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Show WiO HOLD no grudge o(.'ilnst th ballyhoo net up for such younger young-er entrirs ns Col. Matt Winn, Connie Mack, 81, Lonnie SUiCK, 81, or Col. Y.A Bradley, 83, They hav nil had more than their share of the headlines for over CO years. Hut we'd like to make another nomination that even tops this li.'it when It comes to 1 I-' H i ' J r- - V .( the mailer of celebrating cele-brating another New Year. II i s name is Arlie Latham, now 84 years old, and looking somewhere In the early Bus. Arlie Ih now a guardian of the press box In New York. But there was a time gome CO-odd years ago when lie Crantland Rice was a star infielder for the St. Louis Browns In the crazy days of Chris von dcr Ahe. And It was the Irrepressible Arlie who contributed his full share lo the incipient lunacy of old Chris, one of the rarest characters baseball ever knew. Arlie Latham came to the Browns around 1380. He was an able infielder, in-fielder, a good clutch hitter, baseball's base-ball's top clown and also an inspiring in-spiring entry. Arlie was one of the smartest men that ever played baseball, in any league or at any time. He had a keen, quick wit that dominated any situation where repartee might figure. From the Browns Latham came to Cincinnati's Reds in company with such famous old timers as Long John Riley, Bid McPhee, Tommy Corcoran, Tip O'Neil, Elton Chamberlain, Cham-berlain, Tony Mullane, Jim Keenan, Jim Duryea, Billy Earl, Billy Rhines, Germany Smith and others. This old Red team was one of the most colorful casts that baseball base-ball has ever known. They were a rather rough and rowdy bunch, in many respects, but they could play baseball and Arlie was then one of the best. Looking Back I first ran across Arlie Latham after he had finished his playing career. This was back in Atlanta in 1903 when Latham was a Southern league umpire. He was something more than an umpire. He was i riot. His quick wit and his sarcastic comeback were much too fast for i the ballplayers of 1903 and for that I it would have been the same for the ballplayers of 1943. Arlie came south as umpire at the time the north was sending us such veterans as Gus Weyhing, Theodore The-odore Breilenstein, Red Ehret, Amos Rusie, King Bailey and a few others who had been pitching "0 or 80 games a year before the fading soupbone needed a touch of southern south-ern sun. The best of the crop that came from the north in those days was Theodore Breilenstein, the "$10,000 beauty," a mighty sum in any sale in those days. "Breit had a tragic baseball finish," fin-ish," Arlie told me recently.' "The most tragic finish baseball ever knew. ' He was getting on at the time around 40 or maybe 42. He came to the close of the ninth inning in-ning with two men out and a sure no-hit game in sight. Nothing like a hit up to that spot. One man left. The one man left drove a low liner through the box that broke Breit's ankle, wrecked his no-hit game and closed out his baseball career. "They were a grand bunch in those days," Arlie tells you. "Some of them were nuts but who isn't? One way or another. I can look back and see 'em now Bid McPhee Hciny Peitz, Red Ehret, Tony Mullane Mul-lane all the others. "In those days a pitcher who didn't work in 60 or 70 games, maybe may-be more, must have lost both arms." Connie the Bat-Tipper "Do you remember Connie Mack?" I asked. "Connie was younger than I was," Arlie said, "but I remember him. I'd call him the Bill Dickey of 60 years ago as a catcher, but he couldn't hit within a mile of Dickey. Connie was only a fair hitter. But he was the best bat-tipper I ever saw. The batter would be all set to swing at a fast one coming in and then miss the ball two feet and start a young war. Connie had tipped his bat with a fast-working hand. His idea was to win the ball game, any way he could, and the umpires were not so strict in those days. Connie was always smart. "Don't forget those old timers could play a lot of baseball," Arlie said. "Baseball was their life. There were no motor cars in those days, no motion pictures, no radios. "There was nothing for them but baseball and not too much cash. Do you remember the time Larry Lajoie, then with the Phillies, batting .400, held out for$2,500? So did Ed Dele-hanty, Dele-hanty, one of the greatest hitters I ever saw. Lajoie and Delehanty could hit for me." The main point is that Arlie Latham Lath-am at 84, a veteran who can look back over 60 years, even beyond the days of Connie Mack and Matt Winn and Lonnie Stagg, 30 years before Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth were ever known, is still hale, hearty and active. |
