The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-08-20
CARETAKER GAN
 HELP WIN BALL
 CONTESTS, TOO
Bat Boys Name N ever Gets Into Records But
 He's Valuable
This is the fourth of . series of six illustrated articles on "The Other Side of Baseball"

or SIX llluatr8te0 hrucbeS OH
 "The Other Side of Baseball"
 BY RICHARD MCCAIN
 NEA Service Sports Writer
 They don't get their names in the box scores, but the groundkeepers, clubhouse caretakers, and bat boys do their share for baseball.
 Sometimes, 1t seems, they should be given Q bit of credit in the records.
 Visiting players, for instance, insist that the Fenway park groundkeeper ought to get an as- sist every now and then because he has made Joe Cronin better fielder this season by sprinkling the left side of the infleid before each game, thereby slowing up grounders which ordinarily might skip by Josephus.
 And the Yankees of e decade ago all swear that poor little Eddie Bennett, their hunchback bat boy who died Q few years back won as many games as Babe Ruth with his peppery, cheery talk.
 And the 1883 pennant-winning Washington team insisted that Frankie Baxter, their clubhouse caretaker, stand in c grandstand runway throughout every game because they happened to win a close, crucial battle once while he was standing there. They felt that his presence ct that particular post A "a al hills on the mound.
 In fact, they thought 1t was so important they insisted that the club send him on the road with the team.
 All.Day, Ali.Year Job
 However, but boys and clubhouse caretakers do more than just act as guardians against invasions by Joe Jinx and Sammy Slump, and the groundkeeper's duties don't end with wetting down the left side of Q diamond for some heavy-legged fielder.
 The groundkeeper's job. indeed, is practically an all-day. ali-night, all-year-round affair trying to keep the infield as smooth as e billiard table, the pitching mound just high enough, and the outfieid pasture fresh and level what with fights, football games, rofeos, mass meet ings, high school cadet drills. and such being staged night and day in the stadiurns.
 Football players. according to Walter Owens, caretaker of the Yankee stadium, help rather than hurt baseball fields. 1T con- sider that they blow up my field for the winter snows," says Owens. But that rodeo liked to kill me. It took me c year to get the grass a-growin' again."
 The diamond Is usually an awful mess after c big fight or wrestling match. The rings Is pitched at sec- ond base and the posts must be driven deep into the ground.
 And no matter how carefully you smooth out the ground that night and the next days" says Owens, there's bound to be c couple of bad bumps or holes that make grounders take freak hops past the fielders."
 
 Jack of All Trades
 The clubhouse caretaker b cob- bier, tailor, laundryman, messenger boy, express agent, sports goors salesman, and concessionaire rolled into one.
 He keeps the home teams uni- forms in shape (there are four suits to c fnasi); sees that they are cleaned at regular intervals (ex- cept during c winning streak when . team likes to wear the same dirty outfits), packs and ships them when 1t takes to the road; and does Q similar duty for the visiting team.
 The clubhouse caretaker and his band of eager young helpers dry out the players sweat shirts after each game, clean and mend the shoes, run out for food. He sells various pieces of equipment (such as shoes ct Si2.60 per pair for which he gets . commissior) and peddies soft drinks and beer to the players.
 His concessions and salary coiIi- bined will bring him more than ei00 week and he has no trouble get- ting the boys to help him for small change because they are only too willing to be able to hang around the playcrg
 The Yankees pay their bat boy SIS per week, and the Detroit Fig. CTS take theirs on the road, and the Cleveland Indiana mascot has grown to manhood on the job. But as rule the bat boy works for nothing doesn't travel with tiie club and quits after four or five years.
 He works out with the team but seldom becomes . player, even of minor league ability. Ben Chap. man is ai outstanding exception. The Red eox outfeidcr was bat boy for the Birmingham Barons.
 But the next time you go out to the bail park remember that behind the scenes thers gre the stagei1apds who help make the spectacle possi- b.e-the bat boys who make super stitious players feel lucky, the club house caretakerg who care for thek little needs, and the ground me-
 M|A IA.