Imperial Valley press., 1943-06-21
SuhrIs
Popular
Player
BY NORMAN MONTPELIER

SAN FRANCISCO. JIilt Il. AOEl
August "GuSsie" Suhr, the San
Francisco Seals first baseman. is
lust a hometown boy who has come
back to his fayorite club after a
highly successful major league ca
reer and today can be regarded as
Just about the most popular player
of local fans.
Suhr. 81 years old with q record
of nearly eleven years in the majors
with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia
in the National League. returned to
San Francisco this season to prove
to baseball fans that his skill at
first base hasn't faded a bit.
As a native San Franciscan. born
the year of the great earthquake,
Suhr has a natural attachment for
his home town ball club.
He has remarked that I'D rather
play with the Seals than with a
major league club" and means it.
FRISCO KID"
GuSsie attended high school in
San Francisco and started his pro-
fessional baseball experience with
Quincy in the Three-I League in
1925. In his first game nervous
ness overcame him, he recalls, and
he flied out as a pinch-hitter-
but since then his bat has paid off
big dividends.
Suhr joined San Francisco first
in 1925 and played here until 1929.
when he went to Pittsburgh.
With Pittsburgh he distinguished
himself at first base and hung up a
National League record for con-
secrtive games played that still
stands.
SIGNS AGAIN
In 1910 he went to Philadelphia
and then to Montreal in the Inter-
national League and this year COM
pleted his odyssey by signing again
with his favorite Seals.
AS a hitter this year Suhr hasn't
been sensational, hitting just above
the 200 mark, but his dependable
ity in the pinches has been proved
time after time and he is recognized
as a clutch hitter who seldom fails
to produce when needed.
In the Hollywood series last week,
Suhr batter over 300 as the Seals
took the series. five games to two.
And an added distinction of his
record for the season to date is
that he is among the leaders in
the Pacific Coast League for runs
batter in.
His defensive play at first base
has never been questioned and San
Francisco baseball fans haven't hes
itated to welcome him home.
WANTS TO HELP
The six-foot. 177-pound first base
man declares his baseball ambition
is lust to help my club
In talking about his greatest
thrills in the game. he recalls the
time he hit three home runs in
one game in Portland, Ore, during
his earlier service with the Seals,
and a triple he collected with the
bases full off Burleigh Grimes in
one of his first major league games.
He thinks the toughest thing in
baseball is stealing home, likes the
moves, ClOtneS ana nam ana STACKS
on the table when he can get it and
reads detective stories for relaxa-
ton.
One of the things that makes him
a popular player with the fans is
the wide grin that is always on his
face. And to prove his sense of
humor isn't lacking, he tells of one
of the most fantastic things he
ever saw in baseball:
1T was with Montreal against
Buffalo when the batter laid down
bunt along the third base line
that dribbled barely inside the line
Bert Haas of the Monareal club
got down on his hands and knees
and blew the ball foul, and the UNI
pire called it foul
Anyway, that's his story.