Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-02

~ Comics Athletics still &c
rolling along.
Old Man River, being the purl-
ing Mississippi, rolls short way
from the Cardinal park on it's way
to New Orleans and the Gulf, and
Old Man Connie Mack'S Athletics
are rolling over the Cardinal park
again on their way to another
world championship, unless some
volcanic eruption takes place that
few look to see.
Old Man River can't do any more
rolling along than Old Man Grove and
Old Man Punch in the Athletic attack.
for Old Man Punch Of the Athletics
rolled right over the PROSTATE body of
young Paul Derringer as if he had been
q SeCond-String rookie with a sore arm.
This first game is a vital factor in
any world series, and. in spite of bad
start and roaring hostile crowd the
Athletics resumed their old Philadelphia
custom OF putting it away in hurry by
the count of to 2, which is wide
enough to wipe out any alibi.
There are certain stark elements, GER
tain raw fundamentals. which govern
any big competition before move is
made. They belong to human nature |
sat through part Of the forenoon With
Mickey Cochrane the great catcher of
the Athletics, before the first game.
asked Mickey what he and his mates
thought Of Paul Derringer. the Ken
lucky Cardinal Who was to chirp his
opening chant in world series game.
I'VE know" said Mickey, that he is
w great young pitcher. But re-
member he is the first pitcher
In base ball history to open a world
series in the first big-league year he
has ever known. That means a lot 1t
Is something entirely different from a
pennant race that lasts over five months.
This series can be won or lost in five
minutes. He will show us lot of stuff
but lacking the experience under heavy
IRE he NAV show us too much at the
start for his own good"
There was never better prophet.
Grove got away badly. In front of a
numbering. exciting crowd that packed
the park, the big left-hander saw his
fast ball and his curve hammered for
two runs that might have been three
or four
In front Of this same crowd. backing
Derringer to the limit. the young Ken
lucky giant started as if he meant to
chase the Athletics out of town and
send them padding down Old Man
River to the bavous of the Far South.
Derringer struck out the first two
men who faced him. He was putting
everything he had into every pitch. He
was reaching down to his spikes and
the bottom of his soul. In those first
two innings he famed Bishop, Haas,
FoXx and Miller, and he sent Cochrane
and Simmons back to the bench.
nERRINGER was on fire He had
H. everything. and the big crowd
supported him with a vocal cata-
clysm that must have shook the Ozarks.
He was like a mile runner starting away
with a Wykoff stride to run the first
hundred yards Of the mile race in 10
seconds fiat
But the brighter the flame the sooner
1t must burn out. BreeZes may blow
for weeks. but cyclones last only day
From that point on the tall and will
lOWy Grove settled down to the main
business in hand. He had watched
Roettger. Frisch, Bottomley and Martin
step into his stuff as if he had been a
punk, with Derringer moving down his
mates And then, as Mickey Cochrane
had predicted, it all happened in a
hurry.
AS Derringer walked to the box at
the start of the third inning the packed
stands broke into a cheer. The miracle
had appened-another Wellington had
come along to stop Napoleon. Here
was another David who could handle
Goliath. another entry who could roll
back the marches Of Attila and
Ghenghis Khan.
For that is what the Athletics look
to De in the eyes Of the National League.
Here, at last, was the man who could
take the sting out of Athletic bats and
show Cochrane, Simmons and Foxx the
beaten pathway to the bench.
No one could blame the st. Louis
crowd for its wild exultation over Der
ringers opening salute. Six men up and
six men doWn-and four of the six by
the strike-out route.
And then it happened in hurry.
Starting the third, Dykes and Williams
singled and Grove struck out. There
was another deep-thrcated eruption
from the stands. And Bishop forced
Dykes, which meant two out and not
run.
DUT it was all different when Mule
- Haas struck off a double which
scored Williams and left runners on
second and third, with Cochrane and
Simmons coming up.
1t was here that Derringer lost his
chance. No one had to tell him what
Cochrane and Simmons meant in a
pinch. They stand as two of the dead
lest hitters in base ball when the
pressure is heavy. when the pulses are
jumping and when the bubbles begin
to pop in the back of various necks.
Derringer, with all his skill and cour-
age and GOODNESS, was in tough spot
the toughest spot he had ever known.
He must have known that he was face
to face with the most critical situation
of his young career. He worked on
Cochrane with all he had, but the
smart, experienced Mickey refused to
hit at bad one and walked.
This brought Al Simmons into the
spotlight. Here again Derringer knew
he was facing the man who had led
the American League for two years
the man known to be the most danger
Gus of them all in a pinch. Here was
a veteran, with ice water running
through his veins when there is a ball
game to be won.
passed Cochrane, the rattlesnake, and
now he had Simmons, the king cobra.
1t was a great spot for Simmons to
across.
But here you have the answer to Sim
mons. He was standing under the
great white spotlight of fame There
were two balls thrown that missed the
plate by only an inch or two. Sim
mons, overeager to be a hero, might
have taken a cut at either. Simmons
did nothing of the sort. He looked
battle and let them go.
10 fr, IN.la ~