The Wilmington morning star., 1946-12-14
In Sports Pan 80.
@r~tI.c :, %
BY Roy Cook
BY Roy Cook

This morning We turn over whats Cookin, To
Whitney Martin and his Sports Trail' Sports
scribe Martin has written a nice yarn about basebalps
greatest pitcher.
Walter johnson, beloved by millions of baseball
fans died in Washington Tuesday night. Thousands Of
words have been written about the big Train" and in
the following article Martin gives us a roundup If
what made Walter Johnson famous. -Tr
BY WHITNEY MARTIN = "
NEW :, foR sm. p o@sv 1 ns,1s3 " srs. probably written this be.
sports figure who &. no Longer i. with Us, particularly when that
figure re- F1 "exer saw % S'f Waiter l@1n goS Sosno0 a,t adSs' w.. .
few s,i sase .f Yankee 1Sa ns stsai mnan to fe nit in the stands during an e.-
walter johnson pitching. 1t was only a faint echo Of the roar Of
sekct-Christy Mahewson, Frank Chance, Barney oidfieid. W alt.
with awe, although our only contact with them was through the
printed apd stand Standing out like = beacon c ., ws sae the nam. Waltz. -.
which tSplaed e Una. ma was Z, great in the realm Of baseball
hood mind, but for sheer speed and power the Big Train was wa
Johnson's career is too well known to need repetition. and
indeed it would d. take talk. . book S%s to record hi. feat. in detail. As one
however, we always were interested in the minor 1et + i If
heros life; the little trait: and habits that brought a clearer
We got most of th. Information n johnson from Al schacht.
wit with whom he roomed for seven years, and w sanan 1 hs sM = sp n
Of with an undertone Of personal here-worship. ~
of the stories he tells about the Big Train border o the unhs.
h'vi rrsm a the %y b aei in !. 1sca : w dnsef he .s ss y be. lied t for .et t,s;s;:
i into CLARK v sriintn ei j. et easeti in WA %ss1 3s.n looking more IKE :
he pitched one m f last inning S:.d IN Newark Fl years later, his career
Schacht will tell you of the bright dy when unpire Ril,v Evans
called a game because Of darkness in the sixth inning because
Johnsons fast bal-the only pitch he had-kept goinT through
catcher Rip Williams and rapping him ON the shins.
Or the time when Ray Chapman, seeing only a blur as two
strikes and a ball whizzed by, turned and headed for the bench.
calling back over his shoulder: "You can have the third one" -
was a little haywire, spun Jimmy Dykes cap around, then hit Joe
Dugan, and for the rest of the game had the batters virtually tax
ing their cuts from the dugout.
Or how the opposing players would watch the big fellow warm
up and if they saw he had it would comment apprehensively:
"JOhnsons pstpst today meaning unbeievably fast, the com
ment being the signal for more than one player to suddenly de-
Ve0p q stomach ache O r fallen arches O something 81 he rnfxh
be excused for the day.
Despite his natural gifts, the Big Train worked as hard ~ any
verdant rookie to get In condition and remain that way. In a
game, il he had 1t won, he was inclined to loaf, though, and that
factor probably robbed him of many more. records. He never
thought o. records, however.
Once in a while his even temper would become ruffled, and
those close enough to him would hear what to the Big Train was
violent profanity. Goodness, gracious, sakes alive" he would
spuher5 Where was that ban?"e - ~ -
The Big Train has reached the end Of the run, but whenever
parson. -.