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Show C HAND . .P/CE .PCE .P P CE . / .PCEWITH ? / / WITH the Bo ton Braves of 1947 1947malang 1947malting ' making malang malting threaten ng pennant pennantgcstures pennantgestures pennantgestures gcstures gestures for the first t me smce since since1914 1914 a somewhat inside story of the theold theold theold old Stalhngs Stallmgs Stallings outfit might be worth worthtcllmg worthtelling worthtelling worthtellingIn tcllmg telling tcllmgIn tellingIn In 13U 1914 the Brares Braves under the thefiery thefiery ( hefiery fiery \ Miracle l\hraele l hraele Man George Stan Stall StanIngs Stalllags Stallings Ings lags " were "ere ere 15 games gamesoft gamesoff gimcsoB oft off tlic the pace as s lateI lateas late f"as fas " I as July 4 and theywere they J Jwere 1 1were were still stili last onJuly onJuly on | July IS 18 Then themiracle themiracle the tmiracle miracle of baseball baseball base j a ? , ) lball ball s miracles mlracle ' tookplace tookplace took f " 'j j ' < < iplace iplaceis place ' . -is is 'is .s s - they "cnton wenton " went "cnt cnt , , ' - ' ' " * - " t tj / -j-- j - jon - on to Bin "in in win " the pc pea pen ! : Vf . . . . , & nant rant and beat theAthletIcs theB theAthletics the _ . _ , . , . IAthletics B SouthworthBut SouthworthBut Southworth SouthworthBut AthletIcs 4 stral straightSouthworth straight "bt bt "btB " But part of the story of the Braves Bravesof Bravesof Bravesof of 1914 goes gocs back to the sprmg spring sprmgtrammg springtraining sprmgtraining trammg training pr prdgram gram of that year m in mthe inthe inthe the South South-to South to - to a pair of great com compet compet cornpet pet tors possibly the greatest thatever thatever that | ever wore spiked shoes Their Theirnames Theirnames Theirnames names were Maranville and Evers Eversthe Eversthe Eversthe the Rabbit and the CrabHeadmg CrabHeading Crab CrabHeading Heading Headmg north that year I stopped stoppedoff stoppedoff stoppedoft off for a few days at the Braves Bravescamp Bravescamp Bravescamp camp in m March The main Idea Ideawas ideawas ideawas was to call on a few old friendssuch frIends frIendssuch friendssuch such as Hank Gowdy Johnny Evers Eversand Eversand Eversand and Rabbit Maranville Intendingto Intendmgto Intendmg Intending to spend only a day or so I hung hungaround hungaround hungaround around longer for it was the most mostmterestmg mostinteresting mostinteresting mterestmg interesting camp I had run acrossIn acrossIn across acrossIn In an e exhibition e\.hlbltlon e.hlbltlon e .hlbltlon hlbltlon ' \ . ' hibltion game that after afternOOD afternoon afternoon nOOD noon Evers and \ MaranTlUe l\laranvJUe l laranvJUe Maranville colhded collided collidedat colhdedat at se second < : ond base each trying trymg to cover coverthe coverthe coverthe the bag Both seemed to be badly badlyjolted badlyjolted badlyJolted jolted but neither neJther gave any ny Sign Signof signof signof of being be1ng hurt hurtI I noticed nohced \ Maranville l\laranvllle l laranvllle a few mln min mlnutes minutes minutes utes Iat later r looking Iookmg for some lost ob- ob object object ob object - - ject around second baseWhat baseWhat base baseWhat What were you looking loolcmg for for9 fors ' > I Iasked Iasked Iasked asked the Rabbit in the dugout laterTwo laterTwo later laterTwo Two of my teeth he saJd said saJdhere saidwhere saidwhere \\here here where \ my mouth collided with withJohnny withJohnny withJohnny Johnny s bead head He lie s got a tough toughhead toughhead toughhead toughheadA head headA A short while later Evers was wash wash wash h t on the arm with a fast bill ball He Hegave Hegave Hegave gave no sign of being bemg hurt as he hegr hegr hegr gr nned and started tor for first baseThey base baseTiey T/iey T iey They / Could Take ItAnother It ItAnother Another member of the Braves Braveswas Braveswas was \ \ as h t and he also sho\\ sho showed shoed \ ed no Signof signof sign | of any * ny trouble although 1 I e carried carrieda a lump above his elbowHere elbowHere elbow elbowHere Here outside of the genial gerual Hank HankGo HankGo HankGo Go vdy was a rather snarling snarllDg tough toughgroup toughgroup toughgroup group without too much ability abilityThe abilityThe abilityThe The team had Dick Rudolph RudolphGeorge RudolphGeorge RudolphGeorge George Tyier Tyler and Bill James pItchmg pitchmg pitch Iing mg but they had never looked like likeJohnson likeJohnson likeJohnson Johnson Alexander and Mathew Mathewson Mathewson Mathewson son or Feller Newhouse Shea and andBlackwell andBlackwell andBlackwell