The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-14
GIANTS SHOULD
 REvEL AT HOUSE .OF ROCKEFELLER
Otters of l043 to Have Use of 0.hOle Golf Course;
 Recall Briggs, Yawkey
By JOE WILLIAMS

NeW HOEk, Jun, live suppose 1t was inevitable that some ball club '- in this instance the Giants - should wind up using one of John D. Rockefeller'S mansions as a club house. It was old John D, you know, who made the dime tip famous.
 AS you may have read, the Giants are going to do their spring shiver. ing in the pine country of Lake wood, N J.. not more than Q good, substantial Bronx cheer from Broad- way, Among other things they are taking over the old Rockefeller home.
 This may be prophetic of things to come. It may be Q tiny glimpse of the new economic world Mir. Henry Wallace, the current throttle bottom of Washington, is given to discuss at intervals. A quick start in the direction of what the hu- manitarians touchingly call plan ned social revolution, '
 If 1t was good enough for Rockefeller it's good enough for Mel Ott." As @ starter that might pass as suitable battle cry for the aroused rabnle. When John D. built his Lakewood mansion back at the turn of the century, surely the last thought he could have had was that some day 1t would house a bunch of baseball players.
 But you never can tell. Some years ago we walked through the Kaiser'S palace just outside Berlin. We ac- companied o group of other gaping yokels. We couldn't escape the Jumpv feeling of the instability of the seeming stability of things, There was no respect among the Yokels either. The exiled war lord was referred to as the Royal Kraut head and old withered arm. We trust the Giants will be more sensitive in their comments on the late Earl of Erl.
 Lady Hitter
 We note that John D's nine -hole golf course is still there and will De available for the Giants. Golf was about the only sport that seemed to interest the old man. We never saw him hit a shot, but we Knew his first pro very well. Joe Mitchell of Cleveland. Mitchell called him @ Lady Hitter off the tee, but a Dead Eye Dick on the greens. He'd dime you to death on those putts," moaned Mitchell, a good butter, himself, but a fre- quent, victim.
 Mitchell revealed John D. hac a sense of whimsy, recalling an oc- caSion when the oil magnate played Q round of golf with his personal physician. The physician had the honor and teed his ball a foot or so in front of the markers. The old man was elaborately careful to tee tip on a direct line with the mark CTS.
 'I'm playing the full course today" he remarked dryly.
 Not all the. clubs have managed to arrange for satisfactory training sites which will conform to ODT re- straints on excessive travelling. The Detroit Tigers come to mind. There must be some old Henry Ford man. sions around they can use. This would be in keeping with the Giants innovation. Ford was always linked with Rockefeller in the heavy sugar league.
 Like John D., Ford never went in much for sports, though in his early days as a pioneering automotive mechanic he used to race speed cars. If memory serves he set some sort of a record for the mile over a course marked out on the frozen belly of the Detroit river.
 Once in a while he goes to ball games. He saw the Tigers when they beat the Cubs in the 1885 World Series. All the Fords came out. The yokels used to gather at the turn stiles to watch them enter the park. They we're responding literally to the exhortation of that well known advertisement: Watch the Fords go by"
 Of course, Walter Briggs might object to housing his Tigers in one ot Ford's discarded mansions. Briggs is the owner and is far anC away the richest man in baseball, the richest ever to come into baseball for that matter. He took over the club after Prank Navin died, and was so profligate with his money it practically took an official directive from Judge Landis to stop him. He innovated bonus system which rewarded everything from a high foul ball to a vigorously missed third strike.
 He was interested in Cleveland's Bob Feller-as who wasn't? For a while 1t looked as if Cleveland was going to lose the speed ball young ster due to contractural irregular ities. He called up Ava Bradley, the Cleveland owner, and asked him if he'd be interested in $250, 900 cash for the as yet improved pitcher Bradley was living in a dream world in those days and shook Briggs of. Feilers in the Navy now.
 Money Record
 Another big money man in base- Dall is Tom Yawkey, who holds title to the Boston Red Sox. He came into baseball with gold pieces that tingled, tangled. His spectacular deals in his early days with Connie Mack and Clark Grlfilth form the most garish financial chapter in the history of the game. He had the Briggs touch. This was shown in the deal which brought Joe Cronin to the Red Box as short-stop man. ager.
 'Ill give you a quarter of a mile lion dollars for his release" Yawkey said to Gritith.
 T won't take it; no ball player is worth that kind of money" pro- tested Griflth, at the same time ordering all exits closed to prevent Yawkey's escape.
 The deal was finally made. as you know, but not until the altruistlc