Show Driving ng k Har i to 10 Duplicate I L hj bij FRANK K BAKER Accident apparently has accomplished what Father Time failed thus far to do In the probable exit of Walter Rabbit Maranville from professional professional pro pro- baseball after the breaking of his left leg in an exhibition game Wednesday The Boston Baston Braves may find a capable substitute for the Rabbit but they probably will wUl never be able to unearth an individual with the color and enduring qualities of the year old infIelder Rabbits Rabbit's like grasshopper-like antics superb pantomiming and sensatIonal sensational sensational sensa sensa- batting and fielding have amused and ond aroused countless thousands of fans He was was' laughing and clowning on third base the press dispatches dispatches dispatches dis dis- dis- dis patches tell us only a few few- seconds second before he streaked for home plate on the Ill fated double steal Maranville 1 broke his le leg lep as he be crashed Into the opposing catcher but plunged over over his foe and 1111 fell face down across the plate for the run that tied the score That gesture was indicative of the spirit which has enabled this wi wiry 1 little fellow tellow to dominate a virile sport for so long He was not a great slugger He lie was too small to emulate Babe Ruth at ot the plate but he had bad a rr great at courage in the pinches and therefore has been one of baseballs baseball's greatest money players His batting average in jn the 1928 world series against Babe Ruth and Company Compan was Indicative of his value when the going was Important as He Thrilled to Game As Much as Youthful Does Because of his may devil attitude on the diamond fans often wondered If he really took life me seriously His clowning and pantomiming however hid from the casual spectator spectator spec spec- the seriousness and earnestness he applied to the game that has been life itself Itself- to the veteran Maranville's cups had him skidding badly In the early days of his baseball career He was headed back to the bush leagues when he surveyed his position Baseball meant a lot M to him So much In fact that he quit th the J U L II cups and staged staRed a comeback which established him as the oldest performer performer performer per per- former in either major league in point of service He was starting his twenty third season this year ear and aid critics declared he was playing as well ashe he did ten years ago The Rabbit was famous for his style of catching high flies Instead of taking them in the orthodox style hed he'd cup his glove and free hand against his shirt and pocket the ball against his against his body His ills nimble legs covered ground in a hurry and it was only a last resort that would make him stretch his glove away from his body to make a catch lie He could come in clo close cloe e or race way half-way back to the outfielders and still make a clean catch against his shirt front Interviewers once asked him how he continued to lo tobe be be beso e so fast despite ite his bis advancing years cars when men like Babe Ruth were slowing 11 up u. u p. p hats hat's easy easy he said Im just a roadster com compared ared to a truck like the Babe My legs haven't beat 1 worn ont out carrying a lot of weight arO around I Just Another Case Of Every Man lUan for Himself The Rabbit was a continual menace to 10 the peace of or his teammates on a ti trip The story is told about one of his pranks during durIng-a a barnstorming barnstorm barnstorm- ing trip through the Orient one winter The team stopped one night at a hotel that was not b blessed with steam heat Small individual hotplates were provided for each room They gave out little heat so the players went to bed to keep warm About 4 a. a m. m one after another of the players awakened chilled through Their stoves were gone They banded together in a search It was odd they felt that the Rabbit was not awake too They in In- In He was sound asleep completely surrounded by stoves in-I in he had bad taken from tram the other rooms rooms- Johnny Goodman Johnny Fischer Lawson Little and Chandler Egan ill vill be getting their baptism of international nal golf when the American Cup team meets the Britons in England May 11 and 12 This is the first year the team has been selected so 50 early Gus Moreland who t ayed in the last Walker Valker Cup series didn't know he was going until a reek feek before the matches |