Evening star., 1960-02-25
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW ;, FRANCE, ,7Auu
The Foul Ball Artist

LAKELAND, FLA, FEB. 25.-Luke Appling in his
old form he sat in the Detroit Tigers clubhouse here
and watched the rain beat against the windows 1t
cold too and Luke moaned he pulled his jacket tighter
"Ah feel terrible" he draWled "Nevuh felt worse
Jimmy Dykes regarded his coach with ap-
preciative smile 1--WE must be going to have great
son. Dykes said Old Aches and Pains is feeling poorly
You know" Jimmy went on, there spring
when managing the White Sox and Luke
shorstop and darn he didn't feel good until two days
before the opened Frankly worried 1t didn't
sound normal
Then Old Aches and Pains through for He
got up morning and complained of another attack of
double vision. Can't nothing, he says Then knew
everything going to be all right.
1T too Luke had his best season, if remember
APPLING WHO WAS the greatest shortStop in White
sox history takes the rbbing with good And over
the years has needed by of the most talented
and caustic bench Jockeys in history.
THE year Dykes is talking about was that when you
hit 1888 and led the American League?' visitor asked.
Appng shrugged "Ah don't remember" he said. THAT
380 ah spent most of the time on the rubbing
table"
You spent most of your time the rubbing table
every season." Dykes snorted.
There is a genuine affection between the two men
For Dykes who managed the Sox from 1884 to 1946
Applng his meal ticket And Applng who came up
Chicago after than in the minors en-
joyed the best of his many years under Dykes
Luke wound up with average of $40 over 2O-year
span He batted over 300 IA of those seasons twice led
league record by playing 2,218 games at shortStop.
DYKES BROUGHT LUKE to Detroit after the amiable
North Caronian had been out of big league baseball
number of years. except for brief stint batting coach
of the ST. Louis Cardinals Old Aches and Pains had done
some managing for Memphis and Richmond, but he more
or less dropped out of the major league scene.
Lane hired after Billy Jurges, who doing the
job with the Cardinals left to join Washington
COACH" Applng related 1T didn't work out too WELL ah
guess. In the first place. Jurges different kind Of
hitter. Billy made art of hitting to rghtfeld, which
was of the important things to teach All just
hit that way, naturally
Much as he complained of double vision" and other
of eyes baseball bordered the fantastic to watch
this medium-szed slightly stocky-egged rghthanded
hitter slap foul balls in the opposite direction until he got
a pitch he could hit safely.
WITH ALL DUE CREDIT to Babe Ruth Ted williams,
Bob Feer and others who made such handsome salaries
Applng must have rated of the atime expen
Ve players His salary not have matched the Others
out more fans recipients of foued balls Appng
pat than from other player, yesteryear modern
FIRST place, ah wasn't buying EN-" Luke grnned.
second place it kind of defense, maybe attack
All remember one time the White Sox and some other
club-ah forget what tied up at after nine
innings In the top of the 10TH though the visitors
up with four runs.
1T was hot day and figure we're not going to beat
thS pltcher-he may have been one of WaShngons now
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