Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-30
WIN, LOSE OR
DkAW By FRANCIS sTANA
Something of Value


ball. that time is Or haven't you been reading what
the Yankees and Dodgers put sign Yogi Berra and
Roy Campanela? Just all time for backstops is ALL
Messrs. Berra and Campanea had two pegs which
to hang their demands. First Berra just won the Most
Valuable Player Award in the American League for the
third time, and Campanela did likewise in the National
Secondly there few standout cachers in these
times and Berra and Campanella are the best
Yogi repeatedly will be paid $4,000 for 1885, which Is
better than pretty good for who averaged only 272
last 1t not hard to buy his billing the highest
salared catcher in history but reports that he now runs
No. among all the Yankees in annual pay may come as
shock Ruth and DMaggio drew more money to be sure
but apparently not Gehrig and all those wonderful
pitchers shortstops and second basemen.
No less distinguished is CampaneIa, with his estimated
$40 500 pact Campy will get the highest salary paid
Brooklyn player" President Buzzy Bavas announced
Don't forget Brooklyn has pretty good in cenereld
named Duke Snider and fair shorstop in Pee Wee Reese
THERE WAS A TIME when catchers not well paid.
It would be exaggeatng to the clubownes regarded
them necessary evils but not collected big at the
pay window. Gabby Hartnett Mickey Cochrane and Bill
Dckey did all right Of course but mostly the fancier
salaries went pitchers and outhelders and first basemen
In short those who could pull some weight at the box Office
Catchers rarely have-Stin don't
But there catchers in bygone days. or SO it
seemed Zach Taylor who caught in both major leagues
managed the old St. Louis Browns and scouts for the
White Sox, is fond of saying:
when a catcher had to beat out two or three
guys every spring in order to stick with club Of
its three-four cachers that done, started all
again-this time to win regular job Today the
average club only has couple of guys in camp with any
chance of staying up"
Neither Berra Campanela is precisely box-ofhce.
That is, patron doesn't pay simply to Yogi Roy
as he might for dying few individual attractions Ted
Williams notably Perhaps Ted Kluszewski Or to back
for classic examples to watch Walter johnson and Bob
Teller BY the same TOKEN it becomes increasingly obvious
that Berra and Campanea whether they magnets
by themselves, make their clubs winners.
*s**
IF THE YOUNGSTERS of the next generation are
smart they perhaps will not consider the high
monetary rewards to- today cachers alone The good,
solid backStop grows old gracefully When pitcher
neer outeder dips into his mid 30s he is considered
suspect by his BOSSES The pitchers felders
speed is watched closely 1t amt necessarily so with the
catcher
As hazardous as catching may appear on the surface
there is record for longevity that is hard to match In the
early days most catchers bulky to whom hard
knocks part of the daily routine Steve ONei and
Hartnett the lanky Dckey and the muscular Cochrane
all lasted long time But by of proving that more
delicate athletes could survive behind the bat there
Muddy Ruel and Ray Schalk.
Neither would have adjudged of a necessary size
to play anywhere else Neither hit well enough had the
speed to play other position But Schalk and Rue did
all right and over long period Of years, too.
Both Berra and Campanella are throwbacks to the
husky durable cachers of popular conception In their
hour of rpest reward it may be significant that Berra will
be 81 and Campanea IS years age While other players
Of similar years begin to note dip in their earnings Yogi
and Roy are reaching twin crests.
ONE oDD1TY IN CONNECTION with Berra and Cam
PAMELA is that neither his club much money when
first acquired Johnny Schultz bulpen catcher for the
Yankees made the ST. Lous-born Berra commit himself
the Bombers for $500 bonus This at time when the
home-based Cardinals hungry for catcher)
e. Campanella came cheap because at the time of his
signing the racial barrier in o-caed organized ball had
not been broken In the Negro National League and in win
ter play in Venezuela and points SOUTH Campy
as an old-timer He making So 900 playing out Of
Baltimore, plus change elsewhere when Branch Hickey
summoned him for conference incidentally Chuck Ores
sennow manager OF the Senators but merely Leo Duroche
coach at Brooklyn at the time-was the go-between
Much as Roy has protested that he is not beyond his
S4th birthday he constantly pressed this Ever
Hickey, back In 1945 unbeeving when he surveyed
Campus 22o pounds sumped in chair belly bullying out
The Gods honest truth" Roy blurted, I'm only "a
even If I've been catching is years"
Today he's at least a. going IS, and what he
quoted as telling the Dodgers front Office was:
I should be good for at least six more fine years Maybe
TO- catching at least 100 games"