Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-23
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAV By FRANCIS sTANN
First Add Polo Grounds

NO. IN OUR SPORTS SHOP wasn't exactly happy
when effort here purported to lament the end of the
Polo Grounds "A few items left out skipped over
he sad or have heard of Fred Merke or the
-Four HorSemen or DempSey-Frpo?"
And he had three good points, too You can't write
fins to the Polo Grounds without due reference to these
men and the events which made for much history.
The Polo Grounds was where young Fred Merkle cost
the Giants the National League pennant in 1908 Those
of retentve minds will remember the freak happening we'll
For Others it late September afternoon in the ninth
inning of at the Polo Grounds between the Giants
and the Cubs.
1t had been three-way all along involving the
Giants, Cubs and Pirates Now in a vital game, it was
IL tie with two out The Giants had Moose Mccormick
third base and Rookie Merkle on first.
Bridwe forgotten shortstop, singled to center and
Mccormick headed for the plate The crowd thinking the
game swarmed the field But Merke cut second
base and having older players do it. he for the
clubhouse Merkle Mccormick homeward bound and
that was it.
BUT 1T WASN'T Johnny Evers, second baseman of
the Cubs called for the ball in order to tag the bag and
retire the SIDE Iron Man Joe McGnnity aegedy captured
the hrowin and flung the fence substitute ball
was provided and Evers claimed that Merke was out on
force play.
This was an afternoon game At 10 o'clock that night
umpire Hank ODay declared that Merke wrong and
the game tie. The date September 90 little
more than week later the National League season was
over Except, the Giants and Cubs tied
Grounds, the Cubs won. Az with triple by the light
hitting Joe Tinker off the great Chrsty Mahewson cnch
ing the decision.
Merkle became famous, in The fans blamed
him for the loss of the flag vaudeville comedian qupped
II call my Merkle because it has bone head Pretty
soon it became generally "Bonehead Merkle"
John McGraw, who lost 'em as hard as anybody, de-
Tended his man Merke 1T bum rap" he explained
TWAS AT THE POLO GROUNDS is years later that
hans
best-remembered football lead in history Granny
covering game between Army and Notre Dame and this
was the year he took cognance of the IRISH featuring the
backed Of Harry stuhldreher Jim Crowley Elmer Layden
and Don Miller.
1t October 10, 1924 Notre Dame won 1877, and
Rces lead together with the other notable efforts both
typographical and Photographic, hit the public hard
1t was the custom in those days for sports writer's to
write in flowery vein magnifying the eats of
boys on field of play Granny Rice too CROPPED for
words but he did it better than most His lead for Notre
Dame-Army was:
outlined against the pue-gray October sky, the
Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they
known famine pesence destruction, and death These
are only aliases Their real stuhldreher, Miller,
Crowley and Layden."
All YES THE FIGHT Mention previously had been
made Of the second Turpin- Robinson brawl This
nothing compared to the Jack DempseyLus AngeD Frpo
scramble, so No. stressed.
There were 10000 people in the Polo Grounds that
night OF September a. 1928 The young scowlng Dempsey
wasn't supposed to have much trouble with Frpo large
Argentinian with right hand and little else
Nobody could figure Firpo. Granny Rice recalled his
first visit" to Firpos training camp. HE tackng
light breakfast huge steak smothered with lamb chops
After finishing he walked to couch and lay there
like python who'd Just swallowed calf He seemed dopey
and indolent
1t probably was the most spectacular fight sporting
event staged during several generations In the first
Firpo was floored times by Dempsey the same
round po knocked Dempsey down and then he knocked
Tho nornl NJ Aano
nine Dempsey got back into the ring said he needed
help, others insisted that he did by himself
In the second round Of the widest of all heavyweight
fights-57 seconds of 1t, matter of fact-Dempsey
fattened Fpo for keeps He had him down three times in
the second round reports related Actually there
were so many knockdowns that the count was lost But 1t
was memorable fight And was in the Polo Grounds