over OF
Jackson boulevard, not far from the
M
bett with Billy Maxwell, | believe. es
tablished it as a bachelor hall, where
upon it became sort of club house
and meeting place for fans. players
and friends, 1t was a small cottage
but il had more beds than any house
Of its size in the world. the doors
never were locked and there was al,
ways room for one more. No one
knew when he would find sleeping iT
his bed If he came in late. | remem-
Der one night all the beds were flu
and Clark Griffith put blankets, quilts
and pillows in a bath tub and retired
for the night. Smiley" Corbett dis
covered him and turned on the water
one could learn more baseball
around that pace in an evening thar
by watching a hundred games. Every
one talked baseball and every one
knew the game, and on nights wher
Corbett and poor Tom Hanton, now
gone. joined in a Comeajye, no one in
the neighborhood got any sleep There
was one which started:
"A stands for Ireland, the home OF
the brave:
stands for Ireland, the home Of
the brave
1t ran to and so forth and Their
the roof came down.
Unsuspecting bail players Of visit