Evening star., 1952-05-30

Lane for doing the thing at Comiskey Park.
Lane ignored Griffith but when rival hitters began driving
home the shortened fence than the White
the wall hastily torn down. When Hank Greenberg wound
up playing Pittsburgh, the efthed
moved closer. Formerly known Greenberg Gardens it's
still there but called "Kner's Kitchen" n
THERE USED TO BE "cobbs Lake" in Detroit when Tyrus
at his peak patch of ground between home and third
base soaked with water to stop cob bunts and
pitchers and third basemen to Slip "Bu there lakes
long before Cobb along" Griffith recalling.
II remember when pitched for the White Sox and used
to soak the ground There day when to face
Rube Waddell going to pitch for Chicago We flooded
patch OF ground figuring we'd bun on Wadde and he'd slip
all the place.
"The only person who fell down. Griffith said with rueful
smile, "waS They bunted Waddel by 10
2-0 forget which,
Up ago the Yankees had green curtain
in center field which could be raised and lowered like gigantic
window shade. This used to get Gri goat IF they had
of their good pitchers working-Ruhng Gomez
pull the shade and the batters would face
background of white shirts they had ordinary pitcher
going for em they'd lower the curtain the Yankee hers
could follow the other pitcher better They reasoned their
ordinary fellow would be hit pretty good no matter what kind
of background"
BACK IN 1918 Mcraw refused to send his Giants
to bat in Baker Philadelphia because hometown fans
converged in the center field beachers in the ninth inning
with Phls leading and the Giants at the plate When
the fans refused move Umpire William Brennan forfeited
the to the Giants and promptly disappeared closely
by redeyed FANS Later the played out
and the stood.
of my closest friends" Grifhth
musng he my dander when he had his great
pitchers" by raising his pitching
mound.
Connie had those big strapping pitchers like Bender,
Plank Grove and Earnshaw" he explained. He'd build his
mound 20 inches high To the htters they looked like
they standing mountain.
MoS clubs built mounds to suit their top pitcher Carl
Mays example, threw underhand he liked low mound
Johnson? No, never built mound for Walter Didn't make
any difference whether he Macks mountain standing
in hole. He'd still throw the ball by the hitters.
GRIFFITH CONFESSES to popularity about his own
park-the downhll first base line. ost neds built to
the pitchers box he said "Ours drains from home
plate That's why it's slightly downhll to first base
few years Hank Greenberg bngly suggested 1t was
downh give r fleet edge going to first base
"We he's right in way the Nat boss conceded After
mind you, aer-we built the inhed to drain that way
always that we had our share Of fast men,
"Sam Rice could fly to first base So could Buddy
Mye Henie Manush and George Case Once time Joe
Judge could fast Now we've got Coan and Buby Notice
hit left-handed wanted left handlers because
they get first base faster and occasionally they'd hit
the fence.
Trouble u.s. oufoxed myself got many 1eft-handers
point that everybody saved their souhpaw pitchers for
u.s. count that downh first base line tampering
just horse to find ball players who profit by it,