The sporting news 01 06 1944

I .^ :.V *• * r

THE BASE

•N P; S: ,

■v_ V ^ r .

*.v

BALL PAPER OF •

•

y

ViJV olum e

ii6 , n u m b e r 22

es.

THE WORLD

g . *. M T . OFT.

ST. LOUIS, JANUARY 6, 1944

Glints From the Diamond

•

FIFTEEN CENTS TK*c o r r

as Reflected in January Snows

•

SCoUTlKG-Gl^NT TA LEN T'

•

Lo o p i n g TH E

Lo o p s IU * . U .S . P a t. O C

'Football Jeopardizes Baseball's Hold Upon ll. S.,’ Rickey Warns Revival o f M inors' League O rganizations Urged

by D odger M aliatma to Combat G ridiron Spurt

= B y J. G.T. SPINK -a

Wetoe

•

Brooks* N ew Bonfire -.U n c le B ra n c h R ick ey doesn’t b o w it . and i t p ro b a b ly w o u ld n 't la k e m u c h differen ce if h e did, but th e n e w e st m e m b e r o f h is of­ ficial fa m ily g o t h is s ta r t in sp o rts by b e ttin g o n ra c e horses.

■-■•Harold F . P a r ro tt, la te s t fu n c ­ tionary o f th e D odgers, w a s a p e s t a ro u n d th e s p o r t s d e p a rt­ m e n t o f th e B ro o k ly n E ag le so m e 15 y e a rs ago. w h e n th e m a n a g in g e d ito r slip p e d h im a fiv e-d o lla r n o te a n d to ld h im to go o u t to J a ­ m a ic a a n d d is­ co v e r h o w th e b o o k ies w e r e o p e ra tin g . N ew H. PARROTT Y o rk tra c k s a t ■CMM* Harold** t h a t tim e w e re under th a t c u rio u s sy stem of wagering k n o w n a s “ o ra l b e t­ ting” When Parrott returned with JIT and • story—he wa* made. I don't know what the managing editor thought of Harolds literary ability, b u t we've seen •Dough M. E-s in our day to know what Joey think of 240 per cent profit on an “ vestment of the firm’s money. As far u th* managing editor of the Eagle was concerned, Parrott was at least as ®*>d a newspaperman as Brisbane, then to! there, and without th* bald dome.

Uncle Branch be affrighted by “ »»dark sin in Harold's life, we hasten W assure him that Parrott hasn’t bet toe* that day. Indeed, he has incurred **a an allergy to horses that he won't J"® «at a steak these days, unless he _ * Personal Q. K- from the steer's

O ne sw allo w doesn’t m a k e a su m m er, b u t o n e clev er p lay er, especially in th e w in te r, can m ak e a flag co n ten d er o u t of a r u n -of-m ine club.

T h is is b y w a y o f s ta tin g th a t P ira te fan s m oved in to th e N ew Y e a r w ith a feelin g th a t th e y w e re b ack in th e 1944 flag race, a f te r h av in g g iven u p w h en U ncle Sam p u t th e finger on E lb ie F le tc h e r. A s re a d e rs of T h e S porting N ews in th is BoW PW!po c o u n t r y a n d o v erseas h a v e *«*• &•***«• le arn ed , th e B uccos h a v e la n d ed F irs t B asem an B ab e D ah lg ren , w ho also answ er* to th e n am e o f E llsw o rth , th e big p o in t b ein g th a t he is th e a n sw e r to th e Bucco fa n s' hope th a t F ra n k ie F risc h w o u ld be a b le to g et a r e a l re p la c e m e n t fo r th e d ex tero u s F le tc h e r, w ho now is a fu ll-fled g ed G ob. . . . , .. . , T h e F o rd h a m F la sh w a s fa r. f a r aw a y in A lask a w h e n th e d eal

*XWTINUED o n PAGE 8, COL. J.)

(CONTINUED ON PACE 2, COL. I )

B y DAN DANIEL

F ria r* C ete P ih L g re i Vrmm m i g to r P f c r ly

Swap of Babes Gives Pirates Man-SizedFirst Base Guardian B y CHARLES J. DOYLE

PITTSBURGH. Pa.

NEW Y O RK . N ..Y .

N ew Y o rk d u b o w n ers o f th e m a j o r leagues h av e ta k e n to h e a rt th e w a rn in g sounded. D ecem ber 30,

by B ran ch R ickey, ch ie f to csin rin g e r o f th e d ia­ m ond, concerning th e grow ing s tre n g th o f professio n al football, a n d its Im plications fo r th e diam ond A - sport.

A ssem bling th e p o stw a r p ro b lem s of baseball, fo r th e app ro ach in g m eetin g of th e p o stw a r p la n ­ n in g b o a rd in C hicago, th e p re sid e n t of th e B ro o k ­ ly n clu b said th a t b aseb all's p la ce as th e N atio n al G am e w as in jeo p ard y .

H e p o in te d o u t th a t if, a f te r th e w a r, baseball d id n o t m a k e su re th a t som e 75 m in o r leagues w ere l i m c k Rickey in o p eratio n fro m coast to coast, th e su p rem acy of th e diam ond w o u ld b e in g rav e d an g er. In fact, R ickey w en t f u r ­ th e r th a n th a t.

“B aseball m u st ta k e heed, o r fo otball w ill becom e o u r natio n al sp o rt,’’ th e deacon said in th e * h e a rin g of som e 20 b aseb all w rite rs w h o h a d com e fo r one his ON THE INSIDE w eek ly press conferences.

After Rickey covered matters con­ cerning the Brooklyn club, one of the writers asked about the most pressing Bowl Football questions which would come up at the Chicago meeting.

Gomes . . Pate* 19-20 “The big job is to keep our place against the pressing strength of profes­ Corbett-Sullivan sional football." Rickey replied. "There is no sense In sticking your head in Fight ....................... . . . PAGE (3 the sand and announcing. T hat cannot Page Page happen to us.'

Airlanes ---- — 12In the Service., 12 Game 3fu*t Be Promoted "In order to preserve our hold as the Balanced Teems. 5 Major League No. I sport, we must have it played Basketball ------ 21 N o te s ---------- 13 everywhere. Baseball has suffered some Bob Feller 8 Mr. and Mrs. severe blow* In the schools and col­ Caught on Fly—14 Moss ________ S leges. And now there are only nine Dahlgren Traded 2 National League minor leagues in operation.

"The records of the Brooklyn club Editorial* -------- IO Averages .3-15-17 show that during 1943, wa looked at Famous Deal*—l l Overth* Fence—13 4.084 youngster*. Our trouts did not Frisch Tourist*—12Sport* Chamspot a cingle one of those 4,084 on a Hank Camail!— 4 pions ...---------- 2* (CONTINUED ON PAGE 2, COL. t ) Hockey ---------- 21 Tri* Speaker--- I

THE SPORTING

N IWS, JANUARY

6, 1944

Blimp, Grounded by Bucs, Lip in Hookup Gives Buoyancy to Phils

W ith Another Holler Guy

P e n n o c k , in Hi# F irs t D eal, T ra d e s D a h lg re n f o r P h e lp s , to S tre n g th e n Y o u n g C a tc h in g S ta ff a n d A dd P u n c h ; B a b e H as C h an g e o f H e a rt o n R e tire m e n t B y STAN BAUM GARTNER PH ILA D ELPH IA , Pa. In his first big deal since he becam e g en eral m an ­ ag e r of th e P hillies. H erb P en n o ck sw apped Babe D ahlgren, ta len ted infielder, to th e P ittsb u rg h P i­ rates, fo r B abe Phelps, b u rly catch er, a n d cash.

T he cash— th a t is th e am ount— w as n o t m en ­ tioned. a n d i t is believed th a t it is a deposit fo r a fu rth e r tran sactio n betw een th e tw o team s to be consum m ated w ith in th re e w eeks.

In secu rin g Phelps, th e P h illies hope to b o lste r a young catching staff a n d a t th e sam e tim e p u t a lefth an d ed , long distance sock in th e lin eu p th a t w as m issing la st y ear.

P h elp s can h it th a t ap p le a n d th e rig h t field fence ^ S hibe P a rk is a fine targ et. T he big p ro b lem confro n tin g P en nock is n o t w h eth e r P h elp s can fill th e bill on th e b all field, b u t w h e th e r th e y can convince h im th a t ploying O rganized B all is b e tte r th a n th e baggage m aster’s jo b he had a t O denton, Md., last y ear. E arly la st sum m er, th e P ira te s gave th e P hillies perm ission to d ic k e r* — ------------------------------------w i t h P h e l p s a n d t h e d ip lo m a ts o f t h e o ffic e o f W illia m D . C o x i n ­ duced Die burly backstop—known af­ fectionately as “ Blimp”—to come to this city to talk terms. Phelps prom­ ised to arrive a t 2 p. rn., b u t Babe ' (CONTINUED FROM PAGE L ) A lexander, the Phillies’ ambasfodor of good will, w as le ft standing a t the sta­ w as consummated w ith th e Q uakers, b u t tion fo r tw o hours when Phelps decided y o u r correspondent happens to know th a t th e acquisition of the Bam bino of to rem ain home.

Since then, the big fellow apparently the Gateway w ill have th e fu ll approval h as h ad a change o f h e a r t H e applied of Frisch, who soon w ill b e complim ent­ fo r reinstatem ent (he w as on th e vol­ ing B ill Bensw anger a n d Bob Rice in a untarily retired list) a n d w as placed on cable for th e ir success in getting D ahl­ gren w ithout disrupting th e Pirates. I t th e active agenda.

T he Phillies’ now hove fo u r catchers, is tru e th a t Slugger Babe Phelps goes to A ndy Seminick tin 4-F because of bad the Quakers, b u t Phelps had refused knees), Bob Finley, Bennie Culp and to ploy fo r th e Bucs; so th ere is no loss Phelps. P helps is 35 years old, weighs of. playing strength, and th e am ount of 210. He was traded to Pittsburgh in m oney going to th e P h ils in th e deal Decem ber, 1941, and batted J284 In 95 w ill be justified a t th e gate in a few games, in t h e 'e v e n t th a t Dahlgren is games w ith the Pirates in 2912.

T he big'.catcher began his career .as able to play the kind of ball h e dis­ an outfielder, catcher and first base­ p lay ed fo r th e Q uakers la st y e a r w hen m an in 1930 w ith Hagerstown in the he batted d o se to .300 and fielding like Blue Ridge League. He spent th e next a sta r in several positions.

Babe S u re to Ald Offense three years in Die B lue Ridge, Middle T his com m entator h as no hesitancy A tlantic and Central leagues and led in. putting Babe in th e same class w ith all tiirec in hitting. * E arl Sheely, George Kelly, Stuffy M e­ Broke With L arry MacFhail in a is an d several other, artists who T h is brought a promotion to the Al­ w ere righthanded a ll the w ay. Babe is bany club of the Eastern League in 1933 not quite as tall a s the elongated Sbocly and when Babe h it th e jackpot there and K elly, tw o of th e greatest in th e he was moved up to th e Chicago Cubs. history of th e game, y e t he is a tall, Phelps caught t i games for the B ruins rangy fellow whose good le ft hand is in 1334 an d w as .‘o ld to Brooklyn in D ca s sure a s a vise, once h e gets his grip comber. He rem ained w ith th e Dodgon an y kind of a throw n balL The fact th a t the Bucs w ere able to finish in Die first division in the last race was ifobo Remembers New Boss p artly du e to th e fielding of Fletcher, ' PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Buck N ewwho m ust have saved th e oth er in ­ .sum h as not made an appearance a t fielders a t least 25 errors, b y digging Shibe P ark, b u t h e was sm art balls o u t of th e ground, G u stin e? enough to send his new m anager a broken finger could n o t keep him o u t of C hristm as card and birthday greet­ action, b u t th e lam e digit of h is throw ­ ings, . . . “V ery fine wishes,” con­ ing hand caused liim to throw ball after fided Mr. Mack. T here is a feeling ball in the d irt in fro n t of Fletcher, who Iii these parts Diat Newsom mud scoop-shoveled m ost of them into p u t­ Connie w ill ;gct along in warm outs. D ahlgren is ju s t about as su re as fat her-and-son fashion.

F letcher in’ this respect, and h e will A fter all.'B obo is a big kid. His not h u rt an y club on th e offense. domestic tangles have been smooth­ T he addiUon of D ahlgren gives the ed out. He is engaged to a P en n ­ P irates 30 players, th e large m ajority s y lv a n ia girl and h e finds a new of whom a re expected to be available interest in pitching. for th e M uncie spring training drills.

STAN BAUMGARTNER. Frisch w as glad to learn th a t Jcep er H andley w ill be o u t th ere fighting for ers until J u n e a f IM I, b u t ran into diffi­ a n infield position when F ran k as­ culties w ith L a rry M acPhail, president sembles his battalion in m id-M arch. and general m anager of the F latbush- True, the Flash w ill have a problem in ers, when h e refused to travel b y plane arranging his infield, now th a t the like the re st of the club. T his breach Jcep er is okay again, b u t it is a pleasant widened from time to tim e an d finally problem, compared to th e w orries th a t B abe q u it th e team. passed up a su re rode along w ith th e first defense one c u t o f 54,500 in th e World’s Series and y ear ago. Tile re w ere tim es when the m anager didn’t have fo u r able-bodied w as suspended.

D ahlgren joined the Phillies in March players to m an th e infield, w hereas he o f 1943—started o u t a t shortstop, moved will be able to get reserve strengDi in to first base and then tried his hand a t the n e x t campaign. th ird before h e finally anchored at fir s t Lieut. Bernie Byrne Given In la te A ugust, D ahlgren w as called fo r a physical exam ination and left th e F our A rm y Decorations team in m id-Septem ber. H e did not Lieut. Bernie R. B ym e. son of re tu rn lo the term and w as la te r placed Bobby Byrne, form er infielder of in 4-F because of sinus trouble. Ile the Pirates and Cardinals, is fol­ finished his term of office w ith the lowing in Die w ake of h is brother, Phillies w ith an average of .288.

Copt. Bobby Bym e. in w inning dec­ With D ahlgren in Pittsburgh the firstorations as an aviator in th e A rm y. b;ise jo b hero will b e turned over to A form er player, as w as h is broth­ Jim m y Wasdcll, who w as also shipped er and dad, young B ernie has been to P ittsburgh from Brooklyn in the aw arded th e A ir M edal an d three sam e deal w ith L uke Hamlin. Pete CosOak L e a f,C lusters “fo r outstanding carart and Phelps fo r Ark y Vaughan. performances in Sicily an d Italy.”

Wasdell is a veteran a t the initial Copt. B ym e, w ho became an ace sack an d handled the job in splendid in the M editerranean area after fashion a tter Dahlgren left in Septem ­ downing six enem y planes, has 15 ber. Ronald Northcy, G lenn Stew art decorations and now is stationed in au d D ick B arrett are occasional visifore North Carolina. Bernie has tw o en­ a t the club offices (now located in the em y planes to h is credit and hopes P ack ard Building). soon to m atch his b ro th e rs record.

Connie M ack is taking things easy He played w ith Paragould and Ap­ pleton in 1940. before entering Army durin g the holidays. A fter th e first of aviation in 1941, and is four years th e year, h e will g et busy w ith his younger than h is TS - y e a r - old players an d one of Die first to whom hroDier. lie w ill talk e v e r 19*4 term s will be Buck Newsom.

Frisch Likes Flash on Dahlgren Deal

I

REHEARSING AN OVERSEAS SKIT w ith M a n a g e r Leo D urocher of th e D odgers, Comedian D an n y K aye (left) d eclares: “T here's on ly o n e p e rso n in th e w orld w ho c a n y e ll lo u d er than Leo, a n d th a t's m e." But Lippy, w ho w a n ts to s a y a few w ords, too, w ill u se th e hook wheat D an n y sp outs too long. T h ey 're g o in g to e n te rta in servicem en in In d ia , A frica a n d China, w h ere Leo hopes to pick u p a few choice e x p ressio n s in H in d u stan i, A ra b ic a n d C h in ese mean­ in g “cem ent h e a d " a n d "iron sk u ll," w hich w ill g ive th e Lip a c h a n g e of p a c e w h e n addressing um pires. . . *' • ?

Chain Originator Rickey Rings G riffith ’s Club • lu s t O n e llig Bell for Local Rule in Minors

H a p p y F a m ily

(CONTINUED FROM PA G E L )

❖

Frisch H as Crying Towel, hut Musial W ashes Dishes

school o r college team . On the other hand, football is played in scilooIs in th e rem otest areas.

BROOKLYN. N . Y. — F rankie "Concerning professional football, F risch took his crying towel w ith which is a re a l th re a t to baseball. I him on his to u r of Arm y bases w ith w ant to predict th a t w ithin a decade. fo u r other m ajor leaguers, accord­ there will be a system of m ajor and ing to a le tter received by Branch m inor gridiron leagues. T here w ill be Rickey from Dixie W alker, a m em ­ tw o big leagues, reaching into Cali­ b e r of the delegation. W alker wrote: fornia.

"W e arc. quartered in a bungalow.

"T he pro season will be six months.

We even have o u r own icebox and T here w ill be bigger player limits, big­ stove. I find Diat L itw hiler and ger salaries, bigger crowds. Tile play­ Borowy are pretty fair bacon and ers fo r th e m ajors w ill be develope*! in egg cooks. M usial h as tu rn ed out th e m inors, an d th e colleges. However, to be a fine dishw asher. I have I see th e influence of college football been given th e job as mailm an. w aning against th e d riv e of th e pros, F risch is forem an of the whole she­ w ith th e ir finer skill and m ore thrills. bang. I m ight add th a t h e is sUll "I am n o t sounding thy* w arning raising cain w ith the um pires, we to ar©use o u r baseball people to a fight four being um ps a t th e tim e. He> against pro football. On Die contrary, gets th e crying towel o u t q u ite often.

