Show TAMPA amp A FLA A session with thirk dark grimsh the gray fox of 0 washington neton carries you back many a day and many a year outside of connie mack griff ca can in take you deeper into the thrills ot of the past than anyone antono else in baseball my own first training camp thrill camo came in 1893 in nashville A tall broad shouldered awkward looking party came into the locker room wearing a pale pal e blue suit with brass buttons A short while later against vanderbilt he showed us a buzzing medley of speed and curves that no one had ever seen before and not so many have seen it since ile iio was over six fix feet two weighed pounds and he was lanky in looks in addition to blazing speed he ha had the fastest breaking curvo curva ball ive ever seen ills name was george edward rube waddell even when he was fading out with tuberculosis he still had enough left to strike out 10 of connie macks athletics top thrill grills top training clamp camp thrill arrived in atlanta around 1904 grill griff was waiting alting iv that morning to meet a young first baseman basc man just heading in from california ile iio hit brill no other first baseman basaman on hii hid yankee roster so the rookie had to be good suppose hes a hop flop you do I 1 asked the old fox A flop sold said grill griff hes going to be the greatest first baseman that ever lived you wait and see the kid arrived around noon or a trifle later he was well built V W M V CLARK GRIFFITH on the lean side with a quick friendly trl endly smile the person personality personally allt part was all there how many days before be ba ready to start Grif griffith grifith nth asked him film 1 I thought you played a game today 11 the rookie said we do grift griff told him when id like to start his young first baseman countered im always in shape that afternoon he made at least three plays around first that left your scalp sizzling they were plays no one but a great artist could make with a runner oo on second someone laid a bunt along the first base foul line the kid was on it like a bounding kangaroo in time to nail the runner at third it took less than his bis first ball game to know that adoth another er star was on his way to the headlines the rookies name was hal chase another fair entry there was the day back in augusta around the same period when an 18 year yea ro old stripling came along first time up he laid down a bunt beat it out stole second and then third he finished out the day with a double trip triple leand and home run the lion oliver babe hardy was among those present not a bad afternoon for an 18 year old kid ula his name was tyrus raymond cobb of royston 64 ca later inho on be only made over base hits and stole close to 1000 bases before he took off the spikes after 24 years there were training camp days in the old southern league also I 1 recall two outfielders who caught and held the eye they were great ball players the first time you saw them looking back a long long way this was waa aroun around d 1007 1907 as I 1 recall time now shrouded in mists one played for little rock the other for new orleans the first was the be best A looking outfielder id ever seen in action and one of the best hitters ills hla name was waa tris speaker the other wai was the best looking actor with a bat around the plate anyone had ever seen his name was shoeless joe jackson and there was the spring training season 21 years ago back in 1919 when the boston red sox decided to make a regular out outfielder fieder out pt their crack left handed pitcher they had an ideale idea he might turn out to be a first cass slugger in one of the march games hero here in florida he mauled hauled one that carried over feet into a pine thicket beyond the field the longest blow the oldest in inhabitant habitant had ever seen pot not even barring the top hurricane I 1 was on that trip and I 1 was looking at a fellow by the name of babe ruth lt |