Show Giants Avoid Talk of Old Man Manx x While Reminiscing During Rain Rookies Agog as Veterans Recall Thrilling Games of Yesterday Hubbell Center of Attraction t By PAUL rAUL GALLICO New York News Sports Writer MIAMI BEACH Fla March 1 Outside the palm trees bent their feather head dresses to a a. miniature hurricane black clouds scudded from land out to ro the g green cen gulf stream and the rain poured I i i down in hi slanting torrents I Inside the tiny locker room a group of athletes were crowded on the benches or sitting on the floor They all wore baseball pants and hose and spikes pikes Some had the shirts too with Giants lettered across the breast Old Adolfe Luque the Cuban Cuban Cu Cu- ban with the graying hair and the gnarled marled pan wore a shiny black leather eather coat fat at red Fred Fitzsimmons wore something that looked like the theop top op of long winter Varied Apparel Parmalee wore a sweat shirt shirL and Hal Schumacher was naked from the waISt up his torso clean and brown Wllliam William Wa Watson on Clarke the left left- hander lander who used to pitch for Brook Brook- Brookin in n was telling funny stories of former former for for- mer Giant Brooklyn encounters on the he diamond the lickings he used to take ake from his present teammates How familiar was that s scene ene in the locker ocker room Wide eyed respectful and silent rookies rookIe sitting off in corners cor cor- ners or standing up and the regulars the he old menu men of the team doing the he talking and the laughing and the u t reminiscing Clad in full b baseball m uniform with the number 1 lettered on his back sat a slim fellow with lean jaws and andine tine fine steady eyes eye He Ho straddled the bench and talked and laughed occa The newcomers and stran strangers gers ers in the room watched every move he ic made National Hero Last fall he was was the nations nation hero His Its name name of ot course was Carl Hubbell Hubbell Hubbell Hub Hub- bell and already he has been made madei secure of his scat seat in the hall of ot fame where great baseball pitchers go go What dreams must have ce centered for or those rookies in the figure of that slim quiet man Ho He was wu a success a glorious one Glory and headlines and money money had fallen to his lot Had Hadit Hadt it t been luck Juck or skill or or training Did the man have hive some inner fire firo that made him gr great at Did it come all alt of a sudden or develop slowly The Phe room we wu el electric with the thel thought I The little room was full of pictures and talk blk They talked of this game and that men who had been teammates teammates team mates who had played against one another They talked baseball baser base baser ball baU games gam won by a single run and ana games lost in an avalanche of r runs ns Silent on McGraw They talked of at great hitters and they told st stories ries' ries on themselves There was was' only one curious thing about the proceedings Not once mice did anyone mention the name nam of John J. J McGraw McGraw the great baseball base bue ball man McGraw the developer of ol pitchers McGraw whose nan name had become one with the Giants over the span of years I Make no mistake about the Giants Glan this yc year r. r There is a great ball club The spirit is still stUl there I have never neverseen h neverseen ver seen such an atmosphere about any group of professional athletes since I 1 have been watching sport port not even the old cham championship Yankee Yanke teams teems Tho The worlds world's title hasn't hunt gone to their heads On the contrary It seems to have spurred thorn on Every regular Ison It Is Iton on hand a week before his time The boys boy simply cant can't wait walt to get out on the diamond and play ball You wouldn't pick against a group like that would you ou |