Evening star., 1956-12-12
A S
A NC LIE
WoitinQ for Lefty
BY LEWIS F. ATcHIsoN

ONLY DOZEN big league pitchers have won 300 games
or and the last of these will be honored Baltimore
tomorrow night when Lefty Grove will be three living
persons indicted into the Maryland Athletic Hall
1t could be memorable for more than 500 guests
at the dinner sponsored by the University of Maryland
M Club for Lefty we'll may the 300 game winner
Wen ever see
The old gafer in the hospital recently but when
the committee talked to him Monday he home and
thought he could be on hand. Dr. H. C. Curley) Byrd,
former president OF the university Ned Duval, all
around athlete at ST. Johns College the turn of the
century and the late Vince Dundee will similarly honored
No doubt the last three deserve their accoades
is the big of the group basebals atme greats
The company will be waiting to see Lefty.
The M" Club dope on Lefty says he glass-blower
by trade, and Jack Bentley who knew him when both
were with Jack Dunns Baltimore Orioles in the 192Os
says as far as John Mcraw concerned Lefty should
have stuck to the glass trade.
WHEN BENTLEY WAS PITCHING for McGraws New
York Giants he recommended Lefty to the fiery Little
Napoleon" Jack talked of Groves blazing speed and his
durability DScreety he didn't mention that Lefty was
as wild the proverbial March hare So to Baltimore
went McGraw to have look himself Unfortunately
didn't see Lefty on one of his better days In fact it was
of the angular pitchers poorest performances But
Dunn with fancy price tag on his prize left him in the
game until Grove walked eight nine batters.
You" McCiraw growled at Bentley back in New York,
wouldn't know pitcher from a sdesaddle."
"Leftys trouble" Bentley explained to u.s. was that
he had so much ability such dazzling speed he pitched
too fast and spoiled his control He couldn't wait to get
the ball back from the catcher and fire it at the batter
again tried to tell him to slow up try counting between
pitches, and when Connie bought him made him
count 10 before throwing the ball.
1T worked too Jack added although the fans got
on to 1t and almost drove Lefty out Of the league helping
him count"
LIKE ALL GREAT PITCHERS, Grove had rubber"
arm He could work all day and Joe Judge, former WASH
ington first baseman who coaches at Georgetown,
remembers occasion when Lefty practically did.
1t that the tall taciturn Grove had pitched and
. Tho Conaf haro and unar Toa
arrived at the ball park the next day about there
Lefty trying knock down Coach Earl Mack in up
session Judge he threw for 80 minutes seemingly
putting everything he had into every pitch
In the eighth inning got rally with two out" :"
Joe continued land Lefty down to the bullpen
along lefted line while Connie stopped the game He
couldn't have had time for than three four
and out he to the mound Well he got the last
batter in the eighth strikes the
the ninth to win the game"
was the greatest southpaw Judge ever saw and
most baseball will echo that sentiment Like the great
Walter Johnson, Judge points out Lefty had follow
through motion that brought the full weight of his body
behind the ball and helped generate that binding speed
for which both were famous
LEFTY'S FAMED CROSS-FIRE pitch was mentioned
but Judge said it wasn't the croSsre much he up
and-down motion that got me-
sportswrer, batting against Lefty in one of those
Newspaper Radiomen Old Timers games few years
also will testify to the efficacy Groves up down
pitch Grove being friendly growing for the boys,
and still not being hit when this wretch fouled off half
dozen pitches Lefty obviously weared the business and
finally in with the big onestraight down the middle
again, but this time with little oomph 1t jumped
six inches
1T wasn't the old Grove" the writer maintained later
"The pitch wasn't doing much than 200 miles hour"