Evening star., 1955-11-16
WIN, LOSE Or
DRAW J, ....s,. SIAM
Man Il, the Black Suit

fHtQH III GAG 0H0GN JUL
ONE on THE MYSTERIOUS sports personalities Of our
times Is Morris oe1 Berg. the IN the black suit
Whence goes between appearances ct the big spectacles
nobody Knows onetimess Harry Grayson once said,
thHk ne guy shows lust to measure his friends toy
the box.
HAIRY was Joking because Moe soft-spoken and erudita
pleasant companion III almost any language, including
English Nearly "a years ago. when he first reported to the
Washington Senator's he gbly spoke In seven tongues and
could boast Ii he chose that his thesis sanskrt wa
listed as reference work In the Congressional Library
Now this was few days ago when Berg was lunchins
at Osborn Field House IL Princeton an hour before the Blues
and Nassaus went at each other ii football nearby window
overlooked the baseball ned and New York Reporter said:
moe. isn't this where you hit that home rnn2s
Berg nodded assent n his college days he vas short
stop for the Tigers and while never hitter in the big
leagues he did slam what generally conceded to be the
longest home ever At Princeton
I'D rather ask about Grin, Moe said softly TELL me,
he asked Washington sporswriter "did ne suer much?
hope not. He was much too good to die IN pain.
As5 28ea@ s8 q
BASEBALL MAY NEVER have seen anybody quite like
Moe Berg EducatiOnwise he tops He baed players
Just good pitchers with primary learning In schools baed
him ct the plate Ball players held Noes higher learn
ING against him little too smart 70 be sure but he vas
good guy
MOE hit ii Oh with the late CLARK Grifth who would
have been 86 this sundayrom the time he traded To
washington BY the Indians 1882 Grin knew base
ball than I'll know spent the rest of life studying III
who took pride III their business liked to work for G
and Why those who didn't went out of their to visit with
the old man and chew the fat Rogers Hornsby tor instance
Grin and guess old Charles Conliskey the most
knowledgeabe owners Of all yet when was with Washing
ton only once did Grin ever second-guess me.
Moe who never caught much IN the pennant winning
year 1888 BY then Washington had acquired Luke
Eewe and had the heavyhittng Cn Bolton to back him
up nevertheless saw action III 80 For transplanted short
stop he could catch adroy and his throwing good
Needless to add, he vas thinking hackstOp
M = II #
aTH1s DAY CALLED Tor i curve ban with Jimmy
Dykes Il bat Noe went e hit II for extra bases with
men ID and that beat Us After the game, Grin said
Mo-, Why'd YOU 81 isol thing IKE that? You know
a know Mr. Grifthg said but we'd given him nothing
except fast stun three times and thought
aWell walter johnson came 10 my rescue. That was
managing Is Anyway, walter said 'orln blame il me
not Moe. We were going to cross up Dykes
4Being the guy be was, Grin said
All right. I'd probably have tried the same thing
Moe put down his salad fork.
4Te point he said s that Grin knew wen Or better
than the Geld how 70 pitch o every hitter n TIE Amer
lean League Todays clubowners lots Of EN-
recognize half the players yet Grh never condemned
ban player tor trying his best
II WAS RECALLED. sitting with Noe Berg At lunch
that many bail players idolized Grit Early Wynn sar
pitcher of the Indians has been known to say and only
Gently % write II the Cleveland News used 70 know him
almost as father.
@In 1889 wynn belonged to the Senators, wanted 70
get married but couldn't afford II 50 wrote Mr. Grift
the phone and not only granted permission but mailed
me 4 wedding present. nice check
"a couple of years later my wife was killed BY bus
while driving baby sitter home IA matter of hours M
crh the phone 1rst asking II help needed
and III later can asking to to washington ie-
diately 30 he could talk to me and comfort me"
BERG, listening 70 this story nodded In agreement
4at was Grill BE said. "I think my happiest years Ii
baseball must have been spent ii washington
m So BERG DREW for roommate no other than
shern Dave Harris IkeabIe pumpkin cf Informal school
Ing from North Carolina Prior ID being paired with the
Princeton grad Harris roomed with Johnny Kerr nelder
of whcm the Sheriff once said:
81 don't want 10 room with no 24O hitter
Kerr who did not have snowbals stuffed II his ears
promptly retorted:
MAnd don't Hke To room with 240 fielder
Berg succeeded Kerr Harris roommate but hy 33 the
Senators had acquired the Earl Whitehall
soutpaw pitcher who died In auto not long ago
Joe Cronin to III the spring Berg saying
aand he put II this way
Moe he said would you mind WhitehiI pairing up
with yCu2 we're going to win pennant, We need har-
mony figure you and Whitley
well I'd heard of Whitehin. Tough guy. Hard TO get
along with fellow So said TO Toe:
asCkay said figuring I'd myself that Earld make fun
0f suitcase filed with clothes and the other with books
But It worked out Satisfactorily
How do you mean? asked at the eroaning board
"oh WhitehIl wound up By winning rs psnnant Moe
used ALSO BY carrying my bags Both Of themtfe ono
with the books and the other With my clothes"