Evening star., 1925-10-11
Sam Rice Takes Banner.

Crammed TO the brim though it was
with plays that ran the gamut from
sheer brilliance to dismal stupidity.
there was one feat acknowledged by
every witness as probably the great
est ever achieved in the blue ribbon
event of Sportdom and in its attain
ment modest performer christened
Edgar c. Rice, but known through
the length and breadth of the land
sam" attained undying fame.
II was a leaping, back hand catch of
mighty Wallop from the bat of Ea RI
Smith, Pirate catcher. Highlights
abounded in the course of the contest,
all the other deft stops and heaves, the
home-run clout of Goose Goslin, the
sterling Slabwork of Alex Ferguson
and his mound opponent Ray Kremer.
and even the Scintillating box work of
F'ergusons successor, Fred Marberry.
who disposed of two of the mightieSt
mauerS in the Freebooters fold with
the bases loaded in the final frame,
faded in comparison with Rice's super
human effort.
1t was in the eighth inning. with the
Nationals leading by one precious tally
after having twice overcome a Pirat-
ical advantage of the same proper
tons, when Smith gave Rice his OPP
pOrtunity to baSk in the calcium glare.
Narberry, having fallen heir to Fer
suson's task as the result of a tactical
move by Boss Harris in the preceding
round which resulted in the Griffmen
obtaining their hard-earned lead. had
Just struck out Wright and Grantham
and was matching the cunning of his
brain and the might of his arm against
the power of Smiths bludgeon when
the latter caught fast ball squarely
on the end of his weapon and sent it
soaring toward the fence. At the
crack of the bat Rice raced over and
back from his position in right field in
what appeared to he a futile effort to
intercept the ball that had stiff wind
as an auxiliary to its propelling power.
Rice Hailed as Hero.
ON he sped as the huge throng with
hated breath conjectured on the seem
ing hopeleSsness of any human agency
arresting the flight of the sphere. An
other step and he had all but reached
the barrier. Then, with a leap that
rarried him up and on this modern
Mercury swung his gloved hand high
over his head and clutched the ball
just as it was about to fall among oc-
cupantS of the temporary seats in
front of the fence. The force of the
drive and the momentum of his spring
caused Rice to half fall over the low
railing in front of the stand. But he
never relinquished his death-like grip
and as he trotted back to the bench he
received an ovation such as seldom
has been accorded performer on any
field.
In October. 1924, this same player
made similar play in the sixth in
ming of the sixth game against the
Giants when he robbed Irish Meusel
of home run with a runner on base
and enabled the Griffmen to hold a
2-to-l advantage and drill on to ulti-
mate triumph over the McGrawmen
the following day, but this stunt of
Yesterday transcended that earlier eff
fort and has made Rice the subject of
laudatory conversation wherever eye
witnesses gathered last evening, which
means everywhere in the District of
Columbia and its envrons.
Bin Mckechnie. Pirate manager,
abandoned contemplated pro-
test of the victory on the ground
fair catch after conference with
Commissioner Lands, who told him
that the decision of Umpire Rigler in
a question of fact could not be re
versed off the field.
Ferguson starts Badly.
Enable to locate the plate for Moore
the first Pirate To face him. and hit
ing Carey with a pitched ball, F'ergu-
son got off to an inauspicious start in
this third contest of the current cIas-
SIC. He emerged unScathed when
''uyler lifted fly to Goslin and Barn
hart hit into a double play, initiated
Ty Peck, but was not so fortunate in
the second inning. Then Traynor
opened with line drive to right that
netted three bases when Joe Harris
failed in a desperate attempt at a
shoestring catch. and scored the initial
tally of the pastime when Wright
lofted to Goslin.
The latter got no farther than first
base when Smith let Goose's swing for
q third strike get away from him in
the Senatorial half of the initial round
and the Griffmen failed to profit in
the second from Carey's muff of
Peck's fly and pass to Ruel. as Fer
suson proved strike-out victim of
r.