Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-27

HANK GowDY stepped of with {
real combat division when he was made
color sergeant in the Forty second Di
vision-the famous fighting Rainbow.
Hnnkus-P -Pankus came back from ID
grande guerre more popular than ever
Thousands OF folks focked out to Sc,
him when he donned the mask anc
windpad once again. For a while he
retained their fickle fancy. but in IA few
months he was just an ordinary bal
| plnyer again.
For the last few seasons Gowdy has
not been particularly in the limeight
The acquisition Of Mickey O'Seill az
rst-string catcher put his bnt pretty
| effectually out Of the game. Still Hank
was a handy man to have around,
Though not as fast as he used to be.
there was nothing the matter with his
brains--and he can still hit.
Last year he socked the wcll-known
apple for n .317 average, which is nei =
ther to be shifted nor sncered at. Given
a change of atmosphere. he should be /,
player we'll worth getting. for there
are still couple of years of good base :
ball under his lPathery hide.
One Of tho first moves that Frank
Chance made when he was appointod
skipper Of the Braves was to ask
waivers on Gowdy. 1t is hard TO pry
real information out of the mngna'cs in
these times. but rumor has il that tho
Phils are going to grab him.
Certainly they need another back
stop. Dutch IIenline Is n cOrking good
receiver, one of the best in the M d.
tional League, but he cannot do all the
work. The release of Big John Peters
opens the way for another seasoned re =
ceiver. And no one cnn say that Gowdy
isn't seasoned enough.
Peters Failure
Peters had the ideal build for a
catcher. He is giant with q terrifi-
cally strong arm, and when h" lands on
ball it travels far out beyond tho as
paragus beds. Rut he didn't land often
enough to satisfy the critical tastes Of
the fans, and from the speed at which
he worked he probably was suffering
from the hoOkwOrm.
When n A. popped up that John could
have gotten with very little eTort--and
Ram came tearing in--Peters would
step back with n careful sigh.
IAN right, take it, he would say ;
there will be plenty Of others for me
pretty soon.
That sort Of spirit won't get ball
playpr very far in any league 1t did
get Peters pretty far--out 10 the coast.
anyway-.but TINT Is not the direction
that he wanted TO so.
Witherow, the third-string catcher,
il a fair man. but he isn't a GOwdy, su
II Hank does come to Philadelphia he
will find 4 warm welcome and lots OF
work to do.
Anent Eddie Collins
New York is still palpitating over the
possibiltv Of Eddie Collins coming to
, that rustic village. The Laird O Lans-
downe IS n great player. the best second
sacker in the American League. bar
none. and with fielder like Scott on
his right hand he'd be regular Hora .
tius at the bridge.
Still. both Eddie and Everett are
getting along in years ns baseball goes,
| Collins isn't the speed merchant that
| no was when he played with Jack Barry
"n the Athletics infeld. and il il not
likely thnt the Collins Barry combina :
zion will ever b" bettcred.
Rivht now the Giants have tho
nearest approach to il in Bancroft and
Erisch, but they have not perfected
Tho machine like team work that was
part of the Athletic duo's marvellous
play. ,,.,
Galloway will come closer to II right
here in philndelphia thnn we have seen
since the gallant days of lolA. There
;sn't a better shortstOp in the Amerl
can League right now than Galloway,
ami critics everywhere cOnccde that
strcnr arm James Dykes comes close
70 hsfng the cream Of the circuit after
ColjIns' name is scratched off the list