I w an t to encourage th e b e s t” Says he feels su re Diat one of u s is Asked if i t m eant th a t w ith Die own­ going to g et lost before w e g e t back ership of the big parks, the baseball home.” people m ight take over th e pro football situaDon, Rickey begged off, and yet did n o t m ake a disclaimer.

"W e have to plan to spread m inor dis felt th a t th e board should get go­ leagues everyw here,” said Rickey, r e ­ ing as soon as possible, an d so the first turn in g to baseball. "T he ideal devel­ session w ill come early in the new opm ent w ould be to have local ow ner­ y ear in Chicago.

Pow el Crosley. ow ner of th e Reds, ship. B u t if th a t is n o t possible, We h as surrendered his place on the board w ill have to arran g e it th e best possible to W arren Giles, his general manager, way. and Horace Stoneham of th e G iants lias Local O wnership Favored named Leo Bondy, vice-president and "I w ant local ownership because Diat treasurer, as h is representative. Thus m eans civic pride. I t also is the best the m ajor league board is composed as arrangem ent for th e situation we m ust follows: Jackie w hen w e talk postw ar a t Chi­ Landis, presiding. N ational League— cago. A nd ju s t talking will not be Ford Frick, Sam Breadon. W arren Giles, sufficient Leo Bondy and B ranch Rickey; Am eri­ "This m atter of reviving not only Die can League—WiUiam H arridge. Clark IS now inacUve m inor leagues, b u t th e G riffith, Tom Yawkey, A lva Bradley 20 m ore th a t q u it before 1943. and the and W alter O. Briggs. Sr. organization of new leagues is the prim e T he m inor league group is composed essential fo r th e postw ar board. of George Trautm an, Tomm y R ichard­ "W e m u st recast Die m inor league son, Dr. E. M. W ilder, E arl M ann, Chax-map. so Diat when you go from A city ley G raham an d F ran k Lawrence. to B city in the Delta League, you don’t have to cross th e en tire Bayou League.

We m ust tighten up Die geography, and the traveling expenses of th e lesser minors.

"T here are so m any oth er m atters— for exam ple, determ ining DUe to the hundreds of players on National De­ DURHAM, N. C.—Tile N ational A sfense lists, sold by m inor leagues th at __ ______ sed atio n committee, nam ed by P resihad q u i t W here do these m en stand?

We also m u st determ ine how ou r j de* \ w - G ^B ram ham . to w ork w ith players retu rn in g from service w ill be " sim ilar comm ittee of th e m ajors to red raft the M ajor-M inor Agreem ent assim ilated " I th in k all this should have been an d prepare postw ar plans, expects to talked ab o u t a y ear ago. However, now hold a m eeting some tim e this month before going into session w ith the oth­ w e are getting to it.”

I t had been expected th a t th e first ers. M embers are George Trautm an, m eeting of Die postw ar planning board Tom my Richardson, D r. E. M. W ilder, w ould be held in New York. F ebruary ’ E arl Manti, C harles G raham a n d F ran k 8. T h e annual d in n er of the New Y ork Law rence. A ll except Richardson w ere baseball w riters is set for F eb ru ary 6. on th e revision comm ittee th a t had and special m eetings of th e m ajor w orked on the M ajor-M inor A gree­ leagues have been set fo r February' m ent previously, wiDiout being able 7 and 8. to reach a compromise w ith th e big However, Commissioner JC. M. L an- leagues.

M inors’ P ostw ar Committee to Meet

K e y M e n L o n g Associated W ith O ld F ox, Re-elected f o r 2 4 th Y e a r a s P rexy B y SHIRLEY BOVICH WASHINGTON, D. C T he stockholders o f th e Washington club, holding th e ir an n u a l m eeting thin week, as usual, h ad noUiing special to re p o rt T here w as no new s to report because it is m erely th e continuation «! a n annual custom—th e ‘ re-election cf C lark Griffith as president of Die Sen­ ators fo r th e tw en ty -fo u rth consecutive year.

- ; N othing startlin g e v e r happens a t Du m eetings of th e W ashington stockhold­ ers. : Griffith ow ns only 40 per cent cf th e stock, b u t h e h as th e benevolent regard of all the stockholders, who ac­ cept h is adm inistration o f club affair* w ithout an y grum bling, alw ays approt* his an n u al rep o rts a n d com plim ent him on h is stew ardship. T he ownership cf th e W ashington club is a tig h t lit!!* fam ily. Tw o y e a rs ago th e first chang* in club officers in 20 y ears w as mad*.

T h at need w as occasioned by th e death of W illiam R ichardson, vice-president H e w as succeeded by his brother, George R ichardson.

A long w ith GrifSDi, Secretary-Trea*u re r E dw ard B. Eynon w as re -elected to th e office h e has held for Die past 34 years. He cam e in to th e club with Griffin in 1920 w hen th e Old Fox fir** assum ed Die presidency o f the tem afte r nine years a s m anager.

M artin With G riff 39 Years In addition to Eynon, Griffith ha* m aintained others of ins staff for Ion# period of years. H is train er. Mil* M artin, h as been w ith th e Washington ow ner actually fo r 39 years, first join­ ing him w hen G riffith m anaged the New Y ork Yankees, then called th e High­ landers. M artin w en t to CincinnaU and since to W ashington, alw ays in Grif­ fith’s employ.

H is p resen t m anager. Ossie Blueg*, lias been w ith Griff fo r 23 years, de­ spite Die fact h e is th e new est pilot in th e league. Griffith originally bought Bluege from Peoria in 1921. His bern* Ucket m an. Jo h n M orrissey, has been w ith Griffith fo r m ore th an a score cf years and th ere a re gate tenders Ucket sellers ab o u t th e p ark who found jobs w ith Griffith as early as 1912.

T he W ashington club h ad a profitable season in 1943, b u t rarely a te dividend! voted. Griffith p u ts th e profits back into p a rk im provem ents and new talent an d th e operation o f th e club's farm system is a d ra in on th e revenue* T h e corporation is capitalized for only #200,000. probably Die sm allest fir?* of an y club in th e big leagues, th e fact th a t i t is now one of the bx* valuable m ajo r league properties.

Ocetin-Wide Welcome

mfm

Awaits Yankees

t

A t Auantic City Next Spring

•A

o

►

z c ► rn

-< C k

City Shapes Field Bigger Than Bombers’ Stadiu Accommodations fo r 11^000 Spectators W ill Be Provided; * Armory A vailable fo r In d o o r D rills fo r Big Leaguers^ F irst T eam to M ake Long V isit to R esort NINE- R tA S O N y * W 44/ THE- Y A N K ^ OUGHT TO U K E -ATLANTIC C f i y . . .

By DON BASENFCLDEB Vt ATLANTIC C i r y , N. J .

When th e N ew Y ork Y ankees pitch th eir training camp here.

March 13. i f s likely to be something of a local holiday, w ith m ost of tbe town turn in g o u t to welcome them , It w ill be th e first tim e in th e history of the World'* Playground •that it has played host to baseball's w orld champions. Among the thousands o f fans h ere who have heard and read about the prowess cf the Yanks, th ere a re m any who w ill have th eir first opportunity to come in contact w ith th e ir favorites. i President Ed B arrow and Vice-President George Af. Weiss, in diarge of th e Yankees* farm system, a re scheduled to to u r the camp lite w ith New Y ork w riters h e re ^ • ca S a tu r d a y . J a n u a r y 8 . A p r e s s one tim e Mrs. Fishblatt had the world’s dtnner w i l l b e h e ld t h a t n i g h t a t tilt Senator Hotel. located o n tbe te u n end of South Carolina avenue, viiere tbe Y anks w ill m ake th eir bead9Btr(ers here.

Snce Borrow selected A tlantic City for the Yanks’ ^ r i n g camp, the nafhes have talked o f little else. The Qty auU^orities a re virtually rebuildk g Bader Field—nam ed fo r the late -Ktyor Ed Bader, a d o se friend of Connie Mack—w U ch w as once \iscd cxdtisively for footbalL I t is located rn Albany avenue a t th e city's outikxrts. Adjoining it is the A tlantic City Airport.

A e Yanks w ill find B ader Field biggtr in size th an th eir own Yankee S tadhxm. Under th e direction of Bevan fiddwin. a civil engineer and cuper» • iataidcnt of the C ity A irport,, the . stands and fence on th e east side of Bader Field have been to m dow n and tbe field realigned.

- Long Distances from Home Plate When completed, th e le ft field fence will be 430 feet from tbe plate, w ith a 'distance of SGO fee t betw een th e plate n d center field an d 390 feet to right U d . Dimensions in Yankee Stadium we 301 feet to left, 4G1 feet to center Kid 29G feet down th e right-field line. *'Dus is the beginning of a p en n aueot stadium for both baseball and faolball," said City Com m isaoner JosAltman, director of parks and pu b jfic properly and u n d er whose jurisdic. ^ the work is being done. " It is ■oething Atlantic C » ^ has needed for • kng time." the time the New Y ork club a r^TQ here. 12,000 cubic j-ards of rich. ..faported sod will have been transplant” from the S500.000 beachfront showWitt of the late M rs. Isabelle Flshblatt c Baleigh avenue, to B ader Field. A t

richest farm land direcUy on the beach­ fro n t The A m y used B ader Field for drill purposes for nearly 14 months and w h a i t was returned to the d ty , there wasn’t m uch semblance of grass on the field. A crew of 2S men, supervised

by Baldwin and Dee Pincus. superin­ tendent of city parks, has been w ork­ ing every day w eather perm its to get

Located on Island A t l a n t i c C i t y , internationally know n as a sum m er resort, is situ­ ated on a n island known as Absecon Beach. Located between Absecon and G reat Egg Harbor Inlets, the island, which gets its name from the Lenape Indian word for place. "Absegazni." m eaning "little water." is five miles from the mainland. It is separated from the m ainland by bays and salt marshes. Its 1940 popula­ tion w'as 64.094 persons.

Before World W ar H. Atlantic City was a mecca for visitors from a ll over the world—cspedally d u r­ in g the hot weather—when as high as 730.000 p e ^ l e thronged its famed boardwalk hotels and b a t h i n g beaches in a single day. (he firid in shape. By February, It is hoped to have ^ e field seeded.

Mall Dodson, city publicity director, Is m aking su re there will be plenty of seating room to watch the Yankees in th eir workouts and cxhiliitjon games.

‘T h e w est stands, which w ill rem ain et B ader Field, hold some 3.000 ^)eclators,'’ he explained. *Tt is o u r in ­ tention to move portable stands, used for ice hockey in the Convention Hall. to the field an d place them behind the

M c C a rth jm e n P ro m ised

Moderate Temperatores Samuel B. Deiteb, government w eather forecaster a t A tlantic City fo r 25 years, predicts a m oderate climate in M ^ h and April fo r tbe Yankees. " lf I could tell tb e w eather w e ll have bere six m onths in advance," said Deiteb, *Td IDce nothing better than to say the Yankees 'will have plenty o f sunshine to get In shape to w in another w orld’s title."

■ ■ plate and along first and th ird i»se lines. T h at will ^ v e an additional 5.000 scats, and w e w ill erect 3.000 port­ able bleacher seats in right field."

The Yankees would have preferred to train indoors on inclem ent days a t the xnanunolh Convention Hall, b u t tbe Army is still in possession there.

So city authorities obtained perm is­ sion for th e team to move into the U2tb Field A rtillery Armory, Absecon boule­ vard a t Tennessee avenue, on inclement days.

C The Yanks w ill use tb e drHl floor for practice. I t is big enough for an infield, b u t there won’t be any room for an outfirid. Tanbark and soil, used fo r an indoor football field in Conven­ tion Hall, has been moved to the A rm ­ ory and will cover the drill floor to • depth of fo u r or five inches.

The Senator Hotel, w here the Yan­ kees w ill be a t borne during th eir visit here. is a m odem 300-room fireproof hostelry, managed b y Cob Harrison CmIc. H arry Kaufman, form erly of th e Ambassador Hotel, is his immedi­ ate assistant Atlantic Q ty has been visited by other big league teams for exhibition games, b u t none ever stayed for more than a couple of days, a t the m o st The Athletics and Phillies have been here on m any occasions and in the 1900s the late Mayor B ader managed a 'stro n g semi-pro team, known as tbe Atlantic City CoUc^ans, who played most of the m ajor league clubs. They played here when they had open dates and there was no Sunday ball in Fldladelphia.

^Get Some SlowhaU Slickersf* Ott’s Highball to Giants* Scouts

By KEN SMITH NEW YORK, N. Y. H erb Pennock's Philadelphia platform fo r p itd iers who can "pow der tbe ball over th e plate?' an ­ nounced th e other day, is ju st th e opposite of Mel O tt’s shopping fo r the Giants.

N ot th at O tt w ouldn't leap a t any fast ball pros­ pect who approached w ithin ten feet and t ^ to brand him w i ^ a n "NY." But. afte r watching T ru ett Sewell. SI Johnson, Jim Tobin. R ay S tarr, N ate Andrews and others outfox th e New Yorkers last year Mel w ants the w orld to know be is in th e m arket fo r one of those cunning fellows, none of whom would cause any damage if turned loose in a greenhouse, arm ed w ith a bag of baseballs.

Md o n " I would like to have some of those slow birds on my side,** said Ott. I have told m y scouts to dig up some for me."

Mel is beginning to be convinced th a t the fu ro r for W alter Johnsons is overdone. He had tw o pitchers last y ear who can m ake the ball whistle w ith th eir smoke,^ Cliff Melton and Johnny Wittig, staff. U nde W ilbert Robinson of tbe but they lost 28 games between Dodgers was the roost ardent devotee of strapping giants who could throw them and won only 14.

O f course, every m anager is search­ ing for a great star, and a fellow who can’t fire that pill won’t become a L e liy Grove o r a Dizzy Dean. B u t in these days of talen t shortage, a pilot is fool­ ish to pass Up the lads who can make the boys b r e ^ th eir backs trying to b it dinky stuff.

Tobin ‘Twists T heir Badis Jim Tobin drives managers to dis­ traction w ith his slow knuckler. BHI M c K e r^ ie of th e Beds came into Nev/ York one day last summer, seething from a double-header setback in Bos­ ton.

"They ought to ru le th a t Tobin out o f tbe league." he stormed, "for not throwing the ball bard enough to hit i t And Andrews wasn’t m uch faster."

H arry Gum bert, Howard PoUet Schoolboy Rowe, Max Macon, Max B utcher and IXck B arrett don’t b um u p anybody w ith th eir speed, b u t they a re often m urii h arder to h it than K irby Higbe, for instance, who can whirl the nugget like a b u lle t John J . McGraw w ent in for curveball stylists. Bill T erry won three p w nants ■with his •’downer’* style pitching

h a r ^ He was never interested in any other kind, and Dazzy Vance, Jess P et­ ty and' Van Mungo made Robbie p u rr contentedly in the dugout w ith the soothing sound of th eir smoke booming into tbe catcher's m itt ‘The G iants recently tinkered around w ith a couple of m inor league soft­ ball experts, Roy Joiner and Bobby Coombs, b a t they didn't have enough guQe. B ut Bob Carpenter, who is no Vander M ecr when it comes to speed, became a winner.

The present Polo Grounds pitching staff consists o f Meiton. Wittig. Rube Fiscber, Bill Voiselle, Ken Chase, Ace Adams. Ewald Pyle. Van Mungo, Johnny Allen and F rank Seward.

The Giants* pitchers are confronted w ith an extra prnblem, trying to cut down the opposition’s bom e-nm out­ p u t in the Polo Grounds where the distance is so short a t th e foul line*.

Bill Nicholson ar>d Loa Klein ei»ch busted five round-trip wallop* against New York pitchers last year. Th* o.nlv homers made b y tea other pley~ erg' were a t Hie expense o f C ia o tr pitchers

6, 1944 NEWS, JANUARY THE SPORTING

Large Field for Prexy o f Coast League

•ates’ Camelli Straightens Out Minor Rejoins Rescigno and Cuccurullo on Faddist H ank Pads E nc S ta ff

T o Nam e T u ttle's Successor Ja n . 17, at M eeting in S acram ento

Days in Final D rive for Playoffs, D espite Injuries

By DICK CONNERS

By STEVE GEORGE SACRAMENTO. Cal. Candidates for the presidency of the Pacific Coast League are as plentiful as the num ber of newspaper w riters speculating on the results of the elec­ tion. January 17, when the directors ga tiler here to name their chief execu­ tive and plan the 1944 season.

Major Charles M. Lott of San Diego, vice-president who took over tile reins after Wilbur C. Tuttle resigned ju st before the December meeting in Oak­ land, has let it be understood he wus not interested in retaining the job.

Around the San Francisco area, the man to beat is Matthew Brady, former district attorney. Brady, an ardent fan and a politician, is the choice of Char­ les Graham, of the Sun Francisco Seals.

Bill M opper of the Portland Beavers has admitted a liking for Brady, but may come up with a dark horse of his own.

Also riding the Brady bandwagon Is Emil Sick, owner of the Seattle club.

In the post, Oakland strung along fairly closely w ith San Francisco, but with the new ownersldp across the bay, things are differen ti The Oaks are said to be advancing the cause of Jim ­ my Phelan, well-known football coach a t Washington and S t Mary's.

