Evening star., 1940-01-28
Barrow an Driving Force Behind Yankees Hailed Baseball Maste
Boss of Greatest Club at II
Still ReIishes Fights With
PLAYERS Over Salaries
Eyebrows Index to Rugged Character
Of Games Most Practical Mind
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Associated Press Sports Writer.
NEW YORK, Jan. 27.-In the
opinion of many competent critics,
the finest brace of eyebrows in this
country belong, not to a certain
labor leader, but to Edward Grant
Barrow, 71-year-old president Of
the champion New York Yankees.
They are a notable growth, still
black as q scuttle of coal and lux
uriant
His hair is beginning to thin, but
untouched are the twin glories that
are the pride of his life, next to
the Yankees.
The man at the head of the New
York club might reach his desk on
'Forty-second street in need OF a
shave, now and then, but nobody
has yet seen him when those sim
lister brushes were not carefully
reached from east to west and
FURNISHED magnificently.
Somehow. they reflect the char
acter of the aggressive, powerful
veteran who this year celebrates
his goth anniversary as the brains
and driving force behind the finest,
richest baseball organization dhere
has been and who, on February 4,
will receive the New York Baseball
Writers plaque for "meritorious
services to baseball for long
period of years.
Practical Baseball Man.
They are the first thing one no
tices about the rugged 220-pounder
who sits in his Office now, anticl-
pating and relishing the prospect
of approaching salary battles with
the stars who perform for him.
Watch these black hedges rise
and fall as Barrow talks, and it is
easy to believe that Joe Di Maggie
will sign eventually for exactly
what Barrow thinks he is worth.
When big Ed" was general man
ager of the Yankees Babe Ruth al
ways had to appeal to the soft
heartedness of the late Col. Jacob
Rupert to get his fantastic sal
aries. Barrow undoubtedly would
have let the Bambino sit out a sea-
son before he would have paid him
$4,000, or anywhere near it.
Even now, with his dignity as
president, he waits several weeks
longer than any other club in mail
ing out contracts.
Let 'em wait a while" he says
with malicious pleasure. Maybe
they'll think they're not going to
get contract"
Won't Make Speeches.
Barrow, like many another New
Yorker in comfortable circum-
stances, owns home at Larchmont,
where he and Mrs. Barrow spend
most of their evenings quietly.
Only rarely can he be pulled away
from his fireside. He fatty refuses
to make speeches. Abstinence from
banquet food no doubt accounts IN
large measure for his abundant
health and vitality.
An amateur boxer of considerable
merit in his younger days. and al
ways quick and willing man with
his fists, Barrow has retained a
remarkable physique for his years,
Somebody asked him the other
day If he could swim. yes" he
said, "and it's a damn good thing,
too
His two hobbies are fishing and
hunting and it seems that he and
Mrs. Barrow were fishing for white
perch In a lonely stream near Sc
bring, Fla, early last spring. 1t
was a chilly day of the sort ignored
by the local Chamber of Commerce,
and Barrow was we'll bundled up
and booted.
Ticklish Spot for Barrow.
Like a fool, I decided to stand
up and hold onto an overhanging
limb. Next thing knew hit that
water like ton of lead and thought
I never would come up. When I
did get to the air again fishhook
was gouging me in the arm and
Mrs. Barrow was yelling"
He swan to the boat, Gained Mrs
Barrow and then proceeded to swim
another 80 yards or so to the bank,
hauling the boat behind him. He
went up to his knees in quicksand
and barely managed to scramble
into the boat. It was ticklish
spot, even Barrow is willing to ad-
NIT now.
He pulled off all his wet clothes,
put dry sweater over his shoulders,
and rowed several miles upstream
to the fishing camp. BY that time
he was a trif1e tuckered, but he
took a drink, got on some dry
clothes, and at o'clock the next
morning was off on another fishing
expedition. Didn't even catch cold.
For years he has spent the spring
training period at Sebring, which
is some SO miles from the Yankees
conditioning camp at st. Peters,
burg.
Gives Manager Free Hand.
He likes Sebring, in the first place,
and in the second place he doesn't
want anybody to get the idea that
he is riding herd on his manager,
Joe Mccarthy. He drives over to
st. Petersburg to watch the Yankees
play only on week ends.
An old-time manager himself,
Barrow makes a fetish of not get
ting in McCarthy's way. He attends
every home game at the stadium,
sitting with some of his cronies in
his box on the second tier and
watching every move on the field
with cold, analytical eyes.
Yet he never has been seen, either,
on the field-except for an occa-
sional cermony-or in the Yankees
dressing room.
He appears at his desk each
morning, winter and summer, about
10 o'clock. He attends to mass
of correspondence, even answering
personally many queries sent in
by the boys in the village drug store
who want to settle bet. He gets
q lot of quiet satisfaction out of
his ability to do this.
Assistants Devoted to Him.
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