Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-03-15

Medwick's Pitch
Disturbs Dean
By MORRIS sIEcEL

MESA, AFIZ, MAR l5.-The Mayor of Mesa brought
along friend to throw out the first ball to get the Cactus
League season underway here the other day.
The ceremonial pitcher Dizzy Dean who lives 16
miles away in Scottsdale "Give 'em little show out
there, Dr." the Mayor asked. How bout throwing
spitterP"
"Pardner" Dean replied in an accent professionally
honed to perfect draw Il be lucky Jest to get that
ball up to the plate two hops But there time
when had splitter which as slick as anything you'd
want to see"
Naturally, 1t had To be back in the days Of the
wonderful glorious Gashouse Gang when Dean and the
swashbucklng Cardinals around, in the early and
middle sos.
WHEN WE FLUNG that ball around the infeld it
would end up with either Leo Durocher Frankie Frisch
pegging 1t back to me-" Dir said.
Leo he had a sharp buckle on his belt. When he
got through cutting that ball up it's look like it had been
through a meat grinder. That ball did tricks when
pitched it,
"Frisch he had another way. He'd spit a honk Of
tobaccky Juice in his glove You never seen ball so
sloppy when he throwed back 1t looked like 1t had
been left in coffee pot overnight That ball had some
unnatural movements too. But you know something?
None of them empires 'cept Bill KLEIN ever caught it.
Klem he was a rascal"
Dean is S. It's been 20 years since he last made
PITCH legal Illegal in earnest He estimates his weight
at 245, which be conservative estimate Most OF
the weight about rs pounds his playing dmen-
,sions, is centered in the stomach area
age. What appears flesh probably is diversified
money belt where Dean Suffs that cabbage" he's been
making lately
Dean one of the takingest players baseball ever
has known. He also was Of the best players. The
hop from his fast ball vanished long ago. but he still
talks a good game
s. He talks so well he's paid 100000 year to do Just
that the announcer CHS TV Game Of the Week.
1T when them players like Smith, Jones and Brown
to bat give to Peewee when fellows like Prosk per
ranoS Of the Dodgers and that Boston pitcher Mambo
'0Monbouguette) are in the game"
When Dean speaks of baseball he speaks almost
reverently He should He lives in $15O0OO house and
works only six months year, then only week ends.
Otherwise it's golf and fishing
THERE SHOULD NEVER be nobody to knock this
game, he with understandable seriousness. Them
players should kiss the game It's great way to make
a living" Dean is living proof of his own claim.
His patriotic outburst about baseball triggered
when it mentioned that Joe Medwick, fellow Gas
houser, conducting campaign to get into the Hall
of Fame where Dean already is.
"Joe he shouldn't be talking like that" Dean said
Sorrowfuly. "Its up to them committees to pick man.
We got great players who deserve to be in there
much as Joe does.
"Joe would be better off keeping his mouth shut
always liked Joe-as balplayer He great player
but he talked sarcastic like Looks like he still do don't
2 Them fellows they don't never learn to keep quiet
added the who should know that silence is not always
golden, particularly in his own case.
Dir ONCE THREATENED to strange Medwick between
innings of Cardinals-Pirates game HE at Paul
Dzs brother Daffy DEAN with bat after Paul chewed
him out for not husing after ball he missed I told
Joe 1t all right for him and Paul to fight fair fist
but not with bat specially when Paul didn't have
in his hand"
! The "Me-n-Paul" combination 40 games for the
world champion 1884 Cardinals Dir got 80 and Paul 49,
They also won all four World Series games over the
Tigers Together they made the grand total of $O75O
81 got $500 and Paul got $1,000, made when
first come up" Dizz laughed
In 1885 the S0-game winner held out for $4,000 and
finally settled for $1850O He "ony" % that year
and Branch Hickey acted accordingly HE wanted to cut
81 900 cause won two less than did the year before
After the 1887 season when he cropper in the
Washington All-Star Came Dean sold for $l85,000
to the Cubs, bad and all He only IS games in
four years, but Phil Wrigley paid him 100000.
Imagine that" Dean said, 81 made more winning Is
games for the Cubs than did winning lao for the
Cardinals"