andBlackwellAs Blackwell BlackwellAs As far as one could see here was wasa wasa a ball club that might finish firush sixthor sixth sixthor sixthor or seventh-or seventh or seventh - or even eighth The Thesquad Thesquad Thesquad squad that week had shown no nopower nopower nopower power at all Only some pretty fal fair fairpitching fairpitching fairpitchingThat ! pltchmg pitching pltchmgThat pitchingThat That night Maranville told me mewhat mewhat mewhat what was taking takmg place placeI I lost two teeth he said andI and I [ ne ne\ ne neer never \ cr er blinked b\Jnlted b Jnlted \ Two men weriut were wereJut werehit Jut hit and they never rubbed their theirarms theirarms theirarms arms We vo ve ye made mad * a rule on this thisclub thisclub thisclub club that nobody can show he has hasbeen hasbeen haseen been ) hurt not even It if he gets a aconcussion aconcussion aconcussion concussion not even If he be gets hisblock hisblock his block lock knocked off oft Don t think twnk Ios los Iosing loslug losing ing lug two teeth was any fun It hurt hurtBut hurtBut hurt5ut But I never let anyone know it I II Ike I 1 ke that brand of baseball Don t tever tever tever ever let em know you ve ye been hurt burt ' ' The Victory Vctory V ( ctory Drive Dnve DriveI I lost considerable interest In this thisMaranville thisMaranville thisMaranville Maranville philosophy when the theBraves theBraves theBraves Braves were last on July 4 15 15games 15games 15ames games ; away from frem the first placeWhat placeWhat place placeWhat What about It now7 now9 now ? I said tothe to tothe tothe the Rabbit about that bmeJust timeJust time bme timeJust Just warming up he said Just Justwarming Justwarming Justwarming warming up Watch us in the thestretch thestretch thestretch thestretchIt stretch stretchIt It was from late July on that the theBraves theBraves theBraves Braves headed by the driving dnvmg force forceof forceo1 forceof of o1 George Stalhngs StallIngs a great man manager manalter manager ager alter a fighter from every knownangle known knownangle knownangle angle plus Rudolph Tyier Tyler and andJames andJames ndJames James went to workStallings workStallings work workStalhngs Stalhngs Stallings told me later he lost lostfour lostfour losttour four pairs of trousers sliding slIdmg up and anddown anddown anddown down the bench hench I was full of ofbench ofbench ofbench bench splinters splmters he saidDick said saidDick Dick Rudolph was one of the best bestand bestand bestand and one of the smartest pitchers inbaseball In Inbaseball inbaseball baseball history hLstory Tyier Tyler and James Jamescame Jamescame Jamescam came * to hts his hl help Day after day dayyou dayyou dayyou you got this reCraln- reCraln refrain- refrain reCralnRudolph refrainRudolph refrain - Rudolph Ty Tyler Tyter Tyler ler ter and JamesThey JamesThey James JamesThey They caught the Giants in the thestretch thestretch thestretch stretch picked up 15 games on one oneof oneof oneof of \ McGraw l\lcGraw l lcGraw s good teams and then thenwrecked thenwrecked thenwrecked wrecked the Athletics Athietlcs In four fourstraight fourstraight fourstraight straight In 1n the world seriesAnd seriesAnd series seriesAnd And all the Athletics had was wasBender wasBender wasBender Bender and Plank and Bush Col CollIns Collins Col1ms lIns Mclnnis Mclrmis McInnis Baker Barry and andwhat andwhat andwhat what greatteams looked to be one ot of o1 the great teams of all tlffie-a tlffie a tune-a tune time - - a team that had hadi hadwon hadwon hadwon i won four pennants in five years It yearsIt wasn t even a contestSouthworth's contest contestSoutJiivorth3s , SoutJiivorth3s Southworth's Southworths ' Team TeamNow TeamNow Now the Braves of 1947 just 33 33years 33years 33years years later under the able direc directlon direction directlon tlon tion of Billy Soutbworth Southworth another anothergreat anothergreat anothergreat great manager are among the theteams theteams theteams teams to beat These The * * Braves are area area area a much better ballclub ball club than the theBraves theBraves theBraves Braves of 1914 But But , , , whether ornot or orDOt ornot DOt not they can show the same amount amountof amounto1 amountof of o1 iron in their systemi systems as this thismiracle thismiracle thismiracle miracle squad offered against a for for10m forloon torlorn 10m loon hope is 11 another guessIt guessIt guess guessIt It isn isnt t often that any learn team has hasa haa * a Maranville and an Evers on tho the thosame thesame thtame * same squad two blazing blazine ipots spots of offlame offlame flame ame |