Evening star., 1935-03-24


hero the tall, lanky. good-natured
u Dizzy" Dean of the St. Louis
Cardinals. you'd think he was Just combin-
alton chatterbox and half-wit who had the
good luck to snatch few victories for his
team while Glowing his way into an enviable
position of stardom. You'd think the gangling
talkative, better-known half of the Dean
Brothers dazzled the opposing players by his
wit alone. and caused them to lose the
pennant
Well. there's something wrong with that
picture. Go down to Bradenton, Florida
where the Cardinals absorb the sunshine and
the pungent advice of their coaches during
spring training and see for yourself You'll
find the friendly hero of the 1884 world SERIES
who last fall was voted the most valuable
player in the National League, down there
long in advance of the rest of the Cardinal
crew, and you'll find him just smart, con-
fdent, ambitious young pitcher.
You will see not a clown with more luck
than good sense. but a youth with an as
founding faith in himself and an amazing
ability to make good with his right arm.
Does this Dizzy Dean say crazy things at
times1 Does he predict that ME and Paul
will pitch the opposing teams for a row of
ashcans2 Does he occasionally give the sports
writers an interview that they make into copy
the fans cry and laugh over2 Well, that
doesn't mean he is likely to 60 goofy and start
turning handsprings on the diamond when the
bases are full. 1t doesn't mean that he's
lucky boob with only strong pitching arm.
or rube who stumbled into the Big League
because somebody left the gate open and may
stumble out again next week.
Jerome Herman Dizzy Dean is the ma
tion's outstanding pitcher and most pictur-
esque ball player. And when it comes to the
serious business of baseball - from the first
crack of the bat down at Bradenton to the
final put-Out in the last game of the season.
this man Dean is about as Dizzy as bankers
convention or meeting of the directors of the
Chamber of Commerce. Baseball is as serious
with him as his reputation for winning ball
games, and if you think he isn't crafty.
determined. intelligent. capable strategist of
the diamond, then you're dizzier than any
body ever accused Jerome Herman Dean of
being.
OF course. you can't talk to him long with
out getting flashes of that amazing self
confidence braggadocia, his opponents call
it which oozes out of every pore of his sun
tanned Oklahoma countenance. He admits
he's good ball player - but so do the
scoreboards. He's likely to tell you he expects
to win more games this year than last - but
he's serious about it. And the funny thing
about it is: He's likely to do it.
We got down to Bradenton in time to find
Dizzy Dean chasing over the golf courses of
the west coast of Florida with Grantland
Rice. got the veteran authority on sports off
to one side and asked for his serious estimate
of Dizzy Dean.
"Dizzy1" began Grantland Rice. He's the
best combination of smart baseball intel-
gence, real ability and picturesque personality
in any ball club today
BY the way. how did he get that nickname,
Dizzy? The story of that incident puts a
new face on things. Ask him about it, and he'll
tell you the straightforward story of how that
name was tackled onto his baseball career.
1t was back in 1929, when Dizzy was
eighteen years old in the army. and member
of the Fort Sam Houston baseball team at
San Antonio. The San Antonio team of the
Texas League scheduled spring training
exhibition game with the Chicago White Sox,
who were in the Alamo city getting in con-
dition for another season Young Dean had
been working out with the San Antonio team,
so they sent him in to pitch against the
White Sox.
OF course the big leaguers expected to dust