Down south, where the boys take their baseball more seriously from the political ride, there are any num ber of entries.- Dune Farrell of Holly­ wood has campaigned for the job for years. H e is the No. I candidate. His r n --------------------------------

rn

; Orenzo Plans lo Quit

ALBANY. N . Y. W h e n y o u lo o k b e h in d t h e s to r y o f p i tc h e r s w h o w in 2 0 g a m e s in a se a s o n , t h e r e u s u a lly is a c a t c h e r w h o h a s p la y e d a m a j o r r o le In t h e i r su c ce ss. H e n r y R i c h a r d ( H a n k ) C a m e lli, aggressive r e c e iv e r f o r t h e A lb a n y S e n a to r s t h e la s t t h r e e y e a r s , Is o n e o f th o s e b a c k ­ s to p s w h o is a b ig h e lp t o h i s p itc h e r s . A n d C a m e lli’s p u r c h a s e b y t h e P i t t s b u r g h P i r a t e s l a t e l a s t s e a s o n b r o u g h t p r o m o tio n t o a c h a p w h o is n o t u n m in d f u l o f t h e o p p o r tu n ity p r e s e n te d .

A y e a r a g o . A lb a n y ’s X a v i e r (M r. X .) R e s c ig n o w e n t to th # P i r a t e s a f t e r h a n g in g u p 2 3 v ic to r ie s a g a in s t s i x lo sse s, a n d A r t h u r C u c c u r u llo a d v a n c e d to t h e S m o k y C i ty c lu b b y w in n in g 2 0 w h ile lo s in g e ig h t g a m e s la s t s e a s o n .* .

R e sc ig n o a n d C u c c u r u llo a r e h ig h I n s in g in g C a m e lli’s p r a is e s , s in c e the stocky catcher handled th eir slants in virtually every game they pitched fo r Albany.

Camelli is the sort of rn player who w ants to win every game and gives everything he has throughout a game, regardless o f th e score. Moreover, Hank’s m akeup is such th at h e wants everybody rise to hustle, too. T he only base hits p m ^ U i w orries about are those which help th e club, and fo r this B ob Sw ift, W ith 4 -F Rating, reason h e frequently p u t on the h itand-run w hen his own personal batting L ikely to B e First-String average m ight benefit by swinging Catcher for D etroit straight away.

B om in Gloucester, Mass., December 9, 1915, Camelli attracted th e attention

By SAM GREENE of G iant Scout Max C arey as a m em ber of the M eredith, Mass., American Legion DETROIT, Mich.

Ju n io r club w hich w ent to th e eastern Stephen Francis O’Neill, pondering fin n!* before a fellow nam ed K irby th e prospects of th e Tigers on these Higbe tu rn ed them back fo r th e Co­ Jan u ary nights, is disposed to an opti­ lumbia, S. CL, Legionnaires. In 1935, mistic view o f th e m anpow er situation, H ank w ent to Nashville a t th e taiiend As fa r a s possible, he bas checked th# of the season and was optioned to Ty- d raft status o f h is players and believe# 1er a year later. A fter dividing th e 1937 he w ill retain a complement of suffi­ season between Portsm outh an d Selma, cient num erical strength. he w ent to Minneapolis in 1938, moving Since th# d o se of last season, Dick to Williamsport in midseason.

A n A thletic chattel a t th is time, Ca­ Wakefield, Jim m y Bloodworthy Tommy m elli w ent back to Williamsport in the Bridges and H al W hite have gone into spring of 1940, b u t w as given a n op­ the service, reducing th e D etroit roster portunity b y Connie M ack to manage to 25 players. O ’Neill expects others to the Saginaw d u b in th e Michigan State depart before th e team assembles for League. H ank took over th e team when spring training a t Evansville, Ind., in it was in last place, finished second and m id-M arch,’ b u t h e finds the general outlook reassuring as a result of recent w ent on to win th e playoffs. inquiries.

Boosts Hitting Throngh Practice Two catchers. P au l R apier Ridiards A lbany purchased tile aggressive and Edw ard Dixon Parsons, have been backstop in the w inter of 1940 fo r Catch­ placed in 1-A, b u t a third, Robert Vir­ e r H arry Chozen and cash. H ank had an off year in 1941, w hen h e slipped to gil Swift, hks been rejected for military d uty b y a d raft board in Salina, Kan. The 4-F ratin g assigned Swift, coupled w ith his ten years of professional ex­ Hank Called Rescigno’g perience, m akes him potentially th# Pitches on Field and Off first-string receiver fo r the Tigers in 1944. Tire only other catcher is Albert D uring th e 1942 season, w hen Unser, who has received no indication# Hank Camelli an d X avier Rescigno w ere batterym ales a t Albany, Catch­ of an early call b y th e Arm y.

W ith White’s induction into tile Navy e r Hank n o t only called Rescigno*# last week, th# D etroit pitching staff wa# pitches on the diamond, b u t also a r­ cut to nine m en. F ive o f th e nine ar# gued baseball w ith Mr. X on th e draft-exem pt, tem porarily, a t le a s t Vir­ bus and in the hotel until th e small gil Trucks, H arold Newhouser, Stubby hours.

Overmire and Ruff us G entry have been Rescigno’# only chance to talk tu rn ed down b y A rm y doctors fo r vary­ came on the golf links, w here h e ing ills, none of w hich seemed to ham­ shot in th e low eighties an d drove p er them on th e m ound last summer; Camelli frantic w ith h is instruc­ Zeb Eaton, « righthander, reverted to tions. th e Tigers in Decem ber w hen he wa# given a m edical discharge b y th e Army.

227, b u t w ith constant practice and Last sum m er h e pitched and played in d o se attention to his weaknesses, h e the outfield for th e Camp Wolters, T ex , later improved. Always a pull hitter, team. he found the pitchers keeping th e ball Ja ck ZeBer High o a Eaton away and his line drives and long " I rem ember Eaton when w e had him flics on outside pitches w ere only a t Beaum ont," said G eneral Manager "A B .’s” in the big A lbany park, which Jack Zeller. "He had a good fast baff. bulges in center and rig h t In 1941, h e won only eight games and The last two seasons Camelli, as a lost 15, b u t don’t judge him b y the rec­ result of connecting w ith the ball more ord. A fter all, B eaum ont w as a sev­ frequently, had a m ark o f 286. Hank enth-place club th a t year.” was above 200 when he w as banged Detroit’* fo u r other pitchers are Paul up a t th e plate o n a play in Scran­ (Dizzy) Trout, Jo h n Gorsica, Roy Henton. H e returned to th e lineup before shaw an d Forrest Orrell. All are in 3-A. h e had fully recovered, because the So are six o f th e seven infielders. Th# d u b needed him behind th e plate, and, exception is Jo e P . Wood, who ha# as a result, his batting suffered, he be­ been placed in 1-A b y his board in ing handicapped by a sore arm.

Five Pitchers on T iger Staff Draft Exempt

BAKK CAMELL! OP THE PIRATES

New Manager No. I Problem for No. I Man Frank Lawrence

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Joe Orengo, acquired by th e Detroit Tigers from the S t P aul American A sso -' elation d u b , b y the draft route, while here last week, said he plan­ Portsm outh President Seeks ned to quit baseball for the duration.

Orengo, who w as in the d ty for « P ilot to Replace Stock, some pheasant shooting, said he w as going to stick to his packing W ho W on Pennant company job and bid adieu to base­ ball for tho time being, adding, “And Eddie Joost feels the same w a y "

By ABE GOLDBLATT Jo o st Boston Braves infielder, works PORTSMOUTH, Va. fo r the aam# company as Orengo. • Hundreds of con­ B oth a re fathers. gratulatory m e s ­ sages from fans opposition w ill come from Bill Schroeand business asso­ d er of Los Angeles, director of the ciates f l o o d e d Helms Athletic Foundation and presi­ F ran k D . Law­ dent of the defunct California State rence, colorful League, and Oscar Reichow, perhaps owner of the Ports­ the best known and best qualified of m outh Cubs in tile all the candidates from the standpoint Piedm ont League, of actual baseball experience. Reichow following his selec­ is general m anager of the Hollywood tion by Tax S?oKrStars and served as radio and publicity nra News as one of f tw * O.Lawrence ^ No j of director for Loa Angeles.

Bed K llkfer Abo Mentioned the game fo r 1943. Lawrence w as des­ Another widely known baseball name ignated as the outstanding m inor league tossed in 'n the presidential derby is that executive below Class A. of W ade (Red) Kfllefer, who has m an­ "Naturally, I’m pleased w ith this aged half a dozen clubs in the Pacific honor," the bank president stated, "and Coast and American Association.

I will m ake every effort to uphold my Still other candidates, as advanced by title in 1944." one w riter o r another in recent days, Right now he’s busy heading the are Abe Kemp, baseball w riter fo r tile Portsm outh Community Chest drive for San Francisco Examiner; H arry Wel­ th e th ird successive y ear and also the ters, form er Coast star and now coach W ar Bond campaign, in addition to his a t Stanford University; Roy Homey, duties as president of the American secretary of th e Kansas City club; Char­ National Bank of Portsm outh and city les Hoggs, executive chairman of tho councilman.

Civilian Defense Council in Los An­ B u t the versatile Cub boza i s finding geles; Leo Moiler, vice-president of the time to map plans fo r n ex t season, Syracuse club; Ray Hampton, Los An­ which, in view of the lifting of the dim­ geles city councilman, and Jade Corbett, out and pleasure driving ban, he pre­ form er president a f Syracuse. dicts will be a banner year.

L ast week, the news came ou t of San One of Lawrence’s chief baseball wor­ Francisco that Mrs. Barbara Putnam, ries a t th e moment, however, is find­ widow of George Alphia Putnam , had ing a successor to Manager M ilt Stock, sold h e r one-third interest in the Seals who has been signed by th e Chicago to Dr. Henry Strub and Charles G ra­ ham, former, partners c f Putnam , for Cubs as a coach. Stock guided Ports­ a reported price of $7,500. This recalled m outh to ita first pennant in 17 years to folks hereabouts that, a t one time, last season.

Has Nine Cubans Signed fo r '44 Putnam’s block of stock was worth Hoping to overcome th e manpower $300,000. Putnam , ex-Sacramento news­ paper reporter, bought into the Seals shortage, Lawrence recently returned w ith Graham and Scrub in 1918. He from a trip to Ha Vann, Cuba, w ith nine signed contracts in his pockets. That died eight years ago.

Ernie Bonham, Yankee pitching star, the Portsm outh team w ill have more played th* role of Santa Claus last than enough candidates on hand for week fo r the children of officers of spring training was indicated by the Camp Kohler a t a kiddie Christmas announcement of the conditional sale of Outfielders John Zontini and Billy party on the m ilitary post.

Smith and Catcher Jack Owens to To­ ronto.

Like most executives In the game, Lawrence, a m em ber of the minors* Trado M ark Registered postwar committee, was concerned over FOUNDED B Y C H A R L E S O RPIVTT Branch Rickey's recent statement that E s p o r t in g NEWS unless baseball does some missionary L o u l^ l, M a. Entered as ■©cond work. especially among the youngsters, 13. IWM. at P ost it w ill be replaced by pro football as , c n Jc r the Act of Sub«?dpcton price SO one th e national pastime. yoar. *3.50 tlx months; *2 three months.

B ut the farsighted Portsm outh oper*

©ic Sporting Kon$

H ustling Hank H andled Slants o f Two Albany Pitcher* W ho Graduated to Hues; Caught Seven Games in Four

Billy Werber Bals Million in Life Insurance League WASHINGTON. D. C .-B ill W erber, form a- third sacker fo r the Red Sox, A ’s, Reds and Giants, is batting a million in the life insur­ ance league. In h is first fu ll y ear in the business, W cr ber has w ritten over 51,500,000 w orth of insurance.

Billy was th e guest o f honor a t a luncheon given here. December 30,

by Earle W. Sapp, general agent of th e New England M utual Life In ­ surance Company in Washington, which m arked the completion of his first fu ll year in the business.

T he son of a well-known Wash­ ington insurance man, W aldon ar W erber, Bill realized, even before h e became successful a s a player, the value of preparing fo r another ca­ re e r after his days on th e diamond w ere over. A fter considerable study of insurance, h e began to w rite policies on a part-tim e basis dur­ ing 1936.

W erber became so interested in Insurance th at it was related h e once sold Rick Ferrell a policy as Rick slid into th ird base. The story received such wide circulation th at Secretary of State Cordell Hull, a n arden t fan, stopped BUI in Florida one day, and asked him to relate th e circumstances.

Graduating from D uke University in 1930, W erber won the Robert E. L ee Award in his senior year, the highest student aw ard based on scholarship, athletics and extra-cur­ ricular activities. Now a specialist' in the use of life insurance by business firms, he is continuing his studies in th a t field and expects to receive h is G. L. U. degree this year from the American College of Life Underwriters. ata r saw th e problem last sum m er and organized a plan of his own to cope w ith the situation. H e purchased 60 baseball uniform s for kids, 8 to 15 years of age, and organized four teams, which w ere given the opportunity to play before Piedm ont League fans. The plan m et w ith enthusiasm among the kids, th eir parents and fans, and w as the greatest boost to tile national pas­ time in the city's history.

Before the selection of th e teams, Lawrence, w ith the aid of Archie Israel, city recreational director, held a base­ ball school a t the Municipal Stadium, w ith m em bers of the Portsm outh team acting as instructors. M ore th an 300 boys turned o u t The program was so successful th at it is expected to be repeated n ex t summer.

Picked b y Eastern •League m anagers as th e best catcher in the loop th e last two years, Camelli is an intelligent re ­ ceiver w ith a good arm . He tries to nurse pitchers along to conserve th eir strength so th a t they can have some­ thing in reserve in a jam as the game goes past th e m iddle innings. When th e going is rough, h e coaxes o r drives his men, according to th eir moods.

H ank appeared in 96 games fo r Al­ bany last season, batting in 47 runs, most of them in ti gilt contests. Injuries notwithstanding, h e eau gilt seven suc­ cessive games in fo u r days when the d u b was in its final week’s drive fo r the playoffs. Rip Collins, u n d er whom Ca­ melli played th e last two years, p ub­ licly picked .him as th e most valuable player on the d u b both seasons and it is no secret that Collins recommended him to P irate scouts several times.

Camelli m arried th e form er Corinne G ertrude SIear, December 9, 1940, on his tw enty-fourth birthday. They have rn daughter, Susan, who is 2 years old.

Houston# Tex.

R eports have been printed from tim# to tim e th a t Jo e Hoover had been or would be shifted to the 1-A bracket.

As fa r as th e D etroit m anagement has heard, th e shortstop is still in 3-A, along w ith R udy York, Jo e Orengo, Pinky Higgins, Don Heffner and Eddie M aya Heffner confirmed h is status in a let­ ter last week from h is home in Arcadia, Calif. Mayo, w intering in New Jersey, wrote th a t he anticipated no develop­ m ents th a t w ould keep him from join­ ing th e Tigers.

“I figure I’m lu ck y to get a chance w ith Detroit," th e veteran infielder said.

"A t the end of last season, I had mad# u p m y m ind to q u it the game. Then, I heard th a t th e Tigers had drafted m# from Louisville. N aturally, w ith a break like that, I gave u p all thought of re­ tiring."

The Detroit roster lists five outfielder*.

Doc Cramer, Jim m y Outlaw, Ned Har­ ris, Charlie M etro and Don Ross. Each has a 3-A rating.

f

^

t h e p h il s

5tT th e te a m h ittin g r ec o r d - t h e orioles

RAKED THE PENNANT .

02JA W FT

TOO I L FOR ME

M UCH

*

TH E Y A N K 5 O F 3 2 W E R E £ TH JN FIELDING

' Blows C ount H eavily

bot F i r k in t h e flag -R a c e ----------------------

vio R A L- w tm \

,

\

IT/THE U LONS HIT I

THAT DOES

t h e RED so x OF 1939 HAD THC PEST BATTINO AVERAGE IN THE A.L. IN THE LAST 5 YEARS B U T - TMH YANKS WON THE FLAG BY 17 G AM ES I pressive than the base-hit table; which brings us to the pitching.

Lack of team records in the National League eliminates th at circuit fro m 'our discussion, b u t the American offers some weighty evidence. Over a ten­ s'car period, the pennant winners in the junior m ajor also produced the most effective hurling six times.

B ut before crowning pitching ms the shortcut to the glory road, let’* take another look a t the records. The fig­ ures in the Guide show the 1907 White Sox w ith an all-tim e standard of 32 shutout victories, y e t th e Tigers won

Potter. Q uitting Board,

Is Made V.-P. of Phillies PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Accepting the resignation of Jack Potter as a taember of the board, directors of toe Phillies then honored Potter by Baring him a vice-president when Ley met on December 28. Potter, jo y associated w ith the Metrovioldwyn -Mayer Film Corporation, is te-ding in Hollywood, Calif., and •obttutted ids resignation by mail.

Succeeding Potter on th e board » Robert Sturgis Ingersoll, protni0®t Philadelphia law yer and coun*7 . the National League d u b , vho is Potter’s cousin.

L- Wister Randolph, investment woker also is a vice-president of

6 1944

\

A U AROUND SrREN6THJ OVER BALANCES POWER I IN ONLY ONE DEPARTMENT)

NEWS, JANUARY

Jest B ittin g T eam S e ld o m fin s Pennant, B u t l o n g

im

THE SPORTING

/

the p e n n an t Two years later the W hite Sox moon d an en again attained the amazing level of 32 blankings, yet again the Tigers took the race to the end.

The m oral of this y am , therefore, is th a t only balance can win pennants con­ sistently—a combination, in varying degrees, of power, defense and pitching.

B ut even consistent winning some­ tim es misses the p e n n an t Take rn look a t the 1916 Giants. While they smash­ ed two consecutive victory standards— winning 26 straight at the Polo Grounds during one stretch, and IT in a row on the road during another—it was Uncle Robbie’s Brooklyn boys who played in the World’s Series!

GRIFF STRONG FOR CAMBRIA’S WEAKNESS FOR COBAN TALENT

THE SHORTING

NEWS, JANUARY

6, 1944

Canebrake Scout Clicks Castanets Over Torres, Ortiz

By SHIRLEY POVICH WASHINGTON. D. C. Clark Griffith's partiality for Cu­ ban boll players is not of recent date. Back in 1910. when he was managing the Cincinnati Reds, he signed his first Cuban to make good in the big leagues. It was a happy accident, though.

