Imperial Valley press., 1928-08-04
GOLIATHS OF
BASEBALL ARE
GOOD PLAYERS
BY HARRY FERGUSON

NO1hGeu IICoS Quail So1A0SpoiloOiieJ
Lump the six of them together
and they will weigh 1880 pounds.
They are the Goliaths of the dia
mond, the fat boys Of baseball.
First in the hearts of his country
men comes Babe Ruth whose 2l0
pounds are strung out over 6 feet,
2 inches of height. When you see
! Babe waddle out to his position in
right field you wonder how he man.
ages to field and run the bases. The
secret lies in his legs, which are
modelled after those of grey
hound. Most of Ruth S bulk is con-
ccntrated above the belt; it lies on
his arms and shoulders which pro-
vide the propelling power for his
i home runs. The Babe s pudgy face
heightens the impression that he is
fat, but in reality he is the fastest
big man in baseball.
Roy Fothergill isn't big; he s i'm
mcnse. =" Fatty is his nickname
and he deserves it. Every March
Fothergill is faced with the prob
! lem of losing 80 pounds. Usually he
goes to Hot Springs, Ark, boils off
about Is pounds and depends on
spring training to take off the rest
of his excess weight. Despite his
fatncss, Fothergill is terrific hit,
ter His normal weight is about 200
pounds.
Trunk Strap for Belt
When Shanty Hogan reported to
the New York Giants after he had
been obtained in the trade which
sent Rogers IIornsby to Boston,
they couldn I find belt big enough
for him McGraw finally handed
Hogan II trunk strap and told him
to make IA belt out of it. Hogan is
one of the heaviest men who ever
donncd Il mask and mitt. His 22O
pounds make it necessary for him
to hit triple if he wants to get
to second base.
But the mammoth of them all is
Garland Buckeye, the pitcher who
was released by the Giants to To-
lcdo of the American Association
the other day. Buckeye did "Sam
Nirk.' In other words, he ate HIM
self out of the major leagues. Sam
Nick was the first ball player to do
that and when he passed, all he
left in the big leagues was a handy
phrase which has been used ever
since. Buckeye weighs 235 pounds.
Heilmann Over 200
Like Ruth, Harry Holman of the
Detroit Tigers is over the 200 pound
mark, but it is chiefly muscle and
bone. 1Ieilmann, who has seen many
baseball summers dawn and die, is
one of the most dangerous of the
long line of dangerous hitters that
have worked for the Tigers. His
205 pounds send many a ball rat
thing against the fence.
Brooklyn contributes Jumbo Ell.
lott who is POO pounds of good
pitching material. Last year he
was one of the most effective men
on Wlbert Robinson S high-powcrcd
staff, but this season he is having
his troubles.
In fact, most of the fat boys are
having their troubles this year. The
passing of Buckeye to Toledo al
ready has been chroniclcd. Hogan
is doing only a fair job for thu
Giants, and since McGraw acquired
Bob O'Farrel, Shanty hasn't had
much chance to work.
Hcilmann s customary place is
among the first five hitters in the
American League, but this year he
is trailing along down i'll the ruck
He probabl ywill improve, for he
He probably will improve, for he
needing the heat of August to thaw
out his clcphantine frame. Foth"r
gill also should be hitting better
than he is, although he has never
recovered the form he had threC
| years ago.
Ruth, of course, is Ruth.