Evening star., 1953-12-16
Ed Barrow Dies
AT At85;Changed
.FaceofBasebaI|
Builder Of Yankees
Discovered Wagner
And Converted Ruth
BY the Assoeioted Pres,

PORT CHESTER. N. Y. Dec.
16. = Ed Barrow, the man
who discovered Honus Wagner.
changed Babe Ruth into an out
fielder and developed the
Yankees into the most-feared
team in baseball. died of cancer
last night.
He was IS years old last May.
In July he entered Port Chester
United Hospital. His close friends
knew his death was only a ques-
ton of time.
Barrow remained cheerful.
His mind was clear and he con-
tinued to receive visitors. His
physical condition continued to
decline and early in November
he lapsed into a coma for SO
hours. Then he rallied, began
eating again and seemed i'm
proved until a relapse Sunday.
Funeral arrangements have
not been completed.
Edward Grant Barrow remade
the face of baseball when he
took the big gamble Of convert
ing the fabulous Babe Ruth from
an outstanding pitcher into an
outfielder who was to become the
most famous Slugger in the his
tory of the game.
But in a lifetime devoted to
baseball, the bushy-browed Bar
row was proudest of the fact
that he discovered" Hans Wag-
ner and he always insisted the
bow-legged Dutchman was the
greatest all-around ballplayer
who ever lived. Wagner" Bar
row once said, could play more
positions brilliantly than any of
the others, including Ruth"
Barrow was the man behind
the scenes who constructed the
Yankees baseball empire. He
remained in the background
while Col. Jake Rupert pro-
vided money with a lavish hand
to purchase the players Barrow
wanted. 1t was Rupert who
appeared in the neWsreels when
Ruth signed his contracts, but
Ruppert'S knowledge of baseball
was negligible and it was Bar
row who ran the Yankees.
When Rupert died General
Manager Barrow became preSi-
dent of the Yankees in 1899. He
ran them with an iron hand
until 1945. when Larry Mac
Phairs syndicate bought the club.
"MacPhail's way was not my
way" Barrow wrote two years
ago in his book, My Fifty Years
in Baseball"
Once Boxed Sullivan.
Barrow had the physical equip
ment to back up his firm deal
ings with players. He was a
good amateur heavyweight fight
er in his early days and once
boxed an exhibition with John
L. Sullivan. His ability to whip
any man who ever played for
him never was seriously queS-
tioned-but Barrow put it to a
serious test.
For years it was legendary in
baseball circles that Barrow and
Ruth once were involved in a
furious fight, but Barrow revealed
in his book that it never hap
pened. The most serious dis
agreement between them mate
rialMed in 1919 when Ruth was
playing for the Boston Red Sox
and Barrow was managing them.
II always made it a practice
when on the road to stay up
until I knew all my players were
in the hotel" Barrow said. But
one night. sitting up in the
Raleigh Hotel in Washington, I
found the Babe was a little too
much for me. L waited until 4
am. and then went to bed.
The next night I decided I
wasn't going to sit up until 4
am. again and instead I gave
the porter a couple of dollars to
notify me when Ruth came in.
"rI don't care what time it is, )
I said, come to my room and
tell me- ,"
At 6 am. the porter knocked
on the door. Barrow put on his
bathrobe and went to Ruth's
room. The door was unlocked
and he walked in.
Ruth was in bed smoking a
pipe, with the covers pulled up
under his neck. do you always
smoke a pipe at this time of the
morning?" Barrow asked Ruth.
"Oh, sure" Babe replied. Its
very relaxing"
Barrow walked over to the bed,