“Mr. Bancroft, the business m an­ ager of the Reds in those days, came back from a trip to Cuba and was spouting about a wonderful third baseman he had seen down there.” related Griffith. “A fellow by the nam e of A Unada. Ju s t to appease Bancroft I agreed to have a look at him, and we sent him the fare."

Two Cubans, not one. showed up, said Griffith. Almada liad brought •long a friend as interpreter fo r him.

A 'C u b a n named Manuel Martians.

“They both pu t on uniforms, and they were interesting to watch,*' Griffith added. “They had those Spanish customs. W henever Almada went to the plate, he doffed his cap and bowed low. to the pitcher and the crowd. It wasn't a gag, he was sincere.

“Well, the upshot was that we couldn't use Almada. H e wasn't m uch better than a aa^Jlotter. B ut his interpreter, Mar sans, was a pretty good ball player. We ended up signing Margins and letting Almada ” go. Before the y e a r 'was oat, Mar* sans was a regular w ith th e Reds and was later good enough to be a regular w ith the Giants.” ■ Griffith is looking forward with some curiosity to the day when a fellow named Epitacio Towen reports to the Nats’ training camp next April, Joe Cambria, the Nats’ lone scout, who conducts yearly safaris below the border, vows that Torres “can’t miss."- H e's an outfielder.

•“He speaks Spanish, bu t he’s not rn Cuban,’’ said Cambria. “He’s a Mexican Indian, a handsome kid who was playing in Monterrey, Mex­ ico, w h a t I first saw him. J picked him up lost m onth in the Havana Winter League. T h e y -ju st voted him the No. I player in the league.

He was hitting .348 when I signed

FREAKS

ONE O r 7HE FUST of many Latin ball players to w ear Washington livery w as Outfielder Bobby Estalella, whom the A 's traded late in September to Indianapolis for Joe Moore, former Giant. The photo shows a reception for Esvana League for the Nats. T hat was him. H e can’t miss being a big eight years ago.. Despite EstaleDa’s leaguer.’’ ■ failure to attain stardom in the ma­ Torres is outhitting Roberto Ortiz jors, Cambria did n o t have to be -in the Cuban League by a couple of ashamed of him. The squat fellow points and Ortiz was supposed to be ju st missed being a good big leaguer the hottest article in the Havana and is. a prize for an y Double A League. “Torres is a lefthander and club. He didn’t cost the Nats a O rth a righthander,” added Cam­ dime, and they could always sell bria. “Between them, they’ll fill at least one job in the Washington out- ■ him to the m inors fo r $7,5OO. field, maybe two ” •Cambria’s proudest contribution Bobby Estalella was the first Cu­ from the good neighbor countries, ban Cambria flushed ou t of the H a­ though, has been Alex Carrasquei,

IN MAJOR LEAGUE

FIGURES

■ ------------------------------------------------------------ By EDGAR G. BRANDS---------------------------------------------------------—« While the American League took ❖and H arry W alker o f the Cardinals down the honors in the World’s Series ‘ made 36 sacrifices to 28 for Joe Hoover. and the A ll-Star game, th e National, Oiily Rudy York and George Case according to the final official averages, surpassed their riv al leaders on the excelled in the offensive during the offensive for the American League, the 1943 season, the Harridgc circuit having Washington outfielder s 61 stolen, bases the advantage only in home runs and being fa r in excess of the 20 pilfered stolen bases. This indicates either bet­

by A rky Vaughan to lead Ins circuit, ter hitting in the Frick loop, better while York’s 34 hom ers topped by five pitching in the junior circuit, or both.

Nicholson’s 29.

The National not only outboxed the The Yankees retained their home run American, .258 to .249, a lot of points championship, w ith 102 round-trippers, over a season for all players, bu t it and, curiously enough, it was their ri­ Jo h n s? U n felt produced 26 batters, appearing in ten yals across the river, who finished last o r more games, w ith a hitting average of better than JOO against only tea for m the National League standing, th a t ilia rival league; scored a total of 4338 runs to 4,796 by the American and regis­ topped the F rick sluggers, with SI. tered for a total of 14,756 bases against 14,407 for the junior circuit. Long-range The two S t Louis teams w ere a t the hitting, thought to belong exclusively M extremes in strikeouts, th e . Cardinals to the American, went to its advantage whiffing the least times, 438, and the only in home rims, 473 to 432. The Browns most often 646. Impotence a t M ajor Shropshire Cited National led in triples, with 388 to 369, the plate, although last in batting p er­ L. K. Shropshire, form er sports and in doubles. 1,739 to 1,728. centage in the majors, w ith 232. was editor of the Lexington iKy.) Lead­ The third-place Dodgers, curiously not the sole reason for the Athletics* er, has been promoted from captain enough, scored th* most runs, 716, and finish in the basement, fo r they whiffed to m ajor in the .Army at a post the Cardinals also crossed the plate of­ the fewest times in file American "somewhere in the South Pacific." ten er than the champion Yankee*. The League, 465, while the Braves struck Recently he received a citation for Redbirds tallied 679 times and the Yan­ out the oftenest in the National, 609. "outstanding service” during combat kee* scored 669 runs.

One of the breaks of the season was on Guadalcanal, last winter.

Ti tree National League clubs had a not revealed in the averages. The Yan­ hifilter batting percentage than Detroit, kees got in a t least one league game th e American leader, which was tied by every day o f the season from Ju n e I the Cubs. The Cardinals were « t the base runners raced fa r ahead in pil­ to October I, playing 84 consecutive top of the heap, w ith 279, followed by fered sacks, 626 to 383. T hree American contests w ithout a postponement. After th e Dodgers, 272; Pittsburgh, 271 and I* ague teams showed th eir heels to getting in th e m orning p art of a dou­ the best in the NationaL The White th e Cub* and Tiger-, 261. ble-header in D e tro it August 23. th eir Although some consider National Sox were credited w ith 173 stolen bases. streak ended when rain spoiled the sec­ League teams faster than th e American, Washington w ith 242 and file Red Sox ond half of the card. From then, the superiority does no t show in the w ith 86. ahead of th e leading Pirates through September, they did n o t have stolen base column, for the Harridge in the other loop, w ith 63.

Supporting th e theory that the N a­ a w eather cancellation. tional employs the sacrifice hit more frequently than the American to get Bill Johnson’s Pep Talks Good Cheroot or Cigar around, it had a total of 878 Kept Yanks on T heir Toes runners against SII for the rival circuit. The J u s t Seasick Sniff to Finch Rookie Bill Johnson proved to be Cardinals demonstrated the m ost «Hll a big oomph man for the New Friendly and affable in all other in laying down bunts, being tops in York Yankees the past season and ivays. Robert Finch, form er vice­ sacrifices w ith 172, as against 123 for the third baseman is credited with president of farms for the Cardinals Detroit, 121 for Cleveland and 119 for doing much to keep up the Bomb­ who moved over to the Dodgers, Cincinnati, other teams using the ers’ spirits during the pennant then became head o f file USO in S t method w ith most success. drive and copping the world’s cham­ Louis, frowns when someone offers Similarly, individual honors on the of­ pionship. him a cigar.

And he has a p er­ fense were monopolized by National Bill's daily pep talks were classics. fectly good reason of long standing.

League representatives. F or example, One of them, along the lines of Once when Bob sailed from New Stan Musia1 hit 257 against 328 for “A ll right, fellows, let’s bear dpwn York to France, a friend opened a L uke Appling, the junior circuit leader; ©ut there,” prompted a veteran to box of cheroots. Bob smoked one had total bases of 347, os compared w ith retort: “I am bearing down. What th e first night out and it proved a 301 for Rudy York; total of 220 hits to do you th in k I’m doing?” nerve smoother— fo r awhile. Then 200 for Dick Wakefield; 48 doubles to 38 To which the irrepressible John­ a storm blew up. the sea became for Wakefield and 20 triples to 12 for son replied: “Well, bear down a lit­ rough— an d so did Bob. A s a re ­ John U n d ell and Wally Moses, who tle harder, then.” sult, he hasn’t smoked a cigar since. were tied. Arks- Vaughan of the Dodgers scored 112 runs to 102 for George Case

ta le lla w hen he broke into the majors w ith the Senators.

Here Bobby is shaking hands w ith C uban A m bassador Dr. Guillermo Patterson Y d e Janregui. N e x t i s Joe Cam bria, w ith C lark Griffith, W ashington owner, on the right. the Venezuelan, whom he discov­ ered pitching- w hining ball in the Cuban League.-. Cambria finally signed Carrasquel to a Washington contract as they sat on a park bench in Havana one day.

This year, particularly, the Nats are in no position to tu rn down any players w ith ability. The loss of tal­ ent to tile arm ed service has made the draft-exem pt C ubans a valuable commodity. And no longer is the prejudice against the L atins notice­

able. The fan in the stands demands only a good performance.

Big Ortiz has ‘lad an embarrassing lime of i t in his previous trials w ith the N ats He w as clum sy in the outfield and a sucker for a curve ball. B ut in M ontreal he w as one of the top hitters of th e league, and had the best throw ing arm of any outfielder in the league. Griffith, who always liked the big kid. thinks he’s a sure-shot to be a regular with the N ats this year.

By Joe Williams In t h e N ew York W orld-Telegram

Army D octor Telia Wily 4-Fs Are Not W anted A n a m e a t h l e t e w i l l b e c a lle d i n b y h i s d r a f t b o a r d , e x a m in e d a n d to s s e d b a c k b e c a u s e o f a m in o r p h y s ic a l d is a b ility . A w e e k l a t e r h e w i l l b e r u n n i n g 60 y a r d s f o r a to u c h d o w n , h i t t i n g a b a s e b a ll o u t o f t h e p a r k o r la n d in g a k n o c k o u t i n a r i c h b o u t i n t h e G a r d e n .

T h is in v a r ia b ly p r o m p ts t h e in n o c e n t b y s t a n d e r s t o a s k p o in te d q u e s tio n s , q u e s tio n s m ix e d w i t h a s to n is h m e n t, c u r io s ity a n d s k e p ti­ c ism . E v id e n tly a g r e a t n u m b e r o f t h e s e q u e s tio n s h a v e b e e n d i­ r e c te d a t W a sh in g to n . I n a n y e v e n t, W a s h in g to n h a s a n n o u n c e d t h e a p p o in tm e n t o f a P r e s i d e n ti a l c o m m is s io n to r e c a l l a n d r e v ie w th e 4 -F g r o u p w h ic h w o u ld in c lu d e t h e n a m e a th l e t e s w h o w e r e r e j e c t e d b e c a u s e o f f l a t f e e t, p e r f o r a te d e a r d r u m s a n d te m p e r a m e n ta l u lc e rs.

A p ro p o s o f t h e s itu a tio n , w e t h i n k y o u w ill f in d t h e fo llo w in g c o m m e n ts o f i n t e r e s t f r o m a n A r m y d o c to r, w h o f o r o b v io u s re a s o n s w is h e s t o r e m a in a n o n y m o u s : “ I e x a m in e i n p s y c h ia tr y a n d n e u r o lo g y a t t h e G r a n d C e n tr a l in ­ duction center. This work gives me m uch leeway in sizing u p the individual, as a whole, w ith respect to his usefulness in th e Arm y. Simply being here in the atmosphere enables me to pick up considerable information.

“A t the outset m ay I state that conscription in the past, a s of now and in tho future, never did and never w ill provide fo r th e sym pathetic approach. It m ust be d e a r to all th at the A rm y has only one objective: w inning the war.

No m atter how W ashington revises file d raft law, you can bet y o u r life that any draftee who is recalled, re-exam ined and rejected can be definitely written off as a liability.

Trivial Defect Might Prove Big Drawback “ Your readers should bear in m ind th a t a. champion in civilian life might easily be a complete draw back in action. A punctured eardrum, for instance, may appear to be a trivial physical defect which, under ordinary circumstance^ no one will question, b u t when the punctured eardrum is considered in terms of front line action, file medical approach m ust be d ifferen t I f we could be certain the enemy would refrain from using poison gas. a punctured eardrum would n o t be looked upon as a serious defect—b u t how can o u r authorities be certain of the enemy’s intentions? Subjected to a gas attack, a m an with a punctured eardrum couldn’t hope to survive serious and possibly fatal damage to his brain. Thus rig h t off he would b e a detrim ent to h is outfit.

“As for ulcer cases. I think I can speak w ith authority, and you can rest ensured sympathy has played no p a rt in rejecting such cases. D iet and freedom from w orry will keep these cases fairly symptom-free, b u t o u r statistics show there is almost invariably a recurrence when these cases, having been accepted as ‘healed.’ are later subjected to the stress an d strain of m ilitary life. This being the case, do you think I, fo r one, would ever induct a m an who is afflicted in this m a n n e r? '

Erring Is on Side of Liberality ‘T o sum up, it is my thought, based on m y experiences here a t the induction center, that if w e e rr a t all It is on the side o f liberality; in o th er words, we have been accepting too m any doubtful cases, probably in th e optimism that n atu re somehow w ill take care of them.

“That is why I say recalling the 4-Fs for re-exam ination is unwise. This is the Inst group which should be tapped. Scarcely any of these 4-Fs would be reaccepted, and the few th at m ight would be a detrim ent.0

^

___

Trig Speaker Roams Field of Former Glories if

;S "

Reveals Giants passed Him Up U Free Agent

,

S p in n in g W ith S p o k e

•

-•

#i.„ Span c— - o f v Through the Years-I X

X

fib

.•N*

z-

p^iures S n odgrass IKdnU lS»erv« *Goat’ R atin g ; ' - -Calls Cobb G re a te s t,

>

z c

W ARD M O R E H O U S E

CLEVELAND, O. *Tcs Cobb w as th e greatest g n looked a t / ' said T ris Speak ‘ff as v c sat in th e 4 an d 20 B ar 2 the Hotel C arter. 'T h e re have keen some b etter ‘fielders—say, like Bap Felsch—and som e b e tttf Crowers—take Jo e Jackson, fo r totaoce—but w hen everything is cBoidered th ere has n ev er been t ann in baseball to eq u al Ty*

« weakness a t bat. i t w as filch r i ^ t through th e m iddle, because Ie was hitting late.** •Hi, Tris!" called a friendly Clevelader from across th e room . ''H ey, t e e . Speaker!** greeted another, f t e r s t e steel business?" « , « **Bi jiT ris!"

The binous Texan, w ho has been ■ore o r less m aking h is hom e in Q ev eknd since he won th e w orld’s pmship (their one and only) fo r the fctfiins in 1920. tu rn ed to m e w ith Insd grin: *Tbat’s what I ’m in now , s le d . Ani fin loving i t Fve got a le t of friends ■wnd h ^ ; F ve been v e ry lucky. feM the liquor business fo r awhile, bet it didn’t w'crk o u t Fm now a m ant e t urer's agent fo r th e Rotary Elecfck Steel Company of D etroit so d am hay as hell. G ot a partner, too. It’s As ^leaker-Bissell p a rtn e r^ 'p .

Fimny. I still like to see all ^ games I OO, but I have n o desire to b e ccmaided with baseball again."

It was the cocktail hour; th e 4 and 20 fiir was tUHng up. It seemed th a t sm y third o r fo u rth person coming sn 'it waved a greeting a t the m an who SSI the greatest outfielder th e game bes ever known. We got back to th e abject of Cobb: first m et T y in Boston in IMT. He SP R : . ( 7 . K l S;' 3PE A K ER yaa already g reat in 1907, b u t I bad • .f'6'V •( A ) • i 0 0 d • • i . }mt come up and d id n 't get a contract far 190S and w ent to th e Southern league. Fve know n T y weU fo r all V i S f l l N C T O N ( A) these years, and w hat a ball player D E L P R M (>.) \)Z? he was! As a base ru n n er I never saw A. him go o u t o f his w ay to c u t a m an’s | ' C R £ . % I E 5 7 C I S T RF ? r ELD? R OF HJA off. b u t he read th e ru le books.

LI FFT : M E M A j n p LEAGUE 8 » t T ! S 0 Re knew th a t th e paths belonged to Cf CF 3 4 4 M S.'* GER IN v 2 0. the runner."

I Dickson ^‘G reatest N atural R itter" C L E V E t A - N D >» 0 n. I T S f J R S I Another great player, in Speaker’s i^’i.N N .A S T A^X) WORLD CH i . MP l Ci SS Hl P hook. was Jo e Jackson.

"You've heard it before, b u t le t me a y it again: Jackson w as baseball's ^ F O K £ --S T IU l-, O O I N G -^ T HALL c /F A M E .-P L -A Q U E , l a t e s t n atu ral hitter." said Tris. **You ■raply couldn't fool him. . . . W hat a T f e i S v iiih K A T E . and T E D Coopersfo wffj N .Y. VODderfut club th a t 1919 W hite Sox t e n was! You see, they had a great could m n bases. Not so f ^ b u t he Ban for each position and you faced led Sox w ent on to win. B ut I m ust knew how. , . . One of th e greatest yracU'eaUy the sam e line-up every day. insist that n either Snodgrass n o r M erkle SpeiUfer’s AU-Tune Team fielders was Johnny MostU and there's They all w ent r i ^ t through th e season, should have the blame for losing th at Almost an All-American nobody around today better than T erry Tiro other g reat clubs w ere Connie ame. M erkle could have caught my Moore, when he w as w ith th e C ar­ Kick's players of 1912 an d our own Red oui easily; they ju st yelled him out of Asked by W ard Morehouse to dinals. I think Jo e DiMaggio is a great Sox of UiaC year. A s >'ou know, we beat ie play." nam e his all-tim e team, T ris Speak­ player.

