The Washington times., 1937-05-24
Cabling Bee
Brings Back
Memories
BY FRANK BUCK" oNEILL

1912 pennant race, when Washing
ton finished second to the Red
Sox, beating the Philadelphia Ath
leticS in the final game Of the year
Connie Mack has said many times
that the Athletics Of 1912 were the
greatest Of all his teams, anc
beating them must rebound to the
credit of the Griffmen Of that
year.
walter johnson gave the
greatest exhibition of pitching in
that series that any pitcher ever
gave" Griff said: eve were to
play four games in two days, but
we only went to one decision.
In the first game johnson re.
lieved Hughes in the seventh
inning and went to the seven
teenth inning for . 3-tO-3 tie.
We didn't ever start the second
game of the dOuble-header.
"The next afternoon we went
along with the Athletics, trail.
ing by a score Of 3 to 0 until the
seventh, when we again tied the
score. johnson stood up and
asked for the ball. He went out
and pitched to the nineteenth
inning before he won. We didn't
start the second game Of that
dOuble-header, so that out Of
four scheduled games, only one
went to q decision.
ALWAYS WILLING
"JOhns0n was always willing,
and that reminds me that john
son made the manufacturers Of
equipment put ear protection on
catching masks. We had q
catcher named Rippy williams
who always wanted to catch
johnson. One day Ainsmith
was injured, and we had no one
else but williams to catch.
"The game went into extra
innings" said Griffith with a
laugh, land it got dark. Well, sir,
after . while williams tried to
catch o fast ball, which he
missed completely, and the ball
hit Billy Evans, who was UNI
piring behind the bat, squarely
on the ear.
Evans went into q war dance,
grabbed his ear and yelled:
Game called on account Of dark
ness"
George Moriarty was listening
20 the story and laughed.
"CObb always wanted to play
the infield, :" said the big umpire.
zone day Marty Kavanaugh
didn't show up for . morning
game and Cobb demanded that
he play second base. Well, he
kicked five or six, and he hadn't
picked up a ball until Kavanaugh
showed up in the sixth inning.
"'YOu're fined $780, yelled
Hughie Jennings at Kavanaugh.
Il suppose your alarm clock
didn't ring.'
Honest, Hughie,' replied
Kavanaugh, that's exactly what
happened"
HITS LEFTFIELD FENCE
'DThe game wore along until
the eleventh or twelfth inning"
said MOriarty, "and Kavanaugh
hit one up against the leftfield
fence for q triple, unloading the
bases"
"On the way to the clubhouse
Kavanaugh approached Jen-
nings and said: How about that
finer"
"'What fine?' asked Jennings,
and there the matter rested"
The talk turned to the troubles
Of Schoolboy Rowe Of the Tigers,
and Griff was asked if it were q
practice to assign detectives to
follow star ball players. Griff
said that few if any owners ever
Tesorted to such practices.
"JOhn McGraw had system
by which his players were
checked in their rooms at 1880
every night" replied Griffith.
'cBut there's little sense to the
practice.
"How about Rube WaddeII?"
asked one Of the group.
"YOu never had to worry
about Rube," replied Griff with
o laugh. you knew that he
was tending bar some place or
other. Or he'd hire out for the
evening advertising q burIesque
show. No indeed, you never
had to worry about the Rube."
CASE OF KELLY
The talk turned to the Yankees
of 1922, and the famous case of
the mysterious Mike Kelly who
wormed his way into the hearts
Of the players, and charged them
plenty for the follies into which
he led them.
Kelly Joined the YankS in St.
Louis one trip and soon won the
friendship and confidence of the
boys. He gave them tips on the
races, some of which won, and he
recorded the amount Of the bets
and the winnings. He arranged
for parties at breweries, and took
photograph, $50 that he might re-
member all the boys"
When Col. Jacob Rupert and
the indignant Col. Til Huston saw
the pictures, they slapped fines
on Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel and
the others. And Kelly, did you
ask?
Well, he left the team in the
dark Of night after one lengthy
chat with Colonel Rupert over
the long distance telephone. It
seems that one Of the players
also tried to get long distance.
and was cut In on the wire
HEnllEa arrns ti.nsanl nEf La kir.aA q.