The Washington times., 1936-03-07

FauoredBy.
Precedent
AN
Bv KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

w ASn1uR tOn1huS WAL W6tVA
with both curiosity and In
terest the desperate experiment.
being essayed In Pensacola,
Fla, these days, which finds
FirpO Fred Marbsrry, who
toiled here with considerable
success from 1923 to 1888, at-
tempting q pitching comeback
with the New York Giants.
Marberry, you will recall,
undertook TO become an umpire
after his release by Detroit in mid
season Of last year.
But after finishing out the See
son Is one Of the boys in blue.
fred declared he couldn't stand
the isolated life Of Q baseball ar'
bitter. He yearned for the intimate
association with the players that
had made his dozen and more
years in the majors happy and
sociable ones.
Fred Is Just So
There are several phases Of
Marberry's current m b 1t o n
which augur FOR success. There
is one possible ANGLE that
seems to be against him-his 36
years which make his return to
the game none the less easy.
{ Against that bug-a-boo, he has
Che satisfaction of knowing that
there are several major league ex-
amples of aging pitchers returning
to find new youth in their arms
after short spans out of the game.
Right on the very New York
Giants with whom MarbeTy is go
ing through his daily workouts
1t Pensacola with the same avid
iSy as some Of the rockies in camp,
is 45-year-old Adolphe Luque who
staged q remarkable return 70
form in relief roles in 1888 after
being practically side-tracked in
1892 because he couldn't get 60
ing.
Precedent FavOrs Fred
It was the rescue hurting OF
Luuue and Herman Bell in 1888
that enabled the Giants to out
distance all competition and get
into the world series with Wash
lngton. Luque is credited with
winning the final game by his
4h-inning effort on October z,
s33. During the 1888 season, at
the age of 43, he won 8 and lost
2 games for the Giants and had
an earned run average Of 2.!O.
So precedent is in favor Of the
Tall Texan who for II years de-
lighted Washington spectators
with his miraculous speed, both
in relief and regular roles.
Besides the case Of Luque, there
Is the instance of Charlie Root,
Of the Chicago Cubs, who en-
joyed what amounted to a COM
pfete rest in 1884 and found it
had benefited him enough to
win is games last season. Root
is about six months older than
1Marberry, by the way, so Fred
isn't attempting the impossible.
?; Marberry's Viewpoint
I Meanwhile, Fred Is quite philo-
'Sophical about the whole matter.
He has been in baseball too long
to fool himself into believing he
is the pitcher he was, say 1--WE
years ago, or even two years ago.
But he believes circumstances
in his attempted return to the
mound will be different than
back there in the days when he
was alternately used As . starter
and an emergency finger.
Two or three innings at q time
are all the Giants will ask OF
the fiery Texan who believes he
has more than enough horse
power left for that. He will have
to carry no nine-inning equip
.1nent, as both Detroit and Wash
.ington called on him to exhibit
during his tenureS in their uni
forms.
Seemed to Need Rest
Marberry told his friends here
Eal that was wrong with him IN
Detroit a year ago this spring was
he often grew tired. He knew how
to pitch, and had the stuff. but
not the strength to apply 1t.
He now figures that the three
months he umpired. plus the
five months winter lay-off. will
have given him the type Of rest
that both Luque and Root used
as a wedge to their new'found
usefulness.
Fred's return to the mound
wars, therefore, may prove to be
suspicious. He has been . player
who took care Of himself. His
vices have been negligible. He
was a better than average pitcher
once, and the good ones never
forget how the thing should b
done.
~ It is merely a matter Of the
flesh being as willing aS the
spirit.