Evening star., 1960-03-30
WIN, LOSE OR
6NAV By FRANCIS sTANN
This Is q Funny Guy

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA, MAR. 30-This had been
one of those bad mornings. 1t raining the club
house radio at AL Lang Field winter rooSt of the ST.
Louis Cardinals carrying dolorous bulletins pertain
ing to nearby floods and lunchcounter incidents which
were making the front pages The baplayers seemed
sullen, angry because they had been raned and
deprived of their exercise.
Bill White, the Negro outhelder-frst baseman, was
staring at the rain from window when Joe Garagiola
broke the mood Tell you what Bill" he said lets you
and me run uptown and shake up Kresges"
White broke into broad grin His laughter led the
rest balplayer in the background shook his head in
admiration.
"Who else EXCEPT Garagola would think of crack
like that?" he asked.
The answer is not many. Joe Garagola not only was
balplayer himself but he could be the funniest
connected with the game which he serves broad
caster. The New York Times erude sports columnst
Arthur Daley after reading Garagioas first literary effort
Baseball Is Funny Game" put it this way: "As ball
player Garagioa had wit than hit. He hasn't
changed any"
WHEN GARAGIOLA CAME UP to the big leagues
with the Cardinals in 1946he looked like the hottest
young catcher since Mickey Cochrane and Bill Dckey He
caught awess World Series that October against the
Red Sox and baed 316 But Joe never had another big
fling such that and after eight
ing the uniforms of the Cardinals Columbus Pirates Cubs
and Giants he wrapped it up in 1854 and fell back
his wit. 1t was handy thing to fall back
Some years ago, when the lawmakers Capitol Hill
were
invited to be witness. The graduate Of "Dago Hill In
ST. Louis not only Informative but amusing I can't
knock the clause" Joe said in effect I'm 237
hitter"
The high and mighty are not exempt from Garagiolas
brand Of humor Writing in his book about stealing
signals Joe said II have often said that the 1852 Pirates
who lost 112 games the only ball club that knew
that had foolproof signs Nobody got our signs
We would miss signs much that no other club
could prove we had them"
JOE TELLS OF GAME in Brooklyn when Fred Haney
then managing the Pirates flashed the steal sign
Of his players 1.-The first time he it, Roy Campanella
called for ptchout, but nothing happened Haney gave
1t second time and Capanella, he had the sign
called for another pitchoutA
"The third time Campy didn't bother with pitchout;
he by then he didn't know signals But
guy stayed rooted on first base and Haney wasn't
he giving the right sign he checked with
Ibid you get the steal sign?' he asked
"'Yeah, got it.
az gave it three times Why didn't you run?'
az didn't think you meant it, the guy said"
OF throwing at batterS Garagola recalls that at the
end of the 1851 in Pittsburgh Mr. Branch Hickey
held fall camp for his cream thecrop rockies I'd
always heard the knock-down pitch called the ball.
the duster the brush-back and the lowbrdge pitch Mr.
Hickey called it the purpose pitch.
His description both howery and logical. When
you throw it, let it purpose Mr. Hickey shouted
The purpose guess is to separate the head from the
shoulders"
GARAGIOLA SEEMS TO TAKE DINNER view of the
popular conception of the "holler guy the so-caed take
charge man. Il say that players that are typed
take-charge are creation of the fellow that wrote the
book on baseball Dig little deeper and he's the
guy that says good little can't beat good big
man. He probably never bet against the Yankees or
Notre Dame either"
Garagiola remembers that it was a major speech
when Joe DiMaggio said Hello" Or when Charlie
Gehringer spoke more than few words
But the Yankees followed DiMaggio and the Detroit
ilgers 1oAoWed Genrlnger You don't holler your way
into the Hall of Fame
4 saw Terry Moore IA quiet guy grab pitcher by
his throat and shake him he was throwing excuses
and alibs instead OF good stuff All Terry Moore told him
See WIN, LOSE OR DRAW, Page G-s