Evening star., 1940-02-16
From the
PRESS Box
Plot Seen as MoePhoil
Collects Fly Hawks
BY JOHN LARDNER,
Special Correspondent Of The Star

BY JOHN LARDNER,
Special Correspondent Of The Star.
NEW YORK, Feb. 16.-There
seems to be sinister hookup be-
tween Leland Stanford MacPhails
first love, night baseball, and his
new hobby, collecting outfielders.
The shy Brooklyn genius is believed
to be engineering a coup which will
. guarantee the Dodgers the National
League pennant in 1910.
Mr.. MacPhail now has collected II
outhelders, give or take an outfielder.
He says his motives are pure.
Naturally" says Leland S. Mac
Phail, looking as honest as the day
is long (Which always Is the time
for the party OF the second part to
keep his hands in his pockets), mat
urally. I will use only three out
flelders at once
That's the story. But you know
how it is in the baseball parks where
they play night ball. Even under
the highest wattage and the hottest
concentration of volts, the outfield
is a ghostly place of flickering
shadows and midnight patches. ]
have seen night baseball games at
Ebbetts Field, home of MacPhail's S
own watts, and I believe it would be
perfectly possible to play II out
fielders simultaneously at night
there without anybody being the
Wiser-eSpecially the II outfielders
OutfieIders Might Turn Up
Like Finnish Soldiers
Picture the CONSERVATION OF
Brooklyn's enemies in such an
event. Melvin OFT. we will say,
slices a long, low drive into left
center-obviously good for two
bases, maybe three, for the left
fielder and the center fielder can
get nowhere near, it. and besides,
the center fielder probably is play
ing to the right for OFT.
Ottie is just rounding first and
starting to dig for second when out
of the night in left center ghostly
figure emerges to snare the ball and
lob it back to the infield. One out.
The Giants spirit is broken.
A week or so later, Buster West,
of the Bees. gets hold of the ball
and ladies it, as is his wont, to
right. High and sharp the ball
screams through the night Is it
over the wall? Yes. But no. Stand
ing on top of the fence, as though
directed there by inspiration, is an
outfielder. He leaps, spears the ball,
and falls headlong to the ground.
Is he dead? 1t makes no difference,
for the Bees are beaten, and any
way, what does one outf1elder
matter to L. Stanford MacPhail?
He has is left.
Mr.. MacPhail insists that he has
no intention of stacking the deck
on dark nights, of planting out
fielders 10 feet apart from bleacher
to bleacher.
IT collect outfielders because I
like outfielders," says the red-haired
mastermind. They are fine people,
and kind to animals"
AS we 60 to press-remember, 1t
Is never too late for L. S. MacPhail
to sign another outfielder - the
Brookland herd includes Koy,
Vosmik, Cullenbine, Walker, Parks,
Moore, Ripple, Stainback, Almada,
Chapman, Deal and Gilbert. Is that
only IL? Well, the Brain has just
discarded Goodie Rosen, and he has
four more deals on the fire. They
say that a Di Maggio-a fourth,
and hitherto unknown Di Maggie
practically is in the bag for Mac
Phail.
Nowadays" reasons Leland STAN
ford, mo outfleld is complete with
out a Dis Maggie. The Brooklyn
club will spare no expense to ac-
quire one"
Pilot Feors Steok Fomine
When FieIders Assemble
The standard Brooklyn reward for
q new outfielder, dead or alive, is
$25,OOO. Hearing that Roy Cullen
bine (an outfielder) was around
loose, Leland S. MacPhail promptly
signed him for $25,000.
IT need him to fill out set," ex-
planned the purchaser, l.. Stanford
MacPhail. HE just matches my
leftfield fence"
A few days later the Boston Red
Sox, seeking to dispose Of Joe Vos-
mix, heard that L. s. MacPhail was
in the market for out1elders.
"Will you give $25, ,000?" demanded
Edward Trowbridge Collins. the
Boston salesman.
But naturally, $25,000," said Le-
land MacPhail. Ca va sans dire,
my old cabbage. Why quibblee That
is the price we pay for outf1elders
at my joint"
Vosmik was delivered in the morn
ing. Mr.. MacPhail found place
for him in the line between Koy and
Ripple. The Brooklyn manager, Lee
Durocher, frankly is becoming ap-
prehensive of a steak famine In
training this spring when all the
outfielders raise their knives and
forks together.
I'VE will have a heck Of a food
problem" he says.
what of it?" replies Leland STAN
ford MacPhail. 1--WE have to have
our outfielders, don't we? Noblesse
oblige."
Maybe so, but 1t still seems like
. plot.