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Show I EDDIE GRANT OF HARVARD WORKING FOR COMMISSION IN THE ARMY I By Dayton Stoddart. NEW YORK, July 14. They used to say that Harvard Eddlo Grant's legs were so bowed that if ho had plugged the space between his bends ho could have covered the Philly infield all by himself. Eddie was a friend of all the cartoonists car-toonists in every town where he played ball. Every time a cartoonist would roll into the office on one pedal with a breath that was a cross between be-tween 'a gluo factory and a fertilizer yard and couldn't sketch anything but a Chinese laundry check, he'd put down a couple of ragged curves and label it: "Here's how Grant looked at the battle of Bull Run yesterday." That was the beauty of Eddie's legs. Call 'em what you would, and you were never wrong. You might say they reminded you of Frankie Bailey, or you could arise to remark that they reminded you of a wishbone of a chicken. You weren't far off any way you put it. However, we weren't going to start an essay on Eddie's legs. What we wanted to say was that Eddie is up at Plattsburg, plugging away for a commission in the army. Naturally we feel aggrieved that the Harvard graduate missed such a fine opportunity opportun-ity for publicity, but he never let go of a single chirp when he gave up law, or whatever ho was practicing and started his grind. Sun Surprises Eddie. It's boon two months since the former for-mer third baseman of the Phils and the Reds started to roll off tho oster-moor oster-moor at half-past five. "I never saw the sun rise so steadily," says Ed. "It usually seemed a bit wobbly as I romember it years and years back." All day long, with tho exception of a scant forty-five minutes rest, Ed. drills and sticks a bayonet In a dummy dum-my and does this and that and every- thing necessary to don the khaki and leather puttees of an officer In the U. S. army. And when he rolls in at ten ho has Just enough time to snore trice and it's time to got up. We don't know whether Ed. had a good practice; he probably wasn't gathering in the mazuma that any fair third baseman is dragging down in the majors. But at the same timo he is batting well up In the sacrifice league. Eddie wasn't "about" to join; he didn't three-sheet himself around as playing for Plattsburg. Nor did he write everybody he know that ho was whero ho was. It seems as though Ed. didn't have the makings of a good ball player or he'd certainly havo done something like this. A good many of them have, but tho nearest they'll get to the trenches will be wearing trench-coats trench-coats and cheering the boys on from dangerous spots. Of course, they're dangerous; you never know when one of tho ciphons is going to explode. Major Leaguerc Shy. "Jim" Scott, tho old reliable of. the White Sox pitching staff, is another who wants to be an officer. Which naturally brings to mind that just about threo major leaguers are making mak-ing sincere efforts to get over to the front. It's an old story, but whero does baseball come in under tho big tent Tennis, supposed by some to be strictly strict-ly a game for tho dlcttante, has furnished fur-nished a darn sight more men than has the more popular sport. Among others was Gustavo Touchard, a crack, who, when he was turned down here, enlisted in tho Canadian forces. Can you imagino the usual player doing that? Of course, tho tennis player play-er doesn't get $3,000 to 12,000 a year for his services, but still baseball is supposed to be such a red-blooded sport compared to tennis. Apparently Apparent-ly it igif you are talking in reverse English. |