New Britain herald., 1927-06-11
AGE, WHAT'S THAT?
 QUARTET DEMANDS
MAloon, Campbell, Loomis and Grove Still Going Strong

 have emblazoned their names in letters of glory on the athletic rec ords of preparatory schools and col ieges in other cities there is a quar- let whose deeds, while unsung ex- cepting among the group of sport lovers who can remember when, are nevertheless deserving of hon. orable mention, not alone because they are deeds of athletic prowess, but more especially on account Of he fact that their makers have car ried on for years after the passing of their prime, and are still active in the respective fields that claim their attention.
 Thousands of New Britain resi- dents know Eddie McAloon, William Red" Campbell Bernadotte Loom- is and Tom Grove, but compara- lively few stop to consider that each is a leader in a field of strenuous sport despite the fact that all 'he eo-called laws of nature have out lawed them because of their ages. None of the boys who are cavornns on tha baseball diamond or the basketball court know much about the world Sh years back, for the very simple reason that the majority of them Wera not on earth in those days and those who had seen inc light of day had peerod al II through very tiny eyes. Thirty years from the present may or may not find the stars of today in condition to hold up their end in contests with the youths who are 10 come but the individuals of the quartet under discussion take off their hat, 10 few in the games they love to play. Their stamina is nothinS Short of remarkable, according 70 snorts followers who consider 1t a treat to watch them in action. ana they go about their play with all he enthusiasm of boys half their ages.
 Drop In some afternoon at the Y. NJ. C. A. wten Bert Looms ana Tom" Grove are in action on the handball court. They are the oldest men in competitive games In the association. and they are rated with the best There are few handball players who can take their meas ,1re. but rot pair in the state can loaf on the job while doing it. Loom : is, a. track star thirty years ago: has kept in condition through constant exercise and as he moves about the 7 court executing different plays, he brings back memories of his basket ball days when he was captain or the New Britain team, champions of the world. and without peer Tn the east in all around class. Of course. he is not as fast now as he was then. hut he is clever and accurate, and a true sportsman.
 His partner Tom Grove, has been a hard worker since boyhood, and he plays handball just as he used to work. Nobody can justly ae- cuse him of laying down. and iu neither the score is in his favor or in that of his opponent, he is in there plugging to win. His motto seems to be to take care of the game that is being played and never mind the one that has gone or IS coming. He has stacked up against some of the best players in the local Y. M. c. A. and is known down the line as a hard player with wealth of natural ability and wonderful sporting instinct.
 Undoubtedly. anyone who has ever attended a baseball game in New Britain in thirty years, knows Red" Campbell. Ask many fans his first name, and they can only guess. but refer to him as Red" and everyone knows who is meant. He is truly "the grand old man. of New Britain baseball and he loves to play now just as much as he did in the days of golden memory when the boys on Nigger Hill picked. up sides" after work in the evening and on Saturdays and Sundays. Last season, he played third base for the West Ends in the City League, and celebrated the opening Of the season by whaling out home run t m his first appearance at bat. Inns in spite of the fact that the fathers of some of the kids who were cheer ing him were mere boys when Red was starring on teams in various parts of the state. True. his arm IS not as strong as it used to be, and he does not dig as many balls out of the dirt as his record of the old day. shows him to have done, but he is, a better ball player by far than a1any of the lads who have the Benefits of the smooth diamonds ihe lively balls and various other advantages that were unknown TO the players a decade ago. It has often been said that athAieS are Eorn, not made, and when 'Red Campbell first threw his rattle ont of the cradle, If must have landed right where he aimed it. for he mas hurled many a baseball true 10 l's mark in the years that have passed since then.
 Some of the local baseball fans know Eddie McAloon formerly starred on the diamond. but others whose ages preclude their ability 70 recall athletes of local fame more distan..than ten or fefteen years ago might be surprised 10 learn Of h's proness He was 3 pitcher Tn me days of the rivalry between inc hua- ness men on the opposite sides or The track. and quite q hitter too. hut fl vas on skates that tdnle travelled to his greatest heights m the athletic world.
 Roller polo fans who packed Han na's Armory twenty years ago Nh' 10 talk about Eddie McAloon. one of the fastest of the amateurs, he was like q flash of lightning when he got under way, and best of sli' q sauarer, cleaner player never hl' The red rubber on any floor. During inst closed,