The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-06-26
THEY PLAYED THE GAME
THEY PLAYED THE GAME It Was Common Practice Not To Touch Second When Merkle Pulled His Boner
BY HARRY CRIMSON NEA Sports Editor

Hard luck trailed Frederick c. Merkle like a faithful hound
 It is lamentable that such bril- liant player should be remembered chiefly for an unfortunate bonehead play committed at the tender age of l9.
 Fred Merkle did exactly what every other baserunner did until that eventful Sept. 23, 1908. at the Polo Grounds. when he ran to the clubhouse instead of touching sec- ond base following Al Bridwell's winning" hit.
 The Chicago Cubs, Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates were roaring down the stretch noses apart. The Cubs reduced the Giants lead by winning the first two games.
 With the score II in the ninth inning of the third engagement, victory clinching the pennant for the Giants and beating the Cubs out of one for the first time in three years, Moose Mccormick singled and young Merkle, enter ing the game as pinch-hitter, singled him to third. With two out, Bridwell singled, and McCor- mick crossed the plate in wild excitement with what should have been the winning run.
 McGRAW REBUILT MORALE
 When scrappy Johnny Evers saw Merkle dashing for the dress ing room in center field, he called for the ball, scuffled with Iron Man Joe McGinnity of the Giants for it. Whether with the ball Bridwell hit or one thrown from the Chicago dugout, Evers touch ed second base, and Umpire Hank O'Day called Merkle out on a force play.
 With a jubilant and then be- wildered crowd on the field there was no chance to resume the game ended by the most famous of bon head d plays, Following bitter arguments, the game was ordered replayed, the Cubs win ming the flag.
 Merkle was so broken up that he wanted to quit, but Manager McGraw, realizing his tremendous possibilities as a successor to Fred Penney at first base, talked him into sticking it out. Merkle keen ly felt the jibes of fans and other players in 1909, and McGraw turned In one of his finest jobs in rebuilding the lads morale.
 The hoodoo once again fastened headlock on Merkle in 1912 and threw him for a fall in the last inning of the fiercely fought eight game World Series with the Red Sox. when he figured in the second most fatal blunder in Giant history
 IT ALL HAPPENED TO MATTY
 Merkle was hero for a change up to that moment. His scorch- ing single in the first half of the 10th shot Red Murray home from second with run that broke a 1-l tie and gave Christy Mathewson margin following pitching duel with Hugh Bedient and Smoky Joe Wood. Matty had only to retire three Red SoX to give the Giants their first world championship since 1905.
 Fred Snodgrass made his cele- brated two-base huff of Pinch Hitter Clyde 7ngle's fly, however, and after Harry Hooper flied out, Steve Yerkes walked, and then Iris Speaker popped an easy foul just outside t.le first base coach's box. Merkle and Chief Meyers, the catcher, doing an Alphonse ana Gaston, permitted the ball to drop between them.
 Speaker singled in the ty g run, sent Yerkes to third, and the latter scored the winning run fol- lowing the catch of Larry Gardner's fly.
 Merkle collected a losers check in six world series - three in row with the Giants in 11-13-13, with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 16, the Cubs in '18 and with the New York Yankees as a coach in '26
 While a right-hand long-dis- tance cleanup hitter in IA Nation- al League campaigns Merkle only once hit 300 or better - 1909 with the Giants in '12 He left lifetime major league average of .273,
 Although he was a rieht-hand thrower, without the physical ad- vantages enjoyed by left-hander at the position, he was a remark ably skillful first baseman.
 Of German percentage, Water town. Wis-born Toledo-raised Fred Merkle, standing six feet one ana weighing 190, was one of the last est large men ever to play major league ball. He contributed 49 stolen bases to the Giants total of 347 as the Polo Grounders virtually swlp- ed the bunting in Il.
 HE NEVER LIVED IT DOWN
 Merkle, an all-around athlete. was a halfback in football as voungster. An excellent golfer, he played to such an extent that McGraw marked the game taboo, Above the average in intelligence, he was an expert at chess, played bridge, was a shark at algebra.
 In his last appearance in league sides at Ormond, Fla, managed the Class D Daytona Ormond club. He walked off the field one day, never retur- ed It was report ed that player made reference to him as a bonehead.
 When I die" he once said, bit terly. T guess they'll put on my tombstone: Here lies Bonehead Merkle. '"'
 Fred Merkle was anything but a bonehead. and it is tragic that he never heard the end of the one he pulled.
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