Browning chief., 1947-08-15

anu ocat tHc b. SOuthWOrth
Athletics straight.
But part of the story of the Braves
OF 1914 goes back to the spring.
training program of that year in
the South-to pair of great COM
petitors, possibly the greatest that
ever wore spiked shoes. Their
names were Maranville and Evers.
the Rabbit and the Crab.
Heading north that year, l stopped
OIL for a few days at the Braves
camp in March. The main idea
was to call on few old friends,
such as Hank Gowdy. Johnny Evers
and Rabbit Maranville. Intending
to spend only day or so, I hung
around longer, for it was the most
interesting camp had run across.
In an exhibition game that after
noon, Evers and Maranville collided
at second base. each trying to cover
the bag. Both seemed to be badly
Jolted. but neither gave any sign
of being hurt.
noticed Maranville, a few min
utes later, looking for some lost OBJ
Ject around second base.
what were you looking for?"
asked the Rabbit in the dugout later.
"TwO Of my teeth" he said,
"where my mouth collided with
Johnny's head. He's got a tough
head"
A short while later, Evers was
hit on the arm with a fast ball. He
gave no sign of being hurt, as he
grinned and started for first base.
They Could Take 1t
Another member of the Braves
was nit, and he also showed no sign
OF any trouble, although he carried
lump above his elbow.
Here, outside of the genial Hank
Gowdy. was rather snarling, tough
group, without too much ability.
The team had Dick Rudolph,
George Tyler and Bill James pitch
ing, but they had never looked like
johnson, Alexander and Mathew
son, or Feller, Newhouse, Shea and
Blackwell.
AS far as one could see here was
ball club that might finish sixth
or seventeen even eighth. The
squad, that week, had shown no
power at all. Only some pretty fair
pitching.
That night, Maranville told me
what was taking place.
81 lost two teeth" he said, "and
l never blinked. Two men were
hit, and they never rubbed their
arms. We've made rule on this
club that nobody can show he has
been hurt, not even if he gets a
conclusion, not even if he gets his
block knocked off. Don't think los
ing two teeth was any fun. 1t hurt.
But l never let anyone know it. 1
like that brand of baseball. Don't
ever let 'em know you've been hurt"
The Victory Drive
lost considerable interest in this
Maranville philosophy when the
Braves were last on July 4, is
games away from the first place,
what about it now?" I said to
the Rabbit, about that time.
"Just warming up" he said. "Just
stretch"
1t was from late July on that the
Braves, headed by the driving force
of George Stallings, a great man.
ager, a fighter from every known
angle, plus Rudolph, Tyler and
James, went to work.
Stallings told me later he lost
four pairs of trousers sliding up and
down the bench. 81 was full of
bench splinters, he said.
Dick Rudolph was one of the best,
and one of the smartest pitchers in
baseball history. Tyler and James
came to his help. Day after day
you got this refrain-"Rudolph, Ty-
Ter and James,"
They caught the Giants in the
stretch, picked up Is games on one
of McGraw's good teams, and then
wrecked the Athletics in four
straight in the world series.
And all the Athletics had was
Bender and Plank and Bush, Col
Inns, Mc1nnis, Baker, Barry and
what looked to be one of the. great
teams of all time-a team that had
won four pennants in five years.
It wasn't even a contest.
SOuth,vOrtHs Team
Now the Braves of 1947, just 80
years later, under the able direc-
ton of Billy Southworth, another
great manager, are among the
teams to beat. These Braves are
much better ball club than the
Braves of 1914. But, whether or
not they can show the same amount
of iron in their systems as this
miracle squad offered against a for
lorn hope, is another guess.
It isn't often that any team has