Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-10
WIN, LOSE OR
DkAW By FRANCIS s1ANN
A Pair of Aces

AT THE wOODNER the other night Jack Russell shook
hands with Fred Marberry, and man who remembers
both in their peak years said fervently If mite ungram
matically II wonder who's relieving who?"
Because here at the Washington Senator's old-timers
reunion were the two finest relief pitchers in the clubs
history They the Jim Konstanys and Ryne Durens
and Roy Faces of their day. They were.
We'll, I two better relief pitchers in my
hfe" OsSe Buege said 81 don't think we could have won
those pennants in 1924 and 1925 without Marberry
the same goes for SS, far Russell concerned"
1.-TWO of kind" murmured Moe Berg in agreement.
II caught Russell and I know all about Marberry."
RUSSELL tall and still slim at 49, said his good nights
at the Woodner and after he'd left kibtzer turned
Marberry, who was sitting in chair in Cal Grifhs
ception office at the hotel
For two guys who pennants by saving games"
he said, you sure didn't bear much resemblance"
MARBERRY, WHO FLEW in from Mexa, Tex, to
attended the reunion grinned II the so-caled wild
bull and Jack the smoothie" he drawled Marberry
still has his pitching but the other side there's just
sleeve tucked into his coat pocket NonetheeSS, Frpo
remains large man. aconic and gray and yet still pos
sesSed of of that dynamic energy of IS
I'll tell you about Marberry" Bluege volunteered.
HE could fire that ball pretty good. :"
Gould he throw as hard as Duren?" a man asked
IT never saw Duren" Marberry began.
ut don't make any difference" Bluege said. This
guy-motioning to Marberry-he scared hitterS. What
the Ill., today bring in relief pitcher and he acts likes
he's going to his funeral Marberry you for
him and he'd come a-saing out of the pen like bull
after of those toreadors."
"I threw high hard one >" Marberry drawled
an fact, when Mr.. Clark Griffith signed me he said
you THREW A HIGH, hard one" Moe Berg said
and most relief pitchers don't dare to- They throw low
Fred you partly an illusion. -"
That's So" Bluege agreed when Bucky Harris used
to call Marbery from the bull pen this big made it
an event. He'd busting the field and throwing
with that high-ifed leg and DAMN he'd intmidate the
hitters"
"Gettin' back to when Mr.. Griffith signed me-" Mar
berry said "he sad Boy don't you evan try to hit the
corners the plate You jeS throw at the hitters One
day, recolect, batter, whose name won't MENTION
wasn't even in the box-he part ways to third base
still tucked one under his chin like Mr. Griffith said
and darned if don't get strike from the umpire And
shucks he's out of the batters box too"
you THREW AT AL SIMMONS day." Bluege
chuckled You almost off his head And the Athletics
all those big strong hairy apes, calling you names
81 remember" Firpo said "They called me 'gutless
and if wasn't for you (Buege) and Muddy Ruel I'd have
gone into the AS dugout and probably got punched"
mo-" OSse said 81 don't think so. There wasn't
peep out dugout Except for Fred there wasn't
physical match for any of us But nobody was volunteer
ing to fight you"
Russell" somebody said was a different relief
pitcher"
Jack had that good year-1933" Berg said HE was
fnesse Marberry power. Funny thing, Russell hao
been pitching for quite few and his fast ball was
straight a string.
lone day was catching Jack-this was in Sand
he started to throw sinking pitch And the hters began
to ground into double plays
Russell had this magic touch most OF the SS season.
lucky The next year heand just ABOUT all OF us
Just didn't have it,
But it was great while it lasted