My only criticism of him as a CoDaic out, and then we took care o f Did you know th at T ris Speaker once e r grinned. center fielder w as th at he played too the Giants, b u t w e had a hell of n tim e pegged for a jo b w’ith the New York "A ny such team th a t I pidk has deep. W hat a wonderful throw er he is! doing iL" Hants? H e had been sold to th e Boston to be about 90 p er cent American H arry Hooper and Duffy Lewis were And now there is a pause, the lights ed S o x 'b y Houston in 199T, b u t when leaguers," he replied.

"B ut, if you ju st as good as you ever heard they Ire lowered, to denote a tim e ^ p s e ; Soston didn’t ask him to stay fo r 190I, inrist . . . were. Look into the record books some We flash back to th a t tum ultuous Octo­ ie began rustling around for a job.

"Well, rd p u t Cochrane as my time and sec the num ber of assists we ber in 1912. W e have reached the final T w ent to M arlin," continued Tris, catcher and W alter Johnson as m y used to make. inning of the game to d e d d e th e cham - and to ld McGraw th at I was a free pitcher, of course. F d p u t Hal "Pitchers? Vean Gregg, the old Cleve­ Ptcnship. the inning in w hich Fred agent and th at I v e n ted to join the Chase on first— greatest of them alL land lefthander, had the greatest curve Snodgrass m uffed th e fly zn center Giants. B ut he said be had no place r d lake Eddie Collins a t second. b a il Staoley Coveloski was a fine field. . . . T ristram Speaker taUang: b r m e. I did everything I could, bu t W agner a t short and Jim m y Col­ pitcher.

The Indians' should have won T don't believe i f s ever been pub­ couldn’t get him to change his mind. lins a t third. I saw ju st enough of again in 1921, b u t Jack Q uinn h it a lished—at least. F ve never seen it— so I began wiring everybody I Imew Jim m y Collins to convince m e th a t home ru n in Septem ber that ruined us. fiat the ball h it to Snodgrass in th at and landed a job w ith Mike Finn's h e w as th e best. B ut when you’re To me, control is pitching to a dcunatic inning w as no t ju s t a fly J ttle Rock club.” thinking of fine third basemen, don’t and not ju st putting th e ball over the b lit It s^*a$ a h alf line drive an d not The G ray Eagle paused, so iled and forget B uck Weaver, plate. Johasm an d H atty had great •a eas>- catch. F re d came in fo r th e sipped bls highball.

"T he outfidd’s easy—Cobb, R uth control; so did an underhand thrower bin and it w as a low catch. H e bump­ Credits Cy Young fo r Seasoning Him and Joe Jackson." named Carl Mays. Remember?" ed his elbow w ith h is knee an d drop­ I had a swell y ear in 1908,” h e re ­ Carl Mays, of course, whose pitch in ped the ball and became the Series sumed, "T he Southern League w as very 1920 ended th e life of Ray Chapman. ^ t , which he n ev er deserved to be. ast and I led i t by hilling JSO. The now jammed, and it buzzed with 6 p. rn. Q eveland shortstop, Speaker said *Tvc forgotten th e exact sequence, Southern and Texas really rated AAA cocktail chatter. T ris Speaker and I bot when I came to b a t i t w as one out a t th a t tim e. Why. I think the South­ had a far-coraer table and, under my softly: " I c a l l a t Chappie that day as be feU. ^ Malty w as pitching. I n ever did ern, from th a t 1908 season, sent 14 o r 15 relentless intejrogation, he talked on, We all Imew he was badly h u rt. Chap­ much trouble w ith M atty, I a1- ilayera to the big leagues, and* they quietly: pie leas n o t a great hitter, b u t be bad y y s hit !um hard in exhibition tours, stayed. Anyway, by the tim e the sea­ "T he pitcher who gave roe th e rnost everything else." . . . He paused and bot this time, w ith th e count two and son was over, a lot of cluhs were trying trouble? Doc W hite of the W hile Sox. he had a new subject: "Do you realize ooVf I hit an easy fouL .The w ind was buy me. including the Giants. B ut A sm art lefthander. I h it line drives off th at not a catcher o r a third baseman Wowing. Marty hoUercd fo r Chief lack to the Red Sox I went. has been named to the turn, b u t I couldn't get them safe and he of m odem ■eyers to take i t b u t the wind pulled T w as b y n o m eans a finished out- knew I couldn’t . . . I th in k present- pall of Fame? Surely Bresaahan be­ « ball a^-ay from the Chief. Fred elder w hen I started in the American longs, and right now."

Ktrkle had been chased aw ay b y M atty .eague. I give Cy Young all th e c re d it day pitchers b u m themselves out by T ris Speaker of Inverm ere Road, not getting enough work.

Why, fdlow s J te Me> ers and th e ball fell in th e first- I learned to w atch batten; by watching down in th e Southern League used Q eveland, and the game’s Hall of Fame, t e e coachcr's box. A t th a t m om ent I Cy pitch. I didn't start w ith th e crack still keeps a home and a farm a t Hub­ at Marty, T o o k s like coaching of the hat, I started before th e ball was to work evaiy third day, and they loved bard, Tex. He has five sisters living i t And th in k about the Boston Braves b * UTong m an has cost you t i c diasi* h i t . . . A nother thing about old Cy— there and he goes down every winter PWiship.’ be had great patience w ith m e and be­ of 1914—Rudolph. Jam es and Tyler! to look things over. H e is now In great *T was a good base-runner and would went to work on m e again, w ork- lieved in me and h e would h it fungoes health and spirits, although he was ^ c v e f u ll y , and gave m e the fadeaway to m e fo r 30 m'lnules a day. A wonder­ steal a l o t b u t Cobb and Eddie Collins close lo death three times in recent would bo stealing so m any m y totals ™ I hit a line single to rig h t field. ful pitcher and a wonderful m an." years—twice from illness an d once T he Hotel C:arter’s 4 and 20 B ar w’as were never noticed. F ran k Chance *ou know w hat happened th en . The

>

I

P O N O -

C O E L IN E " from a m ultiple fracture o f the A u lt, sustained in a fall from his upstair* porch. "Everybody," be w ill now tell you, "except th e doctor and Mrs. Speak­ e r and myself, thought I was gone."

T ris has been in th e steel b u sin e ^ since 1937, maintatna hU headquartes* in C levd^zd, and his territoiy is th e state o f Ohio. He still enjoys h it h unt­ ing and gets in considerA lc pheasant b o o tin g every aeavm. One o f his memorable big game hunts was tsk cn w ith T y Cobb in the wilds of Wyom­ ing, v/orking o u t c f Cody. T y got rn brown bear and T ris a grizzly, "The biggest kick I get these days it having kids come u p and speak to me —kids w ho'w eren’t even bom when I quit." Speaker said. "That’s th e won­ derful thing about F w b a tl, i s i ’t UT . . . I still love golf and I gcneraUy shoot in the m iddle seventies. . . . Fve kno«7z a lot of wonderful sports w rit­ ers in m y time, b u t I guess C ranny Rice is the g r e a t s o f all—and he’s one of my closest friends. He always has been more of a reporter of sports than a critic.

"We’ve had some great fans from your friends in t h e 'theater, such people a t George M. Coban and Ethel Barrymore, . . . Also Will Rogers and Julia Sander­ son and Fred Stone. . . . Will Rogers and I used to rope together. One of the great Americans, wasn’t he? . . .

How are m y St. Louis frieid s. Fred Lieb and Taylor Sptnk? . . . Cleveland?

Me? I t isn 't th at I lika th e town eo much; i f s th at I know a lot of fine people," And one of them , to T ris Speaker’s notion, came into t e 4 and 20 B ar a t that very moment and joined u s a t the far-com er table. The name? Frazzccs Cudahy. Euffalo-bom, who, in 1925, be­ came the bride of Tristram Speaker of Hubbard. T e x , greatest outfielder c t them aU.

THE SPORTING

NEWS, JANUARY

6, 194 4

Fighters Resent Moves to Curb Sports-Feller Wilson Starts 4 th T erm on New Deal Note C u b P ilo t S aid to P la n M ore O rth o d o x P o lic y ; T e a m S tro n g o n P a p e r

Harold Takes Hand in Havana High-Jinks

C le v elan d P itc h e r , In N avy, Sayg S e rv ic e m e n F a v o r C o m p e titiv e A th le tic s

By ED MCAULEY CLEVELAND, O. Add to til* long list of servicemen who believe ti int the prosecution of the war and the continuation of competitive sports a rs not incompatible the name of Robert William Andrew Feller, chief petty officer in the United States Navy and erstwhile ball player of consider­ able distinction.

The Indians’ great young pitcher m ight be said to have something more than academic interest in the health of the body athletic, bu t when he protests against the opponents of sports in war­ time, ha say* he speak* for servicemen generally.

-"The most obvious and biggest peeve among servicemen,** Bob said in a letter to this correspondent, "is directed to those who are attem pting to scuttle competitive athletics. More power to you fellows In a position to fight this narrow-minded group. I t probably is composed of the same people who ask­ ed why Pearl Harbor was fa r out in the Pacific and who said it had no busi­ ness being so far from home.”

Although Feller has been on active duty for many m onths and his w ar­ ship reportedly has been on* of the busiest of tile Navy units in various theaters, the Ypeed king has managed to keep track of the affairs of the Indians.

“I have been receiving clippings from your column all along.” he wrote.

With these and the articles in Tax Scrum*c News, I feel quite w ell u p on the baseball situation around Cleveland.

Naturally, I sorely miss the club, the

By ED BURNS CHICAGO, IIL Jimmie Wilson** third contract as manager of the Chicago Cub* expired at midnight, December 31. There was lot of bell ringing, whistle tooting and horn blowing a t .the time, and some of it, no doubt, wa* in celebration of the beginning of Jim’s fourth term as the Cub skipper—a term which began a t 12:01, January 2, 1944. Wilson was not In Chicago, however, thus missing the chance to pose for chs of those signing picture*. You know, Jim and Phil seated a t a big. shiny desk and Jim Gal­ lagher, general manager, beaming hap­ pily over their shoulders.

Though Wilson blew this grand op­ portunity for photography, he. I* be­ lieved to have been acutely conscious o f the bewitching hour of midnight, New Year’s eve, wherever he was. in Florida or Philadelphia or some place.

Not only was there no signing pic­ tu re. but no one took the trouble to w rite a stirring New Year's resolution piece purporting to present Wilson’s vow* for the Cub* in 1944. Possibly this standard bit of journalism, In this case, wa* sidetracked as being a bit ob­ vious. Jim could have only one resolu­ tion—to lift the Cubs out of the second division, where they have been ever Sick Opposes Bis: Lea Rue since the G. & W. regime began. And Clubs on Pacific Coast It mi gilt not be too tough a resolu­ SEATTLE, ’Wadi.—No m a j o r tion to fulfill, a t th a t The Cubs, thanks league franchise will be transferred to the successful 1943 teams in Nash­ to Pacific Coast League territory, ville and Los Angeles, go Into the New If Emil Sick, owner of the Seattle Year as good a* any team, on paper. club, has anything to say about it.

Moreover, Wilson Is said to have been Branding as ‘‘fantastic”-th e propos­ really surprised over his retention for als th at a couple of the wheel’* cit­ rn fourth term. and determined to aban­ ies m ight be included in the big don some of his confusing mastermind­ leagues, Sick told Leo Lassen, Seat­ in g , for an orthodox policy which will tle writer: lift the team out of the ru t In which “If the Pacific Coast is to be in it has -wallowed the last three seasons.

Too much heavy thinking, instead of big league baseball in our time, it not enough, has been the m ain reason w ill be so as a th ird big league. for the Cub flops in recent years, ac­ That’s obviously more feasible, from cording to the belief of many ob­ sectional, operational and strictly servers. business standpoints than having McCullough Goes Into Navy two or three d u b s from this area in The tekm still hasn’t suffered so ter­ transcontinental competition, with ribly m uch from Uncle Sam’* demands the others given the' run-around." ainee the loss of Ila ace pitcher, Hi Sick favors leaving the Padfic Bilhom, the m ajor leagues’ shutout Coast League as it is, unless the king, shortly after the close of the sea­ Sacramento franchise is moved to son. Clyde McCullough w as inducted Vancouver, B. C. He says the B rit­ Into the Navy the last day of 1943, but ish Columbia metropolis has the . the noisy, aggressive catcher no longer necessary population, is baseball rated ss the team’s first-stringer. He hungry and would be an added was a resident of the Wilson doghouse attraction as an international con­ almost continuously after he recovered tender. from the leg fracture which he suffered his first time a t bat on opening day of the 1943 season. He did not help his fellows and the game, bu t we are out cause any when he became the main here trying to get it over, so that holds protestant over Wilson’s runout on the precedent over all else, regardless of City Series. It was Clyde who first our personal likes and dislikes.” declared C opt Stanley Hack had con­ L etter Only News of Week ducted a poll of the players on the City Ironically, this letter from F eller— Scries and had tossed ou t the ballots farthest removed from Cleveland of all when Hack and Wilson discovered the the Indians—was the closest thing to rank and file of the players were not news available in these parts during the afraid to play the White Sox. holidays. The front office has heard So, if the Navy hadn't got Clyde, the occasionally from its hirelings, most of Cub bench probably’would have. Mc­ whom are working in w ar plants, but Cullough is an aggressive, fine athlete, if the Tribesmen already not inducted and. With the dose of discipline he will have been notified' of proximity to that get in the service, he is sure to come event, they have neglected to inform bock as one of tile best catchers In the the club authorities. business.

B ut lf Publicist Dan Taylor was u n ­ The departure of McCullough leaves able to make any holiday contribu­ the Cubs w ith three catchers, Mickey tions to hot stove discussions, the same Livingston ranking os the No. I re­ could not be said of the draft board ceiver. The other two are Bill Holm in Southbridge, Mas*. That body last of th* 1913 Angels and Al Krcilner, a week summoned for induction one-half kid from the Nashville Vols, who holds of the Indians' catching staff, red-head­ a n honorable discharge from the Army. ed, well-liked Gene Desautels. The vet­ The White Sox celebrated New Year’s eran maskman—he’ll be 36 next Ju n e 13 quietly and soon will send out contracts, —was to take his final exam this week. ju st as quietly, no doubt. The Sox have Desautels is the father of two childre.! never made a ceremonial of contract and is the type of player th at one doesn’t mailing, and ar* not likely to change readily think of when he lists the the policy this year, w hat w ith the new Tribal daddies likeliest to be called to uncertainties o f . the m ilitary require­ camp. It is possible, of course, that like ments. With Luke Appling in the so many other athletes, Desautels will Army, there’s not likely to be anything be found wanting physically when the exciting about th* Sox’ contractural draft board medicos get to work. Ho processes. Luke usually supplied a bit broke a leg aeason before last and It hr o f suspense by making out that he had possible th at the Injury left him w ith mailed Ms contract to a mail order soma disqualifying tfterm ath, although house o r had left It in his other suit, non* was risible In his performance ate., w ith always an underlying threat last season. that h* was seriously holding o u t B u t I f Desautels doe* go Into the Army, to repeat, good old Luke Is In the Army the T rib e s catching staff will consist pow. of W arren (Buddy) R osar-period.

HAROLD PARROTT, now w ith the Dodgers, formerly covered the New York G iants as a Brooklyn new spaperm an. He is shown a t the left in this picture, taken in Sloppy Joe's, Havana, during the G iants' training trip to C uba in 1937. Next to Parrott, from left in the picture, the other w riters are: Tom Meany. Jerry Mitchell, G arry Schumacher, Dan Parker, John Ebinger and the late Bill Slocum, w hile the scribe getting the scalp treatm ent is Ken Smith.

L o o p in g

th e

Lo o p s

his portable, too, becoming an almost regular contributor to T ot Sposmxe Newt, as well as The Saturday Evening Post, This W eek Magazine and several other periodicals. A t the*end of that first season on the road w ith the G iants WHAT T H IS -A &AU. C IU S O K A OWW

O f TANNIS BALU

By J. G . T A Y L O R SPINK (CONTINUED FROM PAGE I ) old man. And when P arrott passes up a steak, the Mahatma can be assured that ie Ims reformed, for Harold is one of h e most voradous trencherm en of a profession which has been renowned or its forksmen. His nam e is Parrott, ju t Iris appetite is th at of an ostrich.

In fact, P arrott’s first extra curricular jublicity as a baseball w riter came not rom bis pen, b u t from his g u lle t When Childe Harold was traveling w ith the Giants in 1935, tales of his capadty reached the ears of the late Jack Ryder, no mean operator around a dining table limself. W henever the Giants reached Cincinnati, Ryder would devote a note or two to P arrott's deeds over the dam­ ask in his daily column in Hie Cincin­ nati Enquirer. Cincinnati, then as now, is a town where an appetite is appre­ ciated and Harold w as on his way to national fame. O r National League ame, anyway.

C h ild e H a r o ld a P ro d ig y P a r r o t t e n te r s t h e B r o o k ly n o r ­ g a n iz a tio n w ith s o m e th in g o f a r e p u ta tio n a s a c h ild p ro d ig y . H e e n te r e d D e L a S a lle S c h o o l a t th e a g e o f 5, S t J o h n ’s H ig h a t l l a n d w o n h is M a s te r o f A r t s d e ­ g r e e a t 2 1 . H is jo u r n a lis tic c a r e e r b e g a n a t th e a g e o f 7, w h e n h e became class reporter for the De La Salle Bulletin.

Early in life, the energetic nature of Childe Harold demanded additional out­ lets, and, a t the age of 12, he opened a kiltie and shrimp business a t the back door of his home.

His spirit of adventure led young Parrott to take an active interest in w ater sports, and this, in turn, caused him to have a p art in the building of the Crossbay Bridges. When only 12, Harold m aneuvered a small outboard boat across Jamaica Bay, carrying three surveyors who took measurements for the first piles to be driven for tile bridge.

• • • T h r o u g h th e R e v o lv in g D o o r P a r r o t t g r a d u a te d f r o m S t.

