The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-07-17

IlBHL OUT VI IIlS AlIiaI0S VI Nv \
rids itself of the following anen'
nonce in Washington livery:
'"The rule that all young ball
players should follow is the Muddy
Ruel. The Muddy Ruel is niodift
cation of the Golden Rule. 1t is ia
do unto others, AMI for others. more
than they would Go for you. In
short, the Muddy Ruel is the noble
rule of American Babbitry. 1. e.,
service.
'tRueI gives of his strength and
mental energy full measure to his
employers H. gives aud gives un'
til II hurts. He looks drawn with
work. The belt around his waist
is hitched to it's last notch. He re-
E. chucked his heart and soul into the
Senator'S gamble for another pen
nant.
Recently Clark Griffith got Hank
Severed from the Browns for the
express purpose Of letting his hard
shaving little catcher get soma rest
Did Muddy appreciate the idea?
He did not. He reluctantly stepped
aside and let SEVERED catch one
game and then pleaded to get back
of the bat again. And they let
Ruel have his way.
bound to get its way. Muddy has
donned the big mitt in all but three
of the champs games this year.
last year he caught the remarkable
number Of 149. Offhand it e hard
to name any other men except Ray
Schalk and Steve O'Neill who ever
caught 149 games in a single sea-
son OF modern, high tension base
ball.
Once Muddy was standing in
"civies" alongside Walter John
son. "WhO's the high school kid
with you, Walter" whispered a
curious fan.
Kid nothing said Walter.
That's my gray.headed. 10 e head
ed catcher. Muddy Ruel. Take off
your hat, Muddy, and show the
man you're not a child
The black hair of Ruel is in
deed streaked plentifully with gray.
Yet he is only twenty-nine. You
can't stay eight years in the ma
3ors without the pace telling.
Part OF the gray on Ruel's
head is due to activity inside his
Uranium. When they speak of
Ruel as a brainy catcher it is no
careless characterization. He's
smart fellow, in the baseball sense
and otherwise.
HE is one of the few practicing
lawyers in the active ranks OF
baseball. A graduate of the Wash
ington University law department,
he has been admitted to the Mis-
souri, bar. He is anxious to use
law as the stepping stone to bigger
things.
"He has been in Washington long
enough to have become smitten
with official life. He rather hank
ers after a post in one Of the
Government departments when his
interested eye cooked at the in
come tax department OF the In
ternal Revenue Bureau, where all
sorts Of cases are piling up.
Muddy is fellow who likes to
dive in and straighten out things.
He has made good in the scramble
OF baseball. and he will make good
in other things.
cit is no idle remark to say that
Muddy is an ornament to the pro-
fession he now adorns. He looks
nice in a mask and chest protector,
but you should see Muddy in a
Tuxedo. In a city where they know
how to dress for dinner Muddy
passes muster WITHOUT wrinkle IN
his vest. -
He makes his home in Washing
ton at a hotel patroniZed at times
by attaches Of foreign legations, and
IL is said that on several occasions,
when Muddy has been dollcd up in
his best bib and tucker, he has
been mistaken for one Of the under
secretaries Of the French EuD 1ssy.
We'll, no wonder. Mr.. RueI Is Of
French extraction and is a hand
some little chap with a decided air
about him, yelled to some extent by
a most engaging modesty. All
heroes have to be modest.
"Ruel is so modest that all his
hall playing life he has disguised
himself under the plebeian sounding
nickname of Muddy. He is glad to
be known universally as Muddy, for
1t prevents people knowing he has
as Christian name the patrician
sounding 'Herold.' 1t Is 'Herold,
not Harold. How could a catcher
ever get by as Harold, let alone ds
Herold.
Muddy has been Ruel's arnOr.
II has made him one of the
people and protected him from
the spikes and gibes of the
opposition.
cit is doubtful if Ruel ever did
get Muddy in actually. His uni
form co4aId be no neater il he were
a Dttobar He pniItpIpS i'm the nUst
at the plate with sliding runners
without turning d hair or turning
his suit a shade darker.
He is a st. Louis horoc-5red,
but he does not hail from the Ker'
~ Patch
"Ruel was one OF the social lions
on the baseball missionary tour
Of Europe last fall. His habits
1.-The Ole Swimmin' Hole