Evening star., 1938-07-08
FIRST ST|FFENED
ROCKS BACKBONE
No Cinch to Break In With
Old Red Sox-Fungo Hits
Iron His Faults.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

iron HIS fauItS.
By GRANTLAND RICE.
NEW YORK, July S.-Iris Speaker
told new story the other night about
Cy Young. At least it was new to me:
That Is was Young who made IN out
fielder OF him.
Young, one Of the greatest pitchers
Of al time-for one thing, he pitched
more games and won more than any
other pitcher who ever lived-was
with the Red sox when Speaker came
up from Little Rock. He was just
another kid outfielder, with nothing
but = scanty minor league reputation.
The first thing, Cy did for me was
to stif1en my backbone" iris said.
Breaking in on = big league ball
club was . tough job in those days"
why was 1t tougher then than 1t
Ii now?" one Of the bunch listening
asked.
Because the veterans didn't have
the same tolerant spirit for bushers
then that they do now" Iris said.
They couldn't be expected to have.
The squads were smaller and the pay
was much lower than IN these times.
An old ball player held on to his Job
as long ~ he could and a. nercely Is
he could, because he knew when he
lost it he was through-with nothing
to fall back on. Every kid looking
for his job was his enemy, and he
treated him Is such. In later years
I've seen fading veterans actually
helping bushers who were trying to
take their Jobs. But not in the time
that I was q busher. The old boys were
clannish, po. They'd gang up on
young fellow to protect . pal-and
drive him OF the ball club II they
could.
He Cooked Them on.
THAT was where Cy-and Lou
Criger. his catcher-nrst helped me.
That old Red Sox club was about as
hard for youngster to crack rs any
I ever saw and the veterans were CIV
ing me pretty rough time Of it at
first. Then Cy and Lou, who had
taken liking to me, for some reason,
took me in hand.
Don't let those fellows bulldoze
you,' they said. II they get after
you, go right back at them-only
harder. If they see you're not afraid
of them, they'll lay of you. Make
them quit and you'll get the chance
you need to make good
THE next day, after I'd been shag-
ging flies until my tongue was sun
burned, came in and grabbed = bat
and walked up to the plate to take
. swing in batting practice. Hobe
Ferris-he really was . great fellow.
~ I afterward learned, and in time
good friend Of mine-slared at me.
"'Where do you think you're going,
busher?" he asked me.
Il was still scared, but, remember
ing what Cy had said, glared right
back at him.
I'm going to hit something I
said. My idea Is to hit the ball, but
II you don't get out Of my way I'll
hit you right on the nose With this
bat
"They all heard It and I guess it
cooled them Oh because nobody said
anything and walked up to the
plate and took my cut. After that
nobody tried to stop me.
Drills In the Outfeld.
THAT was lust one way Cy helped
me. He had been watching me chase
flies in the outfield, and one day he
said to me:
You're pretty good hitter, young
fellow. but can't say much for your
fielding. You stick with me and I'll
make an outfielder Of you
After that, every day, he would hit
fungoes to me. He'd play me in close
and hit the ball over my head. Or
play me deep and hit 'em short. He'd
drive 'em to my right and to my left.
And he wouldn't let me start until
he hit the bail. II I tried it, he'd
cross me and hit the ball in another
direction. II became . great out
flelder-and that's the reputation
they've given me-you can give most
Of the credit to Cy Young, because
AL I had to do was to practice the
things he taught me.
"The. greatest asset had was my
ability to 90 back for = bali. That
enabled me to play In 20 close I could
cut down line drives or short, loop
ing flies that couldn't possibly have
r>>ohAd - haA vSIs,.>A h>~L -A>~>
most center flelders did. It was by
cutting of base hits like that that
I used to drive some of the hitters
crazy. One In particular that gave
me many laugh BY raving at me was
Donie Bush. DOME was q short line
drive hitter. He'd hit the ball on q
line and the pitcher would wave at it
and I'd catch it. And how DOME
would holler!
Has BIZ Laugh on Donnie.
"T'll hit one over you head some
day' he'd yell.
And one day he did. He got hold
Of one and drove 1t over my head,
and, as started back for it, could
hear him yelling at me. He rounded
first base and was tearing for second
and he never stopped yelling. He was
rounding second when finally grabbed
the ball on the bound. Heinie Wag-
ner, the shortstop, had run out into
left center for . relay and I threw
to him. He made 3 perfect throw
to third and the ball was waiting for
DOME as he came tearing in.
"Madl Say, I never saw anybody as
mad Is he was. He yelled at the
umpire for calling him out and then
he came rushing into the outneld,
calling me everything he could think
Of. He thought I had thrown him out
from deem center field aud lat hin,