J o h n ’s U n iv e r s ity i n B r o o k ly n in 1928, a t t h e t e n d e r a g e o f 19.

T h e r e w a s a t t h a t tim e a n a ffin ity b e tw e e n S t. J o h n ’s a n d t h e s p o rts w r itin g tr a d e . J i m M u r p h y o f th e B ro o k ly n E a g le . BiLl M c C u llo u g h o f t h e B r o o k ly n T im e s , T o m Meany of the World-Telcgrnm. Eddie Dooley o f The Sun and Edward M. C ar­ row of th e Standaxd-Union w ere for­ m er S t John’s mer. who had ventured into sports writing.

A fter his betting coup, P arrott han­ dled general sp jrts assignments on the Eagle until midway In the training trip of 1933, when he was ordered to

I#

<•

Parson’s Pipeline A colored preacher, after talking to his congregation about free sal­ vation, asked Brother H enry to take up the collection, relates Rogers Hornsby,, general m anager o f the F o rt W orth Texas League d u b .

A parishioner arose to p ro test “Parson,” h e e x p o s t u l a t e d , “Z thought you said salvation w as as free as th e w ater w e drink.”

“Salvation is free. Brother,” re ­ plied the minister, “and so is water.

B ut when w e pipes it to you, you have to pay for the.piping.”

WHILE TRAVELING w ith th e G ian ts, P a rro tt a lw a y s ca rried se v e ra l te n n is rack ets.

he found time to m airy Miss Josephine Brady on October IO, 1935. They hav* two boys; Teddy (nee Harold, J r J , Coral Gables to replace Tommy Holmes, aged 6, and Lynn, aged 4 / • • • who had resigned. The late Abe Ya­ ger, a charter m em ber of th e Baseball C o lu m n G r o w s i n B r o o k ly n W riters’ Association and a m an who ia n t c o r­ had guided the footsteps of m any a r e sPpaornr do et tn’st fc oa rr e ae r Barso oa kG ly n p a p e r young w riter, had been sports editor of w a s p r o g r e s s in g s w im m in g ly u n ­ the Eagle fo r three decades, b u t after t i l t h e m i d d l e o f t h e 1937 se a so n , his death, sports editors came and went w h e n t h e E a g le a b s o r b e d Hie w ith such rapidity th at there w as seri­ B r o o k ly n T im e s -U n io n a n d H a r ­ ous talk o f equipping the sports de­ o l d w a s n a m e d a s s p o r ts e d i t o r o f partm ent w ith a revolving door. t h e s o u ffle . H e d i d n 't t a k e k in d ly One of til esc Johnny-com e-lalelys to his executive duties and w ent back questioned Holmes’ copy so often that to writing, when the editorial tasks were Tommy got fed up and quit, becom­ taken over by Jim m y Wood. Harold ing possibly the only m an in these didn’t h it the road again u n til the last United States to resign during a na­ western trip of tire Dodgers in 1939, tional bank holiday. P a rro tt replaced when Tommy Holmes sustained a him, finished th e training season w ith broken ankle during some festivities the Dodgers and traveled all th at year aboard L arry M acPhail’s yacht, tho w ith them . H e also covered th e 1934 Mariposa. training trip of the Dodgers a t Orlando, From then on, P a rro tt kept his hand b u t w hen ti ta t season w as ready to in w ith occasional road trips, blossom­ start. Holmes was rehired on the ing forth as a columnist in 1941. Among Eagle and P arro tt returned to general Brooklyn's 3,000.000 residents, he has • sports assignments. trem endous following. When Branch • • • Rickey, Jr.. came to Brooklyn to work B a ffle d E d d ie B r a n n ic k under MacPhail, Harold became very I t d id n ’t t a k e t h e E a g le b r a in - friendly w ith th e newcomer and out t r u s t lo n g to r e a liz e t h a t th e y h a d of this friendship th ere naturally de­ n o t o n e . b u t tw o e x tr e m e ly c a ­ veloped a friendship w ith the Mahatma p a b le b a s e b a ll w r i t e r s o n th e himself.

Rickey, the elder, saw organizational s p o r ts s ta ff a n d i n 1935. P a r r o t t w a s tr a v e lin g w i t h tile G ia n ts . H e talent in P a rro tt and over a year ago s u f f e r e d f r o m a n im m a tu r e a p ­ attem pted to lu re him into the Mon­ p e a r a n c e a n d f r e q u e n t ly w a s e m ­ tague street lamasery, b u t Harold barrassed by fans who'- mistook him wasn’t to be had a t th at tim e. Event­ for the G iant m ascot ually, and inevitably, the Mahatma’* A constant source of amazement to oratorical persuasiveness wore him Eddie Brannick, Giant secretary, was down. In his new post, P arro tt won’t Parrott's penchant fo r carrying tennis entirely forsake h is typew riter, for ha rackets on road trips. Brannick thought w ill edit the house organ o f tile Dodg­ he had seen everything w ith the w rit­ ers. ers, b u t th is was a new one. The Childe Oddly, enough, tile story of which Harold was as energetic as th e average P arrott is proudest is his scoop that w riter w as sedentary. It w as Sid M er­ the M ahatma was coming to Brooklyn. cer, traveling w ith th e G iants for the Harold, in the Brooklyn Eagle in July* New York American in those days, who 1942, long before there w as any talk called P arro tt the Brooklyn Bonfire. of MacPhail returning to khaki, haz­ P arrott’s activities w ere n o t confined arded the p rin ted opinion that th* to tennis, swimming and basketball, Rickeys, p ater et filius, would soon be throe sports in which he was a n eager reunited in the fro n t office of the p articip an t H e did a full-tim e job on Dodgers. And it was even 60 .

Redbirds Yield to Reds

f W -

Errors Rare fo r This Senior Loop Pair

, M c K c c h n ie ’* T e a m G u i l t y o f O n l y 1 2 3 B o b b l e s ; . ^ R id d le C h a r g e d W i t h F i r s t B o o t i n F o u r Y e a r s '*&■

zCt z

A lth o u g h S t. L o u is r a n off w ith m ost o f th e b a ttin g a n d p itc h in g honors, th e official N ational L eag u e a v e ra g e s sh o w th e second-place C incinnati R ed s w e re su p rem e in fielding skill, n o t o n ly in th e ir o w n loop. b u t in b o th m a jo rs. T h e R eds m ade o n ly 123 e r r o rs a n d finished th e season w ith th e lo fty a v e ra g e o f .980.

T h e ch am p io n C ard in als, h o w ev er, h e ld th e ru n n e r-u p p o sitio n in fielding, w ith .976, fo u r p o in ts I b e h in d C in cin n ati. T h e n e x t five tea m s w e re so closely b u n c h e d t h a t a postage sta m p could h av e c o v e re d th e differen ce in th e ir averages, w ith ' th e H K . ..

G ian ts, P ir a te s a n d C ubs b ein g tie d fo r th ir d spot!

Rrftfcw a t .973, a n d th e D odgers a n d B rav es being only ?A-V» £ OB point low er, w ith .972. D esp ite th is sm a ll difference, th e re w as a wider spread b e tw e e n th e first a n d la s t fielding te am s in th e N a­ tional League th a n in t h e A m erican , th e R eds show ing a n 11-point w y'tt over the Phillies, while only a five-point gap separated the Red Sox, ATR'.fielding leaders, with 376, and the Senators, who were last, with .97L ^iA.fonnidable team could be made up of National League fielding leaders ' ii. the various positions, consisting of players who took part In at least IOO fMKS. The lineup: Elbie Fletcher, Pirates, first base; Loony Frey, Reds, second blae; Eddie Miller. Reds, shortstop; Merrill May, Phillies, third base; Danny litihfier, Cardinals, Tommy Holmes, Braves, and Jim Russell. Pirates, out­ fields; Al Lopez, Pirates, and Tommy Livingston, Cubs, catchers, the two backstops being tied at .991. i:1Eddie Slanky. Chicago second baseman, and the American Association’s

3

M

v. ►

Z

c ► M < 04

Boet valuable p la y e r , f o r 1942, c a m e o u t o f th e 1943 s e a s o n w ith o n e re c o rd h e - m fr r : t- t *------------------------- — M

Litwhiler Again H igh Among Flychasers W hen D a n n y L itw h ile r p a c e d N a tio n a l L e a g u e g a rd e n e rs i n fie ld in g w ith a a average o f 3 9 6 f o r 1943, i t m a r k e d t h e s e c o n d s u c c e ssiv e y e a r in w h ic h fee led th e F r i c k f ly c h a s e rs . H is o n ly b o b b le c a m e o n M ay 20, a n d g a v e him th e d is tin c tio n o f p la y in g i n 189 c o n s e c u tiv e g a m e s w ith o u t a m isp la y , a new r e c o rd f o r a m a jo r le a g u e o u tfie ld e r. H is s tr e a k b e g a n S e p te m b e r 17, 1941. I n 1942, D a n n y ’s l a s t f u l l s e a s o n w i t h th e P h illie s , h e h a n d le d 317 chances in IS I g a m e s w ith o u t a s in g le slip .

Would ju s t a s s o o n f o r g e t. H e m a d e th r e e e r r o r s in t h e e ig h th lim in g o f a J u n e DJINNY U T W B U K f t p i n e w ith d i e C a r d in a ls , ty in g a r e c o r d h e ld b y s e v e r a l p la y e rs.

BIDDLE Clyde K Ju ttz , B o s to n B r a v e c a tc h e r, a lso ti e d a r e c o r d b y c a tc h in g a g am e T h is .

G . PO. rn.

TC. D P . P c t.

P la y e r a n d C lub. aghast th * B r o o k ly n c lu b o n M a y 7 w i t h o u t . 'a fie ld in g ch an c e, w h ile K e n ; 941 St 9 us U R SI » Quae. M e l O tt’s le f th a n d e d p itc h e r o n t h e G ia n ts, h a d t h r e e a s s is ts i n o n e L . K lein , S t. L o u is__ 940 396 rn R 125 218 20 OO eru llo . C hicago ■fling in a g a m e a g a in s t t h e R e d s, A u g u s t 17, e q u a llin g a n o th e r o ld r e c o r d in M 41 230 24 rn R 61 133 G u stin e . P itts b u rg h ~ A e books.

932 R 12 19 2 H am ric k , P h ila d e lp h ia . ac « a 9X7 12 IM 16 G lossop.

B ro o k ly n — _ R 33 30 IOX . A fte r fie ld in g h i s p o s itio n w ith o u t a n e r r o r i n h is fir s t f o u r seaso n s w ith 20 203 28 901 R. 46 73 110 B re w ste r, P h ila d e lp h ia A e Reds, E lm e r B id d ie s h o w e d h e w a s o n ly h u m a n a f te r a ll, w h e n h e b o o te d j B a rk le y , B r o o k ly n -----994 37 7 SS R 18 22 • fe* first field in g c h a n c e , A u g u s t 3 , t h e b o b b le c o m in g in h is 103rd N a tio n a l O U TFIELD ER S le a g u e g am e.

D P. P c t.

PO. T. TC. T h rs . G .

A. P la y e r a n d C lub.

13 37 20 0 L0O0 0 R I S au er.

Chicago CLUB FIE L D IN G 1.000 0 26 0 23 35 1 D em aree.

S t.

L ouis•• a u h .

D P . T P . P B . LO B .

P c t. C olm an. P itts b u rg h c.

TC. A. EJ 1.000 0 27 27 0 0 ll Cincinnati .ORO B u sb y , P h ila d e lp h ia 0 6 4209 6282 0 25 0 3.000 355 293 1123 1950 124 IO 0 25 COCOLA a 2L—The Canal Z n rn Louis.

157 6217 25 0 1.000 183 0 13 1184 1788 151 .976 PaOco, C hicago 0 0 4278 33 25 -Y ork.

6243 .973 L ltw h U er. 34 Phila.-70 S t. L ouis R 996 League w as officially opened, December 140 0 1897 166 238 2 156 ll 1108 4180 104 225 u 1 Pittsburgh 993 .973 H olm es. B oston 157 3 3 159 0 1174 1890 370 6259 152 408 38 3 429 4199 L Chicago ----3 304 5 • 990 26, w ith two games scheduled, b u t on’iy 154 138 14 1172 1828 168 6152 .973 R ussell. P itts b u rg h — 134 285 16 0 4156 JR 972 B o rd ag ara y . B ro o k ly n Brooklyn __ 2 13 5966 53 07 94 989 one being played. A t the reno v a t ni 153 137 0 1192 4115 1683 168 0 1 -ft Barton ..........

7 149 4 338 153 139 2 1077 176 6391 .972 W o rk m an . B oston 310 22 0 4192 2023 -R M ount Hope Station, the Cristobal B il9ea Philadelphia .969 J . B a rre tt, P itts b u rg h 2 173 0 157 6 143 0 ll 1129 1788 189 6158 JL 99 165 4181 988 grays staged a five-run uprising in file 74 IO 2 169 2 157 J It M a y n a rd . N ew Y ork.

IN D IV ID U A L FIE L D IN G 7 985 seventh to defeat the Colon Taverners, 3 156 457 16 480 D lM aggio, P itts b u rg h -------F IR S T BA SEM EN 994 6 to I , behind the sevcn-hit pitching 5 6 320 1 113 309 E. A dam s. 6 S t. Louis-107 P h lia — f t 2 984 8 P lay e r a n d C lub.

139 298 5 311 TC. D P . P c t T ip to n , C in c in n ati T h rs . GPO. A. E. 0 9M of F ra n k San sosis. A t the Balboa S ta­ 2 61 31 58 1 M an. B ro o k ly n .

0 148 8 1.000 B u rn a. N ew Y o rk .

17 . _ .R 13 131 .996 M usts!. S t. Louis.982 dium, th e band had ju st finished play­ 7 398 4 141 15S 376 15 f e tc h e r . P itts b u rg h 6 1655 L 154 1541 108 982 6 334 4 .995 L o w rey. Chicago _ 113 13 4 896 51 315 McCarthy. B o sto n _ L 78 839 53 981 ing the Star-Spangled Banner an d the 12 7 368 3 •596 C a ta n , B rooklyn 124 347 I Parrel/. B o sto n . ..

793 61 L 69 7-10 SO 981 5 257 595 M arshall. C in c in n ati .

129 240 12 - 4 governor of th e Panama Canal. M ajor Sanders. S t. L o u is________ 71 7 1380 142 R 141 1302 980 G eneral Edgerton; the president of the 5 244 3 106 8 6 1247 231 lr. M cCorm ick. C in c in n a ti.

116 SOS G. W alk er. C in c in n ati. __ft.

R 120 1156 85 2 980 2 IOO 1 61 96 Reyes. N ew Y o rk -------------2 SOA N ovikoff. Chicago . __R R 38 340 351 25 9 2 98 0 980 league, M ajor General Stayer, and Ma­ 47 93 3 J993 G arm s. S L L o u is...

Haas. C in c in n a ti _______ R 44 354 3 409 46 42 978 jo r General Harding, commander of the J992 N icholson. Chicago 36 a 384 2 CamiJIi, B ro o k ly n -_______ 154 340 L 95 853 7 920 78 60 -ft 7 6 318 978 Mobile Forces, were ju s t about to walk 49 £02 N o rth e y . P h ila d e lp h ia 145 292 19 Orengo. N ew Y o rk .______ 61 6 797 _R R 82 730 45 0 978 18 43 I I Cordon, N e w Y o rk ------4 46 SOI H aas, C in c in n a ti -------R 41 423 452 25 977 o u t on th e field fo r th e opening cere­ a 177 I IO 62 73 165 4 Wasdcll. P h ila d e lp h ia _ .

L 82 749 815 .988' Ross. B o sto n 56 .988 R 73 714 D ahlgren. P h ila d elp h ia 46 9 769 66 mony w hen rain forced a postponement Schultz. B rooklyn R 45 286 6 27 -386| ■ -------------33 425 of th* game. .985; Cavar r e tta . Chicago L 134 1299 67 18 3375 103 .983 j Sansosti had little trouble in the At­ Becker. C hicago — R 18 161 3 179 15 3 L 27 173 6 195 .969 16 23 Hopp. S t. L o u is------lantic Side opener. H e pitched sh u t­ SECOND BA SEM EN out hall for six innings and after his D e s p ite th e d e p a r tu r e o f m a n y s t a r s in to t h e a r m e d fo rc e s, n o la c k o f TC. D P . P c t.

P la y e r a n d C lub.

T h rs .

G . PO. A. EJ team had spotted him five ru n s in thec la ss w a s s h o w n b y N a tio n a l L e a g u e fie ld e rs a n d , i n fa c t, t h e s e n io r m a jo r, 71 IWS R 12 32 I 'W illiam s. C in c in n a ti 38 5 seventh h e gave u p a ru n in the lower i n it s s ix ty - e ig h th se a so n , s e t a n e w h ig h f o r a le a g u e fie ld in g a v e ra g e , 974. .90S 144 399 461 13 873 -R 112 Frey. C in c in n a ti _ 2 22 37 63 102 J980 M artin. C hicago —_ IO -R half of the same frame, then blanked T h e f o r m e r m a r k w a s 973, e s ta b lis h e d i n 1533 a n d tie d n in e y e a r s la te r. T h e .978 2 Brow n. S t. L o u is 45 91 JR 19 44 9 le a g u e a lso s e t a n e w lo w f o r e r r o r s in th e 154-g a m e s c h e d u le —1,311—j u s t o n e the Campbells the rest of the way.

44 87 6 231 .974 _R 138 27 B ubeling, P itts b u rg h T erry Moore’s performance a t bat and .973 le s s th a n a y e a r b e fo re .

126 301 356 18 675 L. K lein. S t. L ouis......

99 -972 54 3 18 49 106 9 S tew art, P h ila d e lp h ia -R afield was the only bright spot in an 18 .971 117 291 631 322 69 H erm an. B ro o k ly n JR otherwise drab day for th e losers. T erry 18 76 .969 113 211 345 574 .JR M urtaugh. P h ila d e lp h ia 82 3 *76 77 37 3 .969 M ead.

