Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-06
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAW By FRANCIS srANN
The Throwbock

ST PETERSBURG, FLA MAR. 6-At time when
of Mickey Nantes best friends are telling him to
play softly lest he lose his foothod the Amer-
can Leagues top sugger new boy is drawing
IF had to the top rookie" DOME Bush says
"Id say he's John Caison of the White sox II
make the grade real big. I'll give up"
DOME, the old shortstop who managed the Senator's
in 1929 is president of indianapolis where Cason prepped
last season. only year out of Bakersfield Caf) high
school, At Indianapolis the kid played 154 games batted
283 homered 20 times to lead the American Association
and batted in SO
This kid is throwback to the days when ball
player would out of the high minors and become
star just like baseball expected Bush explains None
of that four five years of seasoning for him. With all
that ability, he doesn't need it."
CALLIsON, LIKE MANTLE. originally hailed from
Oklahoma He is built much along the same lines as
Mickey at the age of 10, but his legs are sounder
THE kid really swishes that bat" DOME says. Hes
got little uppercu it. He strikes out quite Bit but
Callison is just learning the strike zone.
when Chicago sent him to my club last springfield
only played couple of months in Glass in 1851
thought that Triple would be little over his head If
it wasn't for long We discovered that when CaEson
hit won"
Calison who turns 20 next Thursday is married. has
one child, and of the moment is cnch to open the
season in eftfied for the Sox Hes got the best swing
I've in years" Bush vows. Hes like Ted Williams
was in 1889, when he up from Minneapolis. Like
Mantle was in 1851, coming up from Kansas City,
John isn't big those guys. He's 5-footlO and
weighs u.s. maybe $780, but how he fcks that bait And
he can and Slide too You don't baplayerS slide
like him any more"
WHEN THE sox first signed Callison they knew they
had something special Ed Short the publicity director
caused special movie to be made John Wesley Caison
graduating senior followed he walked out OF high
school and joined Bakersfield of the California State
League.
With the cameras trained him. Caison batted $40 in
Glass c. and reported for spring training in Tampa year
ago. Shorts still ground away following him over
Florida in exhibitions and, finally to Indianapolis The
film was success All last winter 1t shown to club
groups in the Chicago area.
Two White Sox veterans, Jim Rivera and Al Smith,
were hired to carry the tins of film from one hall to
another. When Smith reported to camp this month he
discovered his locker was next to Collisions
"All winter I watched you the SCREEN" AL said.
az am sick and tired of looking at you got lockers
next to each other And how is the star OF stage screen
and Twp"
John, ruggedly handsome kid smiled shyly you
know me, AL" he said. ut wasn't my idea
ANY OTHER KID" Bush says might go big headed
from all that attention This ones safe With my ball
club didn't matter if John got 4for4 went for the
collar-he stayed the same
I'm fact wish John had just little bit more fire.
The way runs slides and stands up to those pitchers
never saw kid look at so many ehanders and do we'll
against them He might stand the American League on
this season, If he just little of fireba
Tell you how Callison ought to be-" DOME says HE
ought to be more like Nellie Fox You know Nellie doesn't
have the equipment this boys got but he's freba and
that's why he's good"
give him chance Donie," man suggested wait
It'll he discovers that little extra fire will mean the
difference between $4,000 year and maybe $4,000
That's right" Bush agreed. Hell wake up He's
liable to fall out Of bed morning and be one heluva
ballplayer"