Nor Heat Nor Rain Stays Spring Practice

Olson swung the bat once or twice.

"Pretty good, Charley. Yeah, that feels comfortable."

When it came his turn to bat, Olson jumped into the cage and Dressen moved quickly behind it to watch. Olson carefully set his feet the way Dressen had shown him. He hit the ball consistently hard and long down the left-field line, and after his last swing and the traditional jog around the bases he came back to Dressen.

"That felt good, Charley. That felt pretty natural."

Dressen nodded.

"Now you got to smooth out your swing," he counseled. Olson nodded and Charley grinned at him. Dressen, of course, is too much of a realist to feel that he had suddenly created a major league star on the first day of spring training, but, watching him as he grinned up at the broad-shouldered Olson, you could feel the optimism three feet away.

Old man at the gate

From their clubhouse at Miller Hug-gins Field the New York Yankees have to pass through an aisle of fans to reach the playing field. An old man stood near the gate as they passed.

"Hi, Frankie," he said as Frank Crosetti ran by. Crosetti smiled hello. "That was Frankie Crosetti," beamed the old man to a friend. The friend nodded.

"Hello, Bill," he called as Bill Dickey stepped through the gate. Dickey waved. "Bill Dickey, great catcher," he informed his friend proudly. The friend nodded.