Evening star., 1937-02-25
CARDSTAR, HUFFY,
COURTS PUBLICITY
Dizzy, Unlike Many Famous
Trouble Leads
Clean Life.
BY JOHN LARDNER.

he will play no base ball whatever in
1887 because he is tired of the racket
and sick of the sort of publicity he
has been getting. Naturally, that an
nouncement will win him plenty more
of the same kind of publicity.
The odds are so to l that the sea-
sons opener in April will find the
Diz in there pitching for the st. Louis
Cardinals, or some other big league
club, but, meanwhile, his retirement
is good for a lauch. If nothing else,
and it may add another wrinkle to
the furrowed brow of Mr.. Branch
Hickey, Mr.. Deans boss.
Without taking the announcement
too seriously, Mr.. Hickey may re-
member that, once, at least, in base
ball history, star player did make
good his threat to stay out Of the
game all year. That was Eddie Roush,
the old Cincinnati outfielder. Mr..
Roush permitted the season to come
and go while he sulked in his tent,
in the manner of Achilles, though he
consumed much more tobacco in the
process than Achilles did.
Mr.. Roush was dissatisfied with his
salary. Mr.. Dizzy Dean. on the other
hand, says he doesn't care about SAL
airy one way or another.
Il don't care whether they give me
so grand or not" says the Diz. II
won't play ball this year"
Virtuous Trouble Maker.
ITS funny thing about Mr.. Dean.
OF all the trouble-makers that
base ball has known, and he ranks
very high among them, Dizzy is the
most clean-living and virtuous. His
personal habits. except when he is
larking and horsing around with some
of the other gas-house gangsters like
Pepper Martin, are above reproach.
He is fully equipped to lecture to a
class of Sunday school tots.
That wasn't the way with most Of
the other great "Boolsheviks." as bad
actors are known in base ball Rube
Waddell, Grover Alexander, Phil Doug
las. Hughie McQuillan, Babe Ruth.
Flint Rhem, Irish Meusel-they all
loved late hours and bright lights
and the tinkle Of ice in glass. Arthur
(the GreaD Shires had a penchant
for slugging people on the chin. Ping
Bodie used to disappear among the
table d'hote restaurants of the spa
ghetti belt and eat himself into a
state Of high exaltation, while detec-
tives combed the country for him.
Even Rogers Hornsby, mannerly
fellow in private life. was too fond
Of betting the horses for the peace
Of mind Of his employers in Chi
cago-at least, so his employers said.
Ruth, before the great reformation
set in, was as larkish and unstable a
citizen as you could wish to see. He
preached the peace in seven different
languages. Waddell, though his ad-
diction to chasing fire engines was
innocent enough. had further rel
ish for the product of the hop vine
and great capacity for same
Waddell and Bodie we're leaders in
the field of disappearing. Flint Rhem
! was close behind them. The boys still
That was during crucial Brooklyn
st. Louis series in 1880. The Card
pitcher was absent from duty for
quite spell. and, when he reap
peared. he told a narrowing tale of
abduction and torture.
They kidnapped me-" testified Rhem,
"and forced me to drink great guam
titles of liquor at the point Of a gun.
1t was terrible"
The boys still drop sigh of SYM
pathy for Mr.. Rhem whens they think
of his sufferings in that ordeal.
A Victim Of Impulsiveness.
CHUFFLIN' PHIL DOUGLAS, in
- his happy-go-lucky way. was an
other eminent disappecrer. Phil was
too happy-go-lucky for his own good.
An epic pitcher, hero of the World
Series of 1921 with two victories over
Carl Mays. he meant we'll, but never
seemed able to behave as we'll as he
meant. And he was impulsive. I'm
pulse once led him to stick his right
hand into an electric fan in sub
way car, in 1917.
John j. McGraw used to have the
Shuff1er shadowed and chaperoned by
Jesse Burkett. But Phil got away from
Burkett from time to time. and, once,
after being fined and suspended for
an escape like this, his wounded feel
ings caused him to do the foolish thing
that brought his career to an end.
He wrote a bitter and reckless letter
to an executive of the rival Cardinal
Club, containing some unfortunate
propositions. The letter was exposed