Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-24
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAW By FRANCIS sTANN
This Was Bob Garrett

IT ALL STARTED according to one version when a few
members of the University OF Maryands M Club conceded
that Texans all right but brag too much LAS far
athletes concerned spokesman whose may have
been Joe Deckman commended Maryland doesn't have to
take a back seat to any State"
Forthwith the Maryland Hall of created From
vivid alone easy to assemble list of candi
dates In baseball there Babe Ruth and Lefty Grove
Jimmy Foxx and Home Run Baker Ed Rommel Johnny
Neun Jack Bentley and Nick Maddox Frank Foreman and
Buck Herzog Charley Keller and AL Kalne Already the IN"
Cubbers were off and running.
And then there Curley Byrd Jake sagle and Bill
Guckyson football and Joe Cans and the brothers Dundee
Joe and Vince in boxing Philadelphia also claims Cans but
the Incompatible old lightweight king synonymous with
Baltimore as the oyster and the crabcake.
they chose to February in the Emerson
Hotel in Baltimore-he late Ruth, naturally plus Foxx,
Baker Robert Garrett And the M Clubbers smiled
descendingly when the went up from the young folks
Who's Garrett?"
1T so HAPPENS that with the Olympic Games of 1856
beginning, CARROTS inclusion in the Hall of Fame espe
cay appropriate For Robert S. Garrett of Baltimore via
Princeton the first of the United States Olympic heroes
He the Jim Thorpe the Jesse Owens the Bob Matthias
of his day, which 1896.
That the year the Oympcs after sleeping for Is
centuries revived in Athens Greece Or spec
cay in the Stadium of Herodis of the several stadia
of Greece that in glorious ruins until wealthy Greek
named George Averof restored to the tune of 1886
Some job of restoration too The stadium lined with Pentec
marble and with seating capacity Of $4,000 originally
built about $50 Be.
When the New York A. c. with its famed athletes ex-
pressed interest in the journey Greece those in America
who interested properly despang OF Uncle Sans
chances squad of only dozen all that could be
tered and the only national champion was Tom Burke of
Boston, quarter miller.
Internationalsts agreed it would shoo-in for the
Greeks but Garrett Burke counrymen had other
ideas When the had cleared the Americans had
nine of the IA track and field events and had taken five
onds Under the European method of scoring the United
collected % points and Greeve was runnerup with
4 GARRETT WON THE sHoTPUT and the discus. finished
second in the broad jump and tied for second in the high
jump Burke and Eey Clark of Boston also were double
winners but the unchaenged of the hour Garrett
hours after handling the first real discus
saw Garrett beat the Greeks at their game
surprising than II Russian baseball team should
Widener chute at Belmont lick the Dodgers
The shotput had been CARROTS cup of tea but because
the discus was not part Of other countrys program
the Greeks solid choices there The Olympic historian
Z Alexander M Weyand, chronicles:
$50 eager they (the Creeks the
scheduled for the evening of the first day. but Garrett
almost spoiled the entire festival for them He had
regulation discus although it is related that he
practced in the United States with home made solid steel
discus"
With the exception of Garrett none Of the other foreign
knew anything about the discus speedily retired
along with two of the three Greeks The other
pouos apparently cnched it with throw of s5 feet nch
far beyond the Americans best until CARROTS last effort
To the CONSERVATION of the natives, 1t sailed ia inches
farther than Paraskevopoulos throw and won
FOUR YEARS LATER In Paris Garrett was an Oympian
again. but not with the Although he could put
the shot farther than in 1895 he placed only third
the discus the Marylander thrown curve rules
modified that it necessary to hurl the discus
inside lane of trees along the Bots. Garrett we'll
Yaes Dick Sheldon had more power than accuracy.
Sheldon paying attention to control than distance
finished third but Garrett like bad golfer wound in the
woods every effort and got nowhere
Well, not quite nowhere. There mild snapper to
the 1900 Games Seems there demand for the big
rugged Americans to form tug of team and challenge
the all prevailing Norwegans So, with practice, the
Americans-one of whom Truxton Hare urtime ALL
American football player-won handy And pulling his load
was the rrepressibe Garrett.
Anyway that's who Bob Garrett is In Baltimore he has
been prominent for years head of big banking firm and
former chairman the board of the Parks and Recreation
Department ougrowth Of the Public Athletic League,
which he founded All of which explains why, February
a. this ocogenarian will march into Marylands Hall Of
Fame, along with the likes Of Ruth, Foxx and Baker.