The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-08
RICK RAN ENGINE FOR ENTIRE YEAR,
 SAYS BOSS MOLEY
BaroniaI Pilot Asserts Baseball Mogul Had Job on Rock
 Island
By OLD DOLLAR BILL


 Driving an engine is just as easy as driving nail, or bargain, or something to this here Rick Woodward, which drove the first Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic train out of Birmingham Monday morning. Not only has this here Rick a litter of financial brains, but he knows more about mechanics than a flippant flapper does about cosmetics. Anybody what can drive a baseball or a golf ball like this here Rick can won't encounter many ob- stickles in driving a engine. When l seen he had up and grabbed the throttle I wasn't surprised.
 But, l have alters been strong for fun and fundamentals, and when l seen that Rick had chaperoned a engine down the tracks, which aint so much of . phenomenon within itself, be- 1 cause how and the h--l is a engine go- ing to keep from following a course when they is tracks made for it to run on, I dug down into some meringue-covered fundamentals and found out several wherefore- -whiches. What did I find out- simply this: That Rick wasn't no novice, nor the son of novice, when it come to run ming engines. He probably knows more about running engines than t'awn E' Blll did about running Injuns. And that's saying lung full, for I, has been more than intimated that Sitting Bull quit sitting when Pawn E. and his buddies got after him with they lnIant seventy lives slung across they shoulders and occasionally splitting fire
 NOT A SWIVEL ENGINEER
 Some people might figure that this nere Rick had never set astrode noth- ing but a swivel chair out at the ironing Co, or a ballplayer's neck out at Redwood, but if so they was never sadder case of dissillusionitis known in the ranks of the medical profess sion' RICK never wore sailor col lar or a pair of knick erbockers. or a blouse waist when he was a kid. He would Of sooner been put in irons than In curing irons when he was at the age that Little Lord Fondleroy was in his prime and breaking into print. Rick was the kind of lad what col lected stonebruses by the gross. played hockey like expert. and played marbles for keeps.
 I was already wear of the fac. that Rick used to run engine out at the Ironing Co.'S plant in the old days. Instead of hanging round tha oftice and grabbing off the new model eyeshades what come in, or setting at the wheel of right-hand drive type writer, or something, Rick craved &C., ton. In other words, he wasn't no paper weight champion and a adding machine added him. So, in them days RICK put on jumpers, when many a young youth would of been putting os airs, and when he come in from tts, oay's work it would of been impos- sible to tell him from the gentleman from Ethiopia.
 That spirit is what made Rick such |a good baste- ball boss. Many as magnate likes to get in the stands and say, "pon my word" when a guy boots one, or floss out a silk handker- chief and exclaims: "Sofful humid to- day, look how I'm perspiring." In- stead of saying the latter Rick would chlrp' Sot azell today--look how got up sweat" Instead of setting in the stands Rick puts on unie when ne gets out to the park, parks chew In the larboard side of his mola-- rack, and gets in a pepper game with the boys
 HAD ENGINE ON ROCK ISLAND
 This here Molesworth. however, un- corked new one on mo yestiddy, when told him that Rick had changed rom a limousine to cinder-spreader Moley broke the tdings that Rick ropped off from home one year. when ne was in his twenties and his prime. and got job on the Rock Island as engineer. According to Moley. MT Woodward put in a solid year at the throttle, called stack of hot cakes
 a string of flats" and had probably throwed more Jumps of coal at hoboes than w. Johnson has throwed fast balls, or Eddie Sichotry has throwed ball games.
 They might of been methods in his madness in throwing that coal. though. The Rock Island might of been buy ing coal from Kicks mines, and tha. might of been a slick little way he nad Of increasing the sales.
 RICK will probably get off'n his en- zine in time to see the opening game oe the season, but you can't never tell, engineers and doctors has a tough time of it. They got to get out on the Job whAl called. just like a guy when he's called to preach. My sym pathies is always been with railroad men, and rail-rode men.
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