Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-09-14
WIN, LOSE OR
6NAV By FRANCIS STANN
Oldest of the Braves
WHEN THE MILWAUKEE, RR,

WHEN THE MILWAUKEE, BRAVES acquire an antique
like Enos Slaughter to shore their outed and the Chi
cago WHITE Sox lean heavily on the veteran injury
Ied kiuszewsk it becomes difficult to buy the op-
tmism of the ContnentaS insist there are
ball players for third big league
True, pennant-seeking clubs have been picking up
odmers over long period of years. hoping squeeze
last pro effort out of them And very often they are
successful No need to deve into ancient history It prob
aoy IS Su1cent to remember how Johnny Mize Johnny
sam and Slaughter, himself, helped the Yankees
But Mize was IS when the Yankees first resur-
eceo MN from the National League in 1S49 Sain was
relatively boyish SO when the Yankees picked him up in
1891 Enos Slaughter is past his 43d birthday. was
playing in the major leagues q years ago.
In their 18th hour bid another pennant the Braves
PROBABLY are setting some sort of old folks record First
Mickey Vernon. Then Bobby Avila and Ray Boone Now
the dady of all, Slaughter
"%*s
ALTHOUGH THE BRAVES already had two first
oaSemen in Joe Adcok and Frank Tore they quick
to add the 41yearod Vernon the American League
waived on him. 1t wasn't bad investment Vernon has
helped to win games with his pat
During spring training Manager Fred Haney was
plagued by the same question Will he be able to plug the
gap at second base left by the TBstricken Red Schoen
denSt? not worried about BASE Haney replied
on several occasions But of course worried and
as soon as Ava was made available the Braves grabbed
him And the moody Mexican too helped to win games
Both Vernon and Ava have travellers of consid-
cradle experience Mickey with Washington twice
with Cleveland twice. and with the Red Sox Ava rela
up when the Baltimore Orioles having obtained waivers
let him CO.
Paul Richards, pretty fair Judge of talent and
master at reuvenang old pappy guys paid 900 plus
pitcher to get Ava from Cleveland last winter but the
orioe manager quickly became dsenchanted When Ava
did play for Baltimore he put in the outeld an un-
natural position because the American League batting
champion of 1854 (341 couldn't beat the light hitting
National League refugee Billy Gardner.
- AS HAS BEEN POINTED out from time to time the
White Sox quite bit of their success to National
League rejects First there Earl Torgeson and then
Gerry Staey and then Turk Lown the relief pitchers Now
there's Ku Neither AL Lopez Haney pretends to any
great pride of development If their acquisitions
can hold together long enough to get the job done that
be sufficiently reWarding
1t is hard to believe that Slaughter OF the Braves is
the same tobaccochewing hustler who up the st.
Louis Cardinals to win regular job in 1888 This very
remarkable guy, and we may not the like of him for
long time to come.
Five years with the Cardinals followed by three in the
Air Force then eight with the Cards the pre-
season trade to the Yankees in 1854 brief tour Kansas
City and back to the Yankees in time to enjoy three
consecutive World Series.
All told, the old gafer has played in five Series his
first and last coming 16 years apart OF Country
four Series winners too; twice with the Cards in AZ
40 and twice with the Yankees in Sc and So The club
he's working for now the Braves kept Slaughter from
perfect Series record in ST.
WHEN SLAUGHTER WAS TRADED by the Cardinals
to the Yankees the old pro actually burst into
tears That he was leaving have-not club pennant
winner was OF no immediate significance
But Country hustled for the Yankees he did for the
Cardinals and he valuable despite his slowly diminish
ing sks Enos kept the regular ouelders honest by his
eagerness to play and he set example by his hustle
4 Slaughter didn't weep when the Yankees let him go
but he had pungent comment to make when he reported
to Milwaukee Some of the players (Yankee think Casey
Stengel is in his second childhood" said "A of
them would be better off if they would listen more
fully to Stengel."
3 Obviously it doesn't take much reading between the
lines to that not the Old Pros hustle had re-
manned inspiration to all the Yankees Enos had
much patience with laggards.