N ew Y o rk ____ 2 _R 40 75 6 HS ' 196 23 G ustine. P i t t s b u r g h ----.976 rapped a double and a single in three 41 I 17 36 4 1 J968 H e rm a n sk i. B ro o k ly n JR 36 65 86 5 156 18 Fallon, S t. L ouis.

237 s n attempts. H is double came n ear being 1 12 6 IU 219 .967 O IL N ew Y o rk .

937 WUek. N ew Y o rk JR 153 401 505 31 90 s n the first home ru n of th e season, the 0 116 5 3 56 108 .966 W asdeU , P h i l a d e l p h i a _____ _R 131 362 416 27 805 78 Stanley. C hicago .

372 ball hitting close to the top of th e 355214 0 197 96 l l 0 T rip le tt, 6 SU Lou 15-90 P h ila . .962 306 21 Kl 41 IOO 224 Ryan. B oston _R SGO 3 117 300 9 319 IO _R -961 R u ck er. N ew Y ork -------------18 467 85 186 263 C oscarart. P itts b u rg h JR SGO foot left field walL Terry also contrib­ 2 20 291 262 9 138 J960 F .

W alk er.

B rooklyn _______ 151 31 67 78 6 9 _R H am rick. P h ila d e lp h ia 0 sea 64 2 uted rn great diving catch of a short 60 28 2 G o rd o n .

N ew Y ork-------------SSI 3 70 8 IO 32 35 _R D. Jo h n so n . C hicago— .968 line drive in left-center.

125 1 4 61 120 2 .948 G oodm an. C hicago .....—-----17 325 37 .J I 60 141 167 Joost. B oston ____ 0 568 92 87 2 3 45 -946 D .tlicssandro. ChJcag* JL 92 8 „R 18 43 S Kasr.pouris, B ro o k ly n .

44 On December 29, th e Balboa Brew­ sen 213 2 7 r n 195 11 N ew Y ork R M edw lck.

42 B rk.-74 87 .897 5 Clossop, B ro o k ly n ' -----R 24 39 9 39 4 SGS 347 12 e rs and Diablo Devils m et in a seven244 321 14 H . W alk er. S t. Louis..

TH IR D BA SEM EN 2 SGA inning tw ilight game, th e Brewers edg­ 6 4 111 101 33 N ay lo r. P h ila d e lp h ia 0 SGA 83 D P . P c t. O 'B rien. P itts b u rg h _ PO. A. E. TC. 4 3 T h rs . G . .48 P la y e r an d C lub. . 70 SG3 ing the Devils, I to 0. Cristobal and D88 N ieraan , B oston -----84 215 I 27 IO 12 8 56 I 93 195 Larges. N ew Y ork.__ _R 23 SGO Colon clashed fo r the second time a t th e .980 W axier, B ro o k ly n — 125 197 9 4 5 I 62 131 57 B a n d i. N ew Y o rk — -R 51 4 IIG 0 140 551 125 2 .976 O lrno. B ro o k ly n -----128 0 37 54 68 3 R 57 0 Herm an. B ro o k ly n _ JR 0 552 Mount Hope Stadium and th e game .973 P la tt. C hicago ---------21 150 2 0 62 84 4 14 20 I 55 Vaughan. B ro o k ly n JR SSO ended in a 3 to 3 tie, Cristobal scoring D71 120 6 3 104 6 133 30 33 68 3 52 1 ■van. B o s t o n ----------R H opp. S t. L oulsS M all of its tallies in th e first fram e and S63 V an R obays. P ittsb u rg h ..

133 1 438 5 8 20 GO 120 _R 132 142 280 IS May. p h ila d e lp h ia _ 2 148 SSO SGZ 26 0 135 4 ‘ 9 65 16 I Braman. B ro o k ly n __ 9 -R 12 C rab tre e. C in cin n ati ----47 0 SOG Colon rallying in th e seventh fo r three SCO C lay. C in cin n ati 430 33 42 3 149 17 2 136 264 ll Hack. Chicago _____ -R .952 W y ro stek , P itts b u rg h 37 SIO m arkers.

0 442 0 29 JR 3 137 166 21 20 34 255 K urov.ski. s t . L o u is-R S49 467 34 149 151 294 24 _R EUiott. P itts b u rg h _ Mickey Harris, form er Boston Red Sox CATCHERS 291 13 SM 171 16 Joost. B oston __ 67 104 -R Pct. V B .

TC. D P .

E. P O .

A. pitcher, and Andy Hawthorne, property G T h rs. .944 P la y e r an d Club.

430 29 274 132 24 M eaner. C in c in n ati _ 130 ~R a 1.000 0 67 I of the Brooklyn Dodgers, w ere the op­ a 16 61 .941 P a d d e n . P h ila d e lp h ia 188 12 53 62 115 ll JR G ordon. N ew Y ork __ 1.000 2 0 63 I 8 21 55 940 L a k e m a n . C in c in n ati 84 6 54 5 25 Baas. C in c in n ati .

23 -R posing pitchers in the Balboa-Diablo 991 4 448 9 I 116 378 66 _R Lopez.

P itts b u rg h 933 105 6 7 33 65 Burns. B oston 31 _R .991 7 5 4 448 382 82 115 game and had it n o t been for an error 931 L iv in gston. 84 P h iL -3 l C hi— R 72 2 47 20 5 22 M aynard. N ew Y o rk ______ _R 2 SOI 0 •2 234 40 192 73 M ast.

B o s t o n -------------------R 917 36 I 3 17 13 20 Glossop. B r o o k l y n ________ _R 4 by Roy Kennedy in the fifth inning, 3 6 272 237 32 56 -R 917 OTJea. S t. L o u is — 36 3 3 12 21 Moore. 9 3 ro o k ly n -3 P h ilo .

14 -R 687 17 5 the game probably would have ended 8 IOO 140 579 R 904 M u eller. C incinnati 94 4 33 52 9 as Dahlgren. P h ila d e lp h ia —__ _R 367 467 9 in a scoreless tie. H arris w as the win­ 47 0 ll IOO 414 -R O w en.

B ro o k ly n — 985 7 61 0 28 25 fo rd aijaray . B r o o k l y n _____ R 25 396 60 2 1 62 6 I 17 -R 980 T odd. C h i c a g o --------75 3 18 48 9 Heltzel, B o s t o n ___________ R 29 ner. Each gave up two bits.

3 I SG I 3 156 132 21 41 _ft 47 5 951 H ern an d ez, C hicago 7 28 22 Garms. S t L o u is__________ It 23 0 53 0 SO I I A team of Cuban stars visited Panama 47 5 35 D eP h illips.

H ips. C in c in n ati 0 during December an d found th e com­ 53 1 SGI SH O R TSTO PS I 17 43 9 B e rre s,t. -----N ew Y _ ork.

379 2 190 3 29 4 SC 157 TC. D P . P c t. B ak er. P itts b u rg h — EJ A. T h is . G .

PO t•amlle £ r.

UrJSF a n d c l u b STJ 3 petition from th e Canal Zone League 7 303 2 980 25 271 896 121 81 18 C in c in n ati __ 335 543 R 154 M cC ullough. Chicago s n 14 567 9 5 504 49 977 88 14 112 and the Panam a National League plenty 2 52 34 fchust'er. Chicago W . C ooper. S t. L ouis.

R 13 STJ* 5 IO 3868 40 970 M ancuso. N ew Y o rk ------77 338 676 93 20 232 424 Marlon. ii— s»L St L Liim^ ouis. r rn sn I tough. In 13 games th e Cubans won 8 295 34 6 965 Bram an. B ro o k ly n 57 253 17 483 55 175 291 Vaughan. B rooklyn. ___ R 99 -----------ft s n 6 225 I only five.

5 965 170 43 17 200 55 B in d i. N ew Y o r k ____ 7 127 66 K lu itz . B o sto n ------------------R R .33 sn 0 IO 342 8 36 257 73 296 30 961 L o m b ard i. N ew Y o rk .

IO Balboa again w ill have th e services 96 151 G w carart, P itts b u rg h _ R 47 sea I 5 159 2 957 P o lan d . 4 ST. Y.-33 B oston—R 42 143 ll 928 91 307 40 581 w letelm ann. B oston __ It 153 of A l Jarlett, a n d his addition to a staff 153 SGG 0 S 1 20 956 D . M oore. IS Brk.-21 P h ila _ R 36 130 229 25 IO 127 92 Geary. P itts b u rg h _ ___ R 46 SGI I 4 x 105 0 that already included Mickey Harris, SSS F in le y . P h ila d e lp h ia ----------f t 78 23 44 24 24 538 purges. N ew Y o rk ____ 303 209 R 99 SSG I 24 0 I SSS 21 2 157 IO IO 7 Kerr. N ew Y ork _______ 90 60 C olp. P h ila d e lp h ia .ft R 27 JOO 7 I T erry Connell and Edwin Ech e ta eyer IOO 2 952 tlem in ick . P h ila d e lp h ia 14 22 79 62 4 3 20 39 R C hicago ___— R 16 is going to m ake th e Brewers a tough 380 947 41 20 F tew jrt. p h ila d e lp h ia .

232 123 R 77 947 7 club to beat.

LEO J . EBERENZ. 38 2 £ “»nky. C h ic a g o I _____ 20 IS R 12 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 16, COL- A) 945 112 Ii 53 6 53 G ^ g r e n . P h ila d e lp h ia —R 25

Canal Zone’s Loop Swings Into Session

■

•

O Pi

'B uller Fingers’ O ut in N ational League

- f t

- f t

38

Sporting Netos TUE INTERNATIONAL SPORTS WEEKLY

THE SPORTING

NEWS, JANUARY

6, 1944

Tra«lo M ir k HnpM**red

W

H

O

.

M

E

OVERTtit

?

FEN CE

Folia tied M arch 17. Ifi.SO P u b lish e d by

C harlie C. Spin<c St Son. T«*nlh M il Olive Streets. S t. Louis I . M o.

Thn-0 M on this S2.00 HI* M o n th s *3.50 ub«crij»lIon J’rlco $0 a Year "NTKItKU AH S E C O N D CLASH M A T T E K FK B K b'A K Y J3. IW L A T P O S T O F F IC E . ST. L O U IS. M O .. UN D E K T U E A C T OK M A U C H 3. JATO._____ Vol- n e

J AN UAH Y 0. IM*

No 22

P rin te d In U. S. A. r0

^ t c .( S l)

L E A G U E R S V S . LE G S--A X I N T M G V ING CONTEST In a le tte r to th e N ew Y o rk Y ankees, concerning th e A laskan and A leutian ap p earan ces of H ank B orow y, along w ith F ra n k ie F risch. D ixie W alker. S tan M usial and D anny L itw h iler Pfc. H ow ­ a rd T. K osbau, sports ed ito r of th e Sourdough S entinel, raised a m ost im p o rta n t issue. . ..

“T he so ld iers h ere w ould ra th e r ta lk w ith big league bali players th a n w ith B etty G rable,” Pfc. K osbau inform ed th e N ew Y ork A m erican League club. , , .

S ports E d ito r-S o ld ier K osbau th u s has created a m ost in ­ triguing com parison, and p ro m p ted a th rillin g contest.

On the one side, le t us say, since these five b ro u g h t up th e com parison, w e h av e F ra n k ie F risch, M usial, W alker, L itw h iler and Borow y. T hey rep resen t: ( I ) S k ill in m anagem ent; (2) th e b attin g cham pion of th e N ational L eague; (3) th e m ost p o p u lar B rooklyn p lay er; (4) a fine outfielder from a p en n an t-w in n in g team ; (5) a splendid young p itc h e r w ho b eat th e C ardinals last O ctober.

On the o th e r side. w e h av e Miss G rable. She is know n as th e gal w ith the gam s, th e sister w ith th e stem s, th e laliapaloosa w ith th e legs. Miss G rab le offers fem in in e p u lch ritu d e, aesth etic co-or­ dination. re m a rk a b le techniques as a m otion p ic tu re actress. She is a blonde o f high ra tin g in th e league of lookers. In thousands of b arrack s, she is th e No. I pin-up girl.

A fte r a to u g h day in th e m ud and fog o f K iska, it m ust be fu n to look a t th e colorful lith o g rap h ic rep resen tatio n of M iss G rab le on th e barrack s w all.

B ut Pfc. K osbau. w ho is rig h t on th e spot. rig h t in th e blizzard, in th e m id st of th e fog, conceivably w ith a p ic tu re of M iss G rab le on his w all, com es rig h t o u t an d says: ‘T h e soldiers h ere w ould ra th e r ta lk w ith big league ball p lay ers th a n w ith B etty G rab le.”

I t w ould be Interesting to find o u t if P fc. K osbau is m arried , a n d w as ta lk in g m erely fo r hom e consum ption. It w o u ld be even m o re interesting to le a rn w h e th e r th is epoch-m aking sta tem en t from th e sage of tile Sourdough S entinel accu rately reflects th e view s of th e m en in A laska an d th e o th e r d istan t zones. In fact, th a t is w h at T h e S pouting N ew s in ten d s to find out.

In th e O verseas Edition o f T h e S porting N e w s . w hich goes to U ncle Sam ’s f ig h te r / aro u n d th e globe, service m en w ere asked: •‘W hich do you p re fe r—big leag u ers’ gab o r B etty G rab le’s gam s?”

F o r th e best le tte r on th is highly significant subject, a cash prize of $50 w ill be aw arded. I f th e w anner p refers an e a rfu l from big leaguers, h e also w ill receiv e an au to g rap h ed p ic tu re o f S tan M usial. N ational L eague b atlin g cham pion. If th e w rite r of the prize le tte r chooses an ey efu l o f Miss G rable. h e w ill g et a n au to ­ graphed photograph of th e pin-up cham pion as an ad d itio n al aw ard .

W hil£ all th is rem ain s indefinite, th e re is o n e u n d isp u ted f a c t T he soldiers w a n t th e big leaguers. W h eth er th e y w a n t them m ore th a n th ey w a n t th e presence of Miss G rab le is n o t, fo r th e m om ent, o f th e utm ost v itality .

T he soldiers w an t th e players, a n d w h a t’s m ore, th e y w an t th e big leagues to go rig h t on. F o r Pfc. K osbau adds, “M ay m a jo r league baseball c a rry on fo r th e d u ra tio n of th e w a r. B ecause th a t's th e w ay w e w an t it!”

Soldier, th a t’s th e w ay w e a ll w an t it, a n d th a t’s th e w ay it w ill be.

• « •

DV MONT'S K E W C H EC K LE C H A P T E R R aym ond (H ap) D um ont, p resid e n t o f th e N ational B aseball Congress, w ho scatters ideas th ro u g h th e n ew spapers a s p ro fu sely as he sp rin k les cig ar ashes on listeners, popped up, th e o th e r day, w ith an o th e r suggested Innovation. T he cornfield im presario fro m W ichita, w hose n o w -in tern atio n al sem i-pro o rganization sp ro u ted fro m a K ansas sandlot, proposes th a t b a tte rs be allow ed to ta k e off fo r c ith e r first o r th ird base a fte r h ittin g safely.

A b atter, u n d e r D um ont’s plan, w o u ld h av e th e choice o f ru n n in g to th ird o r first, b u t w ould h av e to continue a ro u n d th e b as es in th e sam e d irectio n h e started . A nd w ith first a n d th ird occupied, th e tw o ru n n e rs could steal second fro m opposite directions a t once.

A ll th is raises in terestin g possibilities concerning traffic control b y th e um pires on base paths. I t also is fascin atin g to sp ecu late on w h a t m ig h t hap p en if tw o D odgers decided sim ultaneously to steal second base. No p reced en t w o u ld be set. fo r h isto ry reco rd s an occasion in w hich as m any a s th re e B ro o k ly n b ase-ru n n ers found them selves in jo in t em barrassed occupancy o f th ird base.

T he C olum bus o f th e sandlots w ill tr y o u t h is n ew discovery a t th e natio n al sem i-pro to u rn am en t. T his is th e sam e lab o rato ry in w hich o th e r D um ont ideas h av e b een tested, including th e pneum atic p la te-b ru sh er, th e m icrophone th a t pops u p on th e diam ond to b ro a d ­ cast argum ents, an d th e rev o lv in g to w e r fo r um pires.

Of course, i f s all on th e zan y side, b u t w ho can deny th a t such sto rie s add spice a n d co lo r to a n off-season w h en diam ond n ew s is scarce? Such new s-m aking m ethods m ig h t be considered b en eath th e dignity o f clubs in O rganized B all, b u t th e re a re countless o th e r serious topics o f in te re st to fans w h ich clu b executives, p a rtic u la rly in tile m inors, could use to s tir u p local diam ond discussions in th e off-season. C lub officials m ig h t w ell ta k e a leaf fro m th e K ansas p ro fe sso rs book in k eep in g ’em ta lk in g ab o u t th e gam e d u rin g th e w in ter.

• * •

LENDING C I T I E S TO O P E R A T IN G EEAGVES M inor leagues failin g to o p erate th e com ing season should n o t be selfish enough to d en y activ e loops th e loan o f an y cities th a t w ish to place franchises th e re fo r th e d u ratio n , w ith all things, o f course, being equal. If those cities d esire th e b ra n d o f ball offered th e m by tile o p eratin g clubs, it w o u ld seem best fo r all concerned to k ee p th e in te re st alive.

A n am en d m en t adopted a t th e Chicago convention in 1942 p ro ­ vided th a t b y ag ree m en t betw een tw o o r m o re leagues o r in th e absence of such consent, by w ritte n ap p ro v al o f th e p resid en t o f th e N ational A ssociation, m em bers of one-jlcaguc m ay be g ra n te d te m ­ p o ra ry m em bership to fill vacancies iii a n o th e r league a n d o p erate d u rin g th e em ergency. T he tem p o rary m em bership au to m atically term in ates a t th e en d o f th e em ergency a n d th e fra n ch ise re v e rts to th e o rig in al league, unless th e re is a n ag reem en t otherw ise.

