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Show QZECSD SAYS . K.-' lonyAsking Salary Hike From Yanks By JOE WILLIAMS Special to The Telegram NEW YORK, Feb. 4 Normally it is easier to get Chief Justice Hughes to discuss the relative torso charms of Gypsy Rosa Lea and Sally Rand than It Is to get Tony Laxxeri to discuss anything even baseball. He's on of thos strong silent men with whom a loud yawn amounts to vulgar verbosity. But yesterday the great second baseman of the Yankees was in a curiously expansiv mood; he was in town to b honored by the baseball base-ball writers, to wrangle mor lire out of his boas and his natural taciturnity melted under the emotional emo-tional excitement. Besides the sun was shining and "Mr. Lazxerl was a happy fugitive from that unusual California winter. "Pooeh 'Em Up" Tony has asked for a $4000 raise over the salary of f 11.000 paid him for the 1834 season, in which, he says, "the old pins held up all year long, even during the hot summer months, and they are still O. K." Laxxeri believes he Is headed for another good season, but is too modest mod-est to mak any predictions. However, How-ever, he did point out h thought hi ervice of last year entitled him to a pay boost. Tony, you will remember, waa the guy who smacked a home run with the base loaded In the 193 world series against the Giants. His hitting hit-ting during the series was on of the big reasons for the Yank success. He Is getting ready to start hie twelfth season with the Yankee. He Joined them In 1938, coming p from Salt Lake where he hit O home runs, a record that tiU stands in the Pacific coast leagne. He was a big reaguer from the atari; he became the tram'e regular second baseman and got into the world series his tint year. That was a thrill all right," admits ad-mits Mr. Laxxeri, "but I still can't forget old Alex. Sometimes I wake up In the middle of the night and see" him lumbering In from center field and a cold sweat breaks out all over me. I wish I could do something about that." Unhappy Experience Mr. Laxxarl had an unhappy ex-parlance ex-parlance in hi first world series. He struck out with the bases full. The Yankee were playing th Car-dtnala Car-dtnala in th deciding game. The Yankee needed one run to tie and two to win. Old Jess Haines, I think, was pitching for the Car-dinala. Car-dinala. When th Yankee filled th base on him in the ninth Rogers Hornsby stopped the game and signaled to the bull pen. Old Alex Grover Cleveland Alexanderwas Alex-anderwas warming up, despite the fact he had pitched and beaten the Yankeea th day before. Old Alex was a convivial mortal, a frequenter of th beer halls, and it waa understood under-stood that after he had taken hla turn In th box It was all right for him to take his turn at th bars. He had been fired from th Cubs earlier In th year for abusing the privilege. Some of the more Imaginative historian wrote he had been out all night on this occasion. But that waant so. Hornsby, anticipating antici-pating Just such a situation aa arose, persuaded him to go to bed early . . . "We've got only one more day, so aave that elbow for tomorrow." Old Alex didnt have a drink that night and he waa ready when the crisis came. You can picture Mr. Laxxeri' sensationa In th situation. His first year In th majors, his first world series, three men on, two out, on run needed to tie. two to win. And through th mists of th late murky afternoon, from far out In left field, emerged th familiar figure fig-ure of on of th greatest pitcher of all time. Mr. Laxxeri had been ! reading about hire sine has waa ' a sandlot youngsUr in San Fran-' Fran-' clsco. "Looking back on It," wailed Mr. . Laxxeri, "I probably mad a mis-' mis-' take in not thinking for myself. 1 I was at th plat waiting whan old Alex cam to th box. I want back to tha bench and asked Miller Hugglna whether I should take th 1 tint good one, that ta let It go by, 1 or to awing. And Huggina, after pondering a moment and probably . Imagining old Alex hadn't been to bed. said. Tak the first one." Which ' I did. And now I wish I hadn't" Nothing On It Th first pitch was a wide one . and naturally Mr. Laxxeri took that , one. The next on was right over. This la th on be had been Instructed In-structed to tak ... "It didn't have a thing on It Both old Alex and Bob O Farrell, th catcher, knew I waa a busher. They were pretty sure I wasn't going to swing until I had to and then I'd probably 1 swing at a bad on. That' why they took a chance and put th fat on over. Tv been, in th league II year now and I haven't had an aaier ball to swing at But I was tn there to tak th first on and I took it" Th next pitch had plenty on ft and was over. Mr. Laxxeri got a good belt at it, slammed it into th lands but it fell foul by about a foot . . . "And then I did Just whal old Alex and O'Fsrrtll figured I would do. I chased a bad one. The next pitch was a curve, it broke away from th plat and I swung I didn't com all th way around (ConUntM aa Foiiowtn ra Tony Says 'Pins' Still Are Okay (Coatlnuad frees Preceding Paa) but the umpire said I did. Anyway I waa out Old Ale was the hero and I was the goat Mr. Lasxerl is sorry Babe Ruth hasn't been able to make a desirable connection in baseball. They got along very well together. Mr. Laxxeri once pulled a classic Joke on the Babe . . . "Before a game the Babe would always wash bis eyes with a chemical of some sort. I had gone hitless for two or three games. I emptied the chemical and filled the bottle with water. The Babe didn't notice the difference and performed his usual operation. "If that helps you hit home runs, maybe It w'.ll help me get a base hit" I said to Babe. -Sure, go ahead. Use some of It It's great stuff." So instesd of applying the fluid to my eyes. I put the bottle to my mouth and drank half of it before be-fore the Babe could stop me. Tou crazy bum. Don't you know that will kill you,' he screamed.- looking at me in pop-eyed wonder that I didn't collapse on the spot |