The Washington times., 1936-03-02
RuhFaceS
lrkSOme
Spring
Bv KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

It's enough to drive q guy
goofy, it is!
That is it would any guy
who had spent % springs listen
ing to the bats crackle Oft
baseballs and in fact cracking
off no few of 'em himself.
Naturally I am away up
North here visualizing the
nervous reaction that will
probably be Babe Ruth's down
in St. Petersburg starting to-
day wien he can hang his head
out Of almost any room in his
hospice and hear the staccato
cries Of "atta boy" from at least
q dozen major league ball clubs
which at the present are training
somewhere in Florida.
That Strange Feeling
What I am trying to tell you
Is that it must feel strange being
practically idle at AZ which Babe
was on the seventh Of last month.
And it must be positively eery to
be idle in the midst Of all the
old, familiar surroundings, yea
and a lot Of th, old familiar faces
such as Lou Gehrig's, Tony La
zeri's, Joe McCarthy's, Charlie
Rulings and Goofy Gomez's, too
most Of all the latter'S.
You see the Babe and Gomez
were the Damon and Pyth1as OF
the Yankees down through 1884,
the last year Ruth'S pudgy frame
filled a New York uniform. Each
seemed to find something about
the other that made them, not
heavenly twins, but q hellish
twain. They were forever kidding
and joshing and playing pranks,
one on the other, playfully max
ing each others life miserable.
They were remindful Of a big
Newfoundland and greyhound
Whelp. InSeparable, too.
But knowing q little something
about the temperamental Ruth,
I am wondering how the presence
In st. Petersburg Of the Yankees
for the next five weeks is going
to affect the old fellow who used
to be the life Of the party!
Oh, Claire. oh, Claire!
One Of these days right soon now
I expect to pick up the paper
and read that the Babe has
absconded from st. Pete because
he simply can't stand it any
longer. can hear him rant
and rave and otherwise give vent
to his pent up emotions. Two
ball clubs, his former beloved
New York Yankees and his less en-.
deared Boston Braves, who smell
no sweeter under the nom de
baseball of Bees, both training
within earshot Of the Ruth bun
galow, and he practically de trop
in both camps.
'My Gawd, Claire!" he will be
bawling to his wife any day
now, 'let'S get the hell out Of
this joint! It's driving me nuts.
All those young ball players out
there kicking up the diamond
and all those old ginks around
here sittin' on street benches
and being rolled up and down
I'm invalid chairs, and / don't be-
long to either. I tell you, Claire
I can't stand it. Let's pack!"
Novelty Must Be Over
The novelty Of loafing, except
for his 18 holes Of golf a day,
must be rasping the great man
by now-particularly as spring is
approaching with no task on
which to fix himself. Two ball
clubs moving in on him this
week isn't going to improve his
peace Of mind nor his poiSe.
If the Babe were q reader, it
would be different-but he isn't.
He has no taste for literature.
not even the crossword puzzles.
An acrostic is probably as much
Of a stranger to him as crochet
needle, which reminds me that
Ruth doesn't knit, either.
His one great diversion has
ever been golf That furnished q
nice balance for his baseball pas
sionS. But what is going to steady
him so he won't go golf stale, yes
goofy, now that baseball has out.
grown him, and vice versa?
The big fellows position is not
to be envied, even though you may
Shrug your shoulders and say he's
got plenty; he's got nothing tc
worry about
What people need as young as
the Babe and as active as he has
been, is something to worry about
an outlet to take up the slack
something to absorb their natural
energies; something to do with
the hands and mind; something
to concern them.
But the Babe-what can he do?
He can't take up some small duty
in baseball. It wouldn't behoove
him. He doesn't know anything
but baseball and 1t hasn't any
thing Of dignity to offer him.
There's a tinge Of sadness about
It, isn't there?
Or is there?