The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-12
Polo Grounds Keeper
Call Roll OF Giants For
Games Greatest Players
BY HENRY /. FARRELL

NEW YORK, Oct 12.-Henry Fab.
ian, is the boss of the BARRIERS ana
massage experts who keep the playing
| field at the Polo grounds perfectly
groomed. He is good one too.
He has one abiding devotion, one I'M
swerving fanaticism and.one idea OF
perfection and it is all wrapped up IN
the New York Giants. HIS loyalty for
John McGraw and his Giants is too big
for Polo grounds.
After his daily afternoon duty OF
| painting fresh white lines around the
plate and flfcking off every pebble
from the yelvet-like turf, he retires TO
a soap box down the left field foul
line, there to tell any and all listeners
of the glory of the Giants and the mis-
cry of all other ball clubs.
During one of the closing games OF
the season, Fabian was asked TO name
what he would be willing to call the
!, all-American team of all time in base
ball.
Henry" it was suggested. "You
have been around baseball all your
life. You have played with some OF
the greatest stars and you have seen
all the others play down to the pres
! ent time. Name the greatest man you
have seen in every position
, well, that's big job. Don't know
! as l could do it. Been lots of great
ball players I'm not one of those old
: timers, though, who thinks all the
iclass was in the old days." the lantern.
jawed Fabian said.
Claims Kelly Shades SisIer.
"Who was the greatest first base
. man of all timers?" his examiner per
/ sisted
, We'll" he drawied. slowly. "He
don't look so good and amt figured sc
n good but that George Kelly out there
J. is a grand ball player. He's as good as
s any Of them. Yes, he's a smart bal
II player. Take that Sisler. he hasn'
q any brains. Sweet ball player, yes
but he don't think. Merkle was
" great ball player. So was Chase. Blu
a Kelly is a grand player"
II How about second base? Ever SCI
!. any better than Collins or Lajoie?"
~ 'fWell, tell you. He's on the grount
" a lot and he's kind of sloppy handlin'
:, the ball, but that frankie Frisch is
= sweet ball player. Don't know bu
= what he's as good as any of them
= Great boy and a great player. Horns
L by'd be swell player if he was o.
- the Giants. Yes, guess Franhe's abou
i the best of them"
a. Best Shortstop is Bancroft. =.
&c What do you say about shortstops?
H. That's a tough one, I've seen lot
d of fine shortstops, but they always ha
Is something the matter with them. Blu
when you come down to it, the onl
t thing wrong with Dave Bancroft is hi
lg stomach He amt strong. If he hs
w my constitution and his youth, he
b. be a marvel. Dave is great ba
W player. Don't know of any better"
be 1t was suggested that it would /
II shorter to call the roll of the Giant
ne and elect each as the individual sta
Id of all times in his line.
ia you wouldn't be far wrong at tina
Great ball club the Giants. They'll q
tn ways be great as long as McGraw
Id on the bench, because he won't kee
ms 'em if he can't make 'em that way.
vn Fabian is willing to admit that Bal
Ruth is the greatest hitter of the pre-
ent day, but he continues:
~ I'D like to see Delehanty in the
a hitting at that rabbit ball.
20. Ruth, he maintains, can be stoppt
5U by any pitcher who is smart enough
pitch to him.
-, THE trouble was, until the Gia
a. pitchers showed 'em last fall, that {
~ the pitchers tried to fool him and
e' killed bad balls. Brouthers and {
en- the great sluggers told me they strut
ns out most of the time on balls right
the middle. If those American leagl
ne pitchers would go out and pitch to hin
nj he wouldn't hit so many homo runs.
'ss "McGraw knew how to stop him al
IN he did,