The midland journal., 1940-06-21

I n city
marked against
this name = only Mel OFT
New York.
Mel came from the Bayou dis
trict straight to the big town. He
has never played in a minor league.
He was a bat boy in size and years
when McGraw saw him-and never
let him go.
"This kid was a big Lacquer the
day hes was born," McGraw once
told me. "He doesn't need any
minor league schooling"
When the young spring Of 1910
came riding through gales, sleet,
snow and weather blown from the
Barren Lands, they said OFT was
about through. He was only 81
years old, but he had been around
long time. He was starting slow
ly under killing weather conditions,
but he was still out there, hanging
around.
When the season opened Mel OFT
was still on the job and as time
moves on, Mel is still up around the
800 class with the old punch.
OTIS Career
OFT, at his physical peak, is five
feet nine inches in height, weighing
from 155 to 100 pounds. He was
never Babe Ruth, a Jimmy Foxx,
a Hank Greenberg, Hack Wilson
or Lou Gehrig in physical make
UP.
He always had queer habit of
lifting his foot from the ground as
he started his swing-his right foot
and then swinging from his left
as his right foot promptly settled
back into place. It was his own
foot action. It wasn't supposed to
be FORM" but it was the way OFT
wanted to play. And it was "form,"
after all, the form of shifting
weight. It must be ''form."
For in his Is years with the
Giants, up through 1889, OFT had
mauled out 1863 home runs and 359
doubles. He had lashed out 2,O61
hits, and 791 of these blows had been
for extended extra bases.
AS far back as 1928 Mel plastered
AZ home runs. He had hit Is or
more home runs through 10 or II
years. He had hit over 30 home
runs through seven seasons. With
the bulk of Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx or
Greenberg, OFT would have broken
| all records.
He is anywhere from so to 80
pounds shy in weight while compet-
ing with the major siege guns. But
he won't be far from the 400 home
run mark when 1910 turns in its set
Of records. He is still something
back Of Jimmy Foxx and Lou Geh-
rig, but don't forget that Mel had to
spot them more than so pounds,
which means a lot in long range hit
ting.
The Bayou Entry
Mel OFT has never been interested
in trying for so-called color. He
never pops off. He has never tried
to make headline by some eccen-
trio action. He gets into no brawls
with umpires. He has no interest in
being a Snowman.
II just happen to like baseball"
he tells you. eff I'm anything at
all, write me down as ball player"
If OFT isn't ball player, there are
no ball players. Shy, retiring, he
ducks the spotlight.
But the main answer is that Mel
hoe hoA%nsY IL. v,no~o kt.ov. Ann ,.,x.c
from something over 1900 hits, with
a 15-year average, up to this season,
of .315.
! don't believe the fan crowd, at
large, appreciates, Mel OFT. This
goes for New York, especially.
They take him for granted. They
take him for granted because he
never breaks training, never folds
up on the job, always plays his
game to the limit.
It is always "Good old Mel. He's
always there" But not being a nut
or headline seeker, never caring to
be Snowman, the mob forgets how
long "good old Mel'' had always
been there.
They forget that he has lambasted
over 20 home runs year for IL
consecutive years-that he has
passed the 80 home-run mark for
seven years. Even big Hank Green
berg has passed the schooner mark
only five years.
In addition to all this, Mr.. Mel OFT
is quite an outfielder. He can cover
his full share of terrain under fire.
Thirty-one isn't old. Lefty Grove
is 40. But OFT is in his sixteenth
major league campaign, and
through all these years he has given
L L. H.