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Show GOWDY'S LATEST ACHIEVEMENT ONE OF MOST SPECTACULAR IN BASEBALL GAME 1 y- ' A t "HANK" GOWDY IN HIS SOLDIER UNIFORM. It always seemed to us that the most spectacular figure ever produced by a world series or by any other big sporting event was Lank Hank Gowdy, the blond backstop of the Boston Bos-ton Braves, who bludgeoned his way to fame in 1914, writes Damon Kun-yon. Kun-yon. Unheralded and unsung, Lankus Hankus wejnt into that series and ripped it wide open. He was supposed sup-posed to be an addle-pated sort of fellow behind the bat, an indifferent catcher and a bum hitter, but for four stirring days the long Ohioan was a Solomon squatting in the shade of the hickories and a Hercules when he straddled the plate. An ingenious fellow is Lank Hank Gowdy, with an ingenious smile and an ingenious way of thinking. After the series was all over and we took to reflection and retrospection it seemed to us quite natural that he should have turned out to be a hero. Salutation Worth While. We saw Lank Hank during the last world seYies up at the Polo grounds. He wore a soldier uniform, and he was passing the hat for Clark Griffith's bat and ball fund, smiling his old ingenious in-genious smile as he worked through the crowd, saluting friends of his baseball base-ball days. A salutation from Lank Hank is like a blast of fresh air. It is no casual nodding with him no mumbling mum-bling how-d'y-do sort of greeting. He tells the world when he says hello. He is always glad to see people, and he wants them to know it. It struck us that day that it was singularly appropriate for Lank Hank Gowdy to be there in that uniform ; It seemed to us quite in line with his spectacular career, and it strengthened the appeal which the personality of Hank has always had for our imagination. imagina-tion. He was the first baseball notable to enlist for service. Many another will follow in his footsteps during the coming winter, but Lank Hank was first. That will be his claim to fame long after his deeds on the diamond dia-mond have been forgotten. |