The Washington times., 1938-02-23

of George
w ashintgon'S
ii name was
Bin corun enough to
send us scurrying to wash be-
hind our ears, whether they
needed it or not.
But reading the reports of
modern historians on the Father
, of Our Country, you wonder if
the neighbors dared leave their
chickeA coops unguarded at
night.
The old, red-backed history
book we carried to school didn't
even have his birthday right.
It put him away as having been
born on February %, whereas
the correct date was February
II. Either that, or the Demo
Gratis are now trying to move
him I'D ahead OF Lincoln.
, Washington was a wrestler,
which may explain the phrase,
'Td rather be right than Presi-
dent"
George also gained athletic
fame by throwing a silver dollar
across the Potomac River. Ac'
cording to Bin Terry's enemies,
Bill would have made a great
catcher in those days.
ANDY COULD PITCH
Lincoln didn't have much time
for sports as boy, though he
proved a pretty fair country
wrestler on occasions. Most of
the time he was too busy win
ming his letters before the fire
place.
Andrew Jackson is said to
have been a great horseshoe
pitcher, when he brought his
own shoes, and Grover Cleve-
land was fisherman. So is Mr..
Roosevelt, the present President
Roosevelt. And a better fisher
man than Cleveland ever was.
Grover never had to take the
Navy along to bring back the
fish.
Theodore Roosevelt fancied
himself as a boxer, and had the
sight of one eye impaired in a
sparring match in the White
House. He also whacked away
at q golf ball at times, I be-
lieve, and yelled as loud as the
next one at football games. Pos
sibly a little louder.
MY friend, John C. Greenway,
who was one Of Teddy's Rough
Riders and intimateS, told me
once that Roosevelt said his
greatest regret in life was that
he had never been hard up.
That he'd never had to worry
about where the next meal was
coming from, and. therefore.
been forced to get out and hustle
for it.
EARLY HEADACHES
Both Wilson and Coolidge
helped coach college football
teams in their youth. Coolidge
would have made a great quar-
terback. No rival team ever
would have got their signals out
of him. His own team would
have been lucky to get 'em.
My most vivid recollection OF a
sports even was Coolidge at the
World Series between Washing
ton and the Giants in 1924. The
President insisted on keeping
the score on a stick as he had
done as a boy in Vermont. notch
ing it for each run scored.
b Clark Griffith, owner of the
Washington team, still has the
three scorecards Mr.. Coolidge
| didn't buy at the series. But
Griff would prefer the is cents.
b Still, Mr.. Coolidge was virtu-
ally a member of the Washing
on team in those exciting games
with McGraw's cocky Giants. He
wasn't neutral, and he wasn't
out there just because it was the
thing to do. Both he and Mrs.
Coolidge were truly excited over
the Senators.
! guess it would have been
next to impossible to live in the
Capital and not been excited
over baseball in those days. It
was the first time around for a
championship in Washington,
and it had taken Is years to
diSprove Charley Dryden's
famous phrase about Washing
ton being first in peace, first in
war, and last in the American
League.
. SHE WAS TOPS
The President and Mrs. Cool
idge, Furthermore, had a per-
sonal roofing interest. They had
met Bucky Harris, the then boy
manager Of the Mats, and taken
q liking to him. A feeling they
were to demonstrate later by
breaking a White House prece-
dent to attend his wedding.
In my time never have seen
q sports celebration to equal the
one that Washington put on
after Walter johnson had
stepped into the breach to win
the seventh and deciding game
in one Of baSeball's most dra-
matte moments. There may
have been bigger nights in some
towns, but they have to con-
vince me.
All IN all. a fine set Of sports
men, the Presidents Of the
United States. There was even
a fAMRRnv among 'em. Or almost