U ndoubtedly, tile occupation of such te rrito ry , ev en tem p o rarily , by a higher-class league w o u ld n o t red o u n d to 'tile b est in te re s t of th e c irc u it holding th e p erm a n en t m em bership. Once th e fan s o f a com m unity h av e a taste o f fa ste r ball, it is difficult to satisfy th em ' v.«h Jess, an d rev ersio n to lo w er classification a fte r th e w a r w ould be difficult H ow ever, w h ere th e cia ss of p lay is th e sam e o r lo w er an d lo cal citizens a re in fa v o r o f th e arran g em en t, it w ould seem wise, In m ost cases, to p e rm it th e occupation, if sufficient g u aran tee is given th a t th e te rrito ry w ill n o t b e re tu rn e d la d en w ith liens.

A ny practical m ove th a t assures baseb all fo r a com m unity d u r­ in g those tim es should n o t o n ly be w elcom ed, b u t encouraged*

D id I S a y That? Pearls of *43 Diamond Prophecy Wishful thinking: resulted in many predictions last year that failed to materialize. Collecting these proph­ ecies and statements from tile sports page* during the year and reflecting them In the light of subsequent events,. Robert S’egcr of the Detroit News discovered, some interesting aftermaths.

Among the prophecies made in baseball last year, with annotations of how they fared, by Sieger, were: January 6—1“By September I baseball, football, tennis, horal racing and box­ ing will have vanished for the dura­ tion."—General opinion. (All carried on.)

February 4—"Northern training will ruin ball players.’’—Ecbe Ruth. (Players showed no ill effects from colder cli­ mate.)

February 15—"There will be no hold­ outs this year.*’—Connie Mack. (There were about 20, w ith Jeff Heath and Lou NovikofF holding nut the longest.)

February 20—" I believe the Phils* problems are solved. I expect big tilings from Bill Cox.’’—Ford Prick.

(Cox was barred from baseball for life by Commissioner Landis.)

February 24—"I’m tickled to death to have Bucky H arris as m anager of the Phils.’’—Bill Cox. (Harris was fired July 27.)

March 13—"With all those old-timers throwing big. fat ones up to the plate it ought to be easy fo r me to win the Na­ tional League le ttin g title,”—Lou Novikoflr. (Didn’t join the Cubs until May and played in only 78 games, hitting 2 79.)

March 20—'“I'm beginning to feel sorry for the other clubs already."

—Leo D ar ocher. (Brooklyn finished third.)

• • •

March 24—"I don’t thirds: there will be a better shortstop jn the American League this year than Joe Hoover."— Steve O’Neill. (Hoover was ju st an average fielding shortstop and h it only .243.)

April a—“We'll find o u t what kind of m anager Joe McCarthy is this year.”

—Buck Newsom. (Yankees won seventh World’s Series in 13 years under Mc­ Carthy).

April 14—“You'll see from six to eight 20-game winners in each league this season.'—Luke Sewell. (Only two in the American aud three in tile Na­ tional.)

May I—“If Lefty Gomez never works a game for us he w ill more Hum earn his salary."—Boston Braves. (Released May 20 w ithout pitching in a game.)

May 22—“The Phils have showed me that they are a better team than the Reds, Pirates, Cubs, Braves and Giants.”

—Bill Cox. (Finished seventh, beating out only tile Giants.)

May 27—“We've moved into the lead and I ’m confident we’ll stay there.”—Os­ sie Bluege, Washington manager. (Fin­ ished second.)

June 17—“I’m anxious and ready to return to baseball.’*—Hal Trosky.

(Decided to stay on his farm after a talk w ith Cleveland officials.)

Ju ly 2—“It’s the National League’s turn to win the A ll-Star game."—Ford Frick. (Americans won, 5 to 3.)

Ju ly 0—“The S t Louis Browns w ill be the toughest team to beat from here on in."—J i rn rn i e Dykes. (Finished sixth.)

• • •

Ju ly 13—“Hal W hile sure is having a lot of tough luck. He’ll have tile worst record on the pitching staff."—Harold Newhouser. (White won seven and lost 22 while Newhouser won eight and lost IV.) July. 15—“I'll Q u i t baseball before I play w ith the Browns."—Buck Newsom. (Reported to St. Louis Ju ly 17.)

Ju ly 18—"I'm the man who will pitch the Browns lo their first pennant."— Newsom. (Was sold to Washington, Sep­ tem ber I.) Ju ly 21—“No change will be made in the majiagcrial setup of die Phils."— Bill Cox. (Fired Bucky Harris Ju ly 27.)

August 13—"I'm still expecdng to win the pennant.”—Clark Griffith. (Wash­ ington. then nine games behind firstplace Yankees, finished 13*s lengths off Bomber pace.)

October I—“My fondest dream is to beat the Yankees four in a row in the World's Series.” — Billy Southworth.

Cardinal manager. (New York defeated S t Louis, four games to one.)

October 3—“The Yankees can’t beat lefthanders and the Cards have three gcod ones to throw a t them.”—S t Louis followers. (Three of the Cardinal de­ feats w ere charged to lefthanders. Max Lanier, Al Brazle and H arry Brechcen.)

Br DAN DANIEL W hat Y ou D o n 't F in d in th e A verages OR T H E p a st fo rtn ig h t, w e h a v e b ee n re g a le d w ith a ll so rts of figures a n d statistics— th e a n n u a l official reco rd s a n d averages of th e N atio n al a n d A m erican leagues. T hese fu rn ish e d data ab o u t ev e ry conceivable fe a tu re co ncerning s k ill a n d technique, a tru lv b ew ild erin g a rra y of d ig its a n d decim al p o in ts w hich, it seem s to m e. a re calcu lated to m a k e p o o r a rith m e tic ia n s m o re con­ scious th a n e v e r of th e ir shortcom ings.

Yes. a b ew ild erin g m ass of figures th e lik e of w h ich is spaw ned by no o th e r sp o rt. A n d y e t— NOT CO M PLETE. You go o v er th ese av erag es fo r b a ttin g a n d p itc h in g , f o r slug­ ging a n d fo r fielding. Y ou m u ll o v e r th e ir p o rte n ts a n d m ess over th e ir significances. B u t do th e y give yo u a tr u e p ic tu re of th e sev­ e ra l h u n d red p la y ers nam ed, ta b u la te d , ra te d , a n d fixed fo r filling?

C hum ley, th e y do not! I believe th a t th e m a jo r leag u es should issue a su p p le m en tary se t of figures w h ich w o u ld b e o f a m o re re­ vealing. a m ore in tim a te n a tu re .

F o r exam ple. I w ould lik e to k n o w w h ich p la y e r h a s th e great­ est n u m b e r of ch ild ren . N o t im p o rta n t, m aybe, to an y b o d y b u t the p lav er. and v et—w e ll y o u g et th e p ic tu re of th e C om pletely Do­ m esticated P lay e r, th e F a th e r o f th e Y ear. W hy n o t give him a p laq u e o r a citatio n of som e sort?

F

rn

rn

rn

Suggestions fo r New S et o f S tatistics I h av e gone o v e r th is m a tte r in d e ta il a n d h e re w ith p rese n t a set of suggestions fo r th is su p p le m en tary series of soleful statistics, lo w it: 1—MAKING PASSES. This has nothing w hatever ic do w ith issuing passes. Tins feature would have lo do w ith all the players, n o t alone the pitchers. It is tru e that the pitchers, as a sect, a re about as good making them as they are giving them. But, let’s have the M aking Passes averages.

The Lothario of the Year.

2—FIRST INTO THE PULLMAN DINER. This seems to explain itself.

The fans would like lo know who is the m ost eager and agile seeker of sustenance.

3—EATING AVERAGES. This detail would be added on to No. 2 as they really go together. Like the slugging averages w hich th e National League gives o u t Under the various columns we would list Steaks, Chops, Sea Food. Italian Dishes. Desserts, e t cetera, and so on.

4—BATTING AROUND. These figures really should be issued in con­ junction w ith No. I. - We should have Batting Around, Daylight, and • Batting Around, After Dark.

5—AUTOGRAPH FIGURES. There are m any m ajor league ball players who, when approached by a kid fan for an autograph, tak e th e attitude that the youngster w ants him to sign a check fo r ten bucks. The ready and willing au to g ra p h er should be listed, fo r the title of Pleasant G uy..

6—LOOKING OVER THE STANDS. There arc, in th e m ajor leagues, a lot of reconnaissance officers who would m ake the A ir Corps guys flying over Germany’s ruins look like bushers. Looking over th e Stands also is known as Piping tile Pips. Lamping the Lookers, Spotting the Sues. an d ' Ogling the Oomphs. A very delicate and im portant feature of major league life.

7—MOOD AVERAGES. A—Time spent under the showers. B—Moping a t the locker. C—Sneering a t the official scorer. D —Cutting all baseball w riters with keen glances. E -R efu sin g to talk. I am very insistent about No. 7. These figures are intensely im portant to all w riters of our great national pastime.

8—SELF-SUFFICIENT AVERAGES. These should rate: A -T h e ball players who never belong to the National Association and w ho will chip in for nothing except bouquets for themselves. B—Players who will not go to rallies, dinners and other functions* known as Appearances, and all very important for the game. C—Players who th in k they owe nobody anvilling, that they always w ill hit .300 o r pitch 20 victories. D —Players who won’t subscribe to T he Sporting N ews. B ut spend all their tim e reading.

3—THE REGULAR GUYS. Most of the players belong in this class, I am delighted to say, and I w ish them—yes—and all the others, too—a Happy New Year.

•

0 0

S tatistics o n C lub O w ners OU W IL L n o te th a t to th is p o in t I h a v e confined m y n ew system o f baseball sta tistic s to p la y e rs a n d m an ag ers. I a m n o t disposed to ign o re th e clu b ow ners. N o t o n ly th e o w n ers. A ll those con­ j nected w ith th e a d m in istra tiv e side, th e lo c ale k n o w n as the F ro n t Office.

T he fan s of A m erica k n o w v e ry little a b o u t th e se m e n of the d e p a rtm e n t o f indoors. T h ey see occasional p ic tu re s o f m agnates.

T hey re a d occasional p ieces a b o u t th em .

B u t th e re is no tru e , in tlra e, definitive, com plete, g rap h ic story.

D uring th e m o n th of J a n u a ry , ev e ry y e a r, th e re is a se v ere lu ll in baseball. In som e cities, it is festooned w ith sto rie s a b o u t holdouts.

O ccasionally som ebody d ream s a deal. » In o th e r cities, th e clu b issues no in fo rm atio n a s to w h o is sign­ in g a n d w h o is d eclining. T h is b rin g s a d e a rth o f b a se b a ll conver­ sation. D u rin g th is m o n th , th e C lu b O w n er A v erag es should be released.

T hese figures sh o u ld com e fro m th e b aseb all w rite rs. In con­ nection w ith them , th e re should b e d a ta co ncerning b a ll p a rk s, press boxes a n d th e lik e . F o r ex am p le, to w it, h e re i t goes:

Y

1—AVAILABILITY FOR PRESS. A rating of the club owners who w ill talk. ___ 2—FREEDOM FROM BUM STEER. Ranking of m agnates who not only w ill talk, but will give you the Real D ope 3—WISE TO THE NEWS. Averages showing how m uch the various officials appreciate w h at is a storv.

4—AVAILABILITY O F CLUBHOUSE AND BENCH. This needs no ex­ planation.

5—PRESS BOX CONDITIONS. A -C leanliness. R -C o ld w aler on a hot day and hot coffee on a cold day. C—Sanitary conditions. D —Sandwiches, or no sandwiches, between games of double-headers. E —Visibility of the field. F—Distance from broadcasters.

6—SHOWMANSHIP. No explanation necessary.

Now, How A b o u t th e Scribes!

I

CAN H E A R th e p la y e rs a n d th e clu b o w n ers say , “ H ow about th e b aseb all w rite rs ? ” Isn ’t it co nceivable th a t th e fa n s w ould like the see th e av e ra g es o n them ? H ow a b o u t th e m a g n ate s getting up th e reco rd s o n tile la d s in th e p ress box? P e rfe c tly fair, per­ fectly a lr ig h t In fact, u tte rly d esirab le. L e t’s h a v e th e scribes classified a n d ra n k e d on th e basis— w ell, a n y basis th e clu b owners w ish to establish.

T h e w rite rs, no less th a n th e p la y ers a n d a d m in istra to rs, have th e ir foibles a n d q u irk s.

I h av e seen p la y e rs snoozing o n th e d u g o u t ledge. B u t I also h av e seen w rite rs fa s t asleep in th e p re ss box. T h e o nus seems to re s t on th e p layers. T hey should n o t allo w w rite rs to becom e so en nuied th a t th e y can fa ll asleep rig h t in th e m id st o f a gam e. How­ ever. w e h av e gone off th e beam .

In th e m eantim e, w e m ove in to a N ew Y ea r, w h a t did you th in k of R ay D u m o n t’s idea of le ttin g th e b a tte r ru n e ith e r to first o r to th ir d base?

A s yo u can see fro m a ll th e n ew av e ra g es I have*suggested, b aseb all is f a r too com plicated a lre a d y , w ith o u t th in g s lik e that D um ont daffodil.

SS SSS

BS: SSS

THE SPORTING

N o. 8 --M cG ra w Sw ap of B resn ah an to P ilo t Cards

9** '

NEWS, JANUARY

New M anager Started Golden Era for Birds!

.

Giants’ Answer to R o b iso n ’s

• By StD C. KEENER All opinions to th e c o n tr a r y , i n ­ cluding th e v o ic e o f B r a n c h R ic k ­ ey /th e su ccess of t h e S t. L o u is O rdinals fo r th e p a s t tw o d e c a d e s dates back to a n e v e n tf u l, o u t ­ standing tr a d e a r r a n g e d w h e n Roger B re sn a h a n b e c a m e m a n a g e r of the club in 1909.

The d ire c t lin e o n t h e c it y ’s f ir s t pennant in 38 y e a r s — t h a t m e m o r ­ able triumph in 1926—and others th a t Mowed in 1928, 1930, 1931 and 1934, ■ai perhaps the championships in 1942 Mad in 1943. too, starts w ith th e ac­ tuation of that tw o-fisted son of Irehad- • «4 It was in this m anner, i f Rickey and others are in doubt: Bresnahan obtained fie Jale Miller Huggins from th e Cin­ cinnati Reds for Pilcher F red Beebe and Icfleldcr Starke a t the sta rt of th e 1910 msan. Huggins, after becoming m an­ lier in 1913. hired Bob Connery as due! scout, and didn’t Connery p u r­ i n e Hornsby for 5500 late in 1915, md didn’t Hornsby take a last-place dab in May. 1925, and lead i t to th e ISI National League pennant, plus the stirring World’s Series victory over fee New York Yankees?

That Bresnalian-to-the-Cardinalspennants continue. Hornsby was traded to the New York G iants in December, ISS. for Frankie Frisch, and didn’t the Fordham Flash supply th e spark to th e BS. 3930 and 1931 titles before he m an­ tled the 1934 team to th e flag?

This story, however, is one of a set » of Tut Sronxsc N ews’ “Inside of Genes Most Fam ous Deals.” I t dis­ closes the inside m aneuvering b y th e

Bradley's B ig Thrill Is N ext —18-Inning Slugging M atch In Alva Bradley's m any years as a fin and as president of the Cleve­ land club, one game stands out viv­ idly in his m emory among all others.

It was a see-saw 18-inning thriller between the Indians and Athletics in 1932. decided by th e score of 18 to 17.. The contest was filled w ith freak occurrences.

Be sure to read Bradley’s “G reat­ est Diamond Thrill,” an account of one of the most unusual games in major league annals! late M. Stanley Robison, ow ner of the HOS Cardinals, in negotiating for B resBahar..

Times were pretty tough for the S t Louis Nationals of th a t era. Robison, ■long with his brother, F rank dcHaas, had brought th eir Cleveland club to S t Louis in a unique franchise exchange in 1899.

The war betw een the National League tad American League two years latter practically wrecked the Robison broth­ ers. not overlooking th e Cardinals.

Banking stars th a t included Jack Pow­ ell. Jesse B urkett, Emm ett Hcidrick.

Bobby W aihee, Ja ck O'Connor, Jack Harper, Cy Young, Lou Crigcr, Mike Donlin, Dan McGann, Billy Keister, filb e rt Robinson and Jo h n J . McGraw hurdled to American League clubs.

The Robisons w ere desperate, Broth« Stanley, in particular, a fte r he fell heir to the club following the death of Brank deHaas.

Managerial changes failed to improve conditions. T here w ere P a t Donovan to 1903, Charley Nichols in 1904, Jim m y Burke in 1905. and John J . McCloskcy to 1906-1907-1908.

Sheriff One Step From Walking In The sheriff was only one step or so from walking in and taking over the Ptaperty when th e 1S08 club followed 'he 1907 team as tailender. Finances so low for Owner Robison th at he used the clubhouse for his living <r*ri*rs at the close of 1907.

Doily attendance a t the old S t t*n“3 park (now the site of a high *hooli decreased and decreased. Robi*« sought advice from National League

6, 1 9 4 4

• SOS Gave T h em T h re e Stars fo r C atch er

■ROGER.

£ o B ,“£ LC fJ{~

5 ^ /^ - r r o N ...

JO H N U . M C G R A W . ' f t c r t * /nrsit/at/ rn.net fr m r U j #

U m pire 44 AMK O’DAY o a t/ H o n o u r - T? OGER-.BRESNAHAN

i

BRESN A H A N

BRESNAHAN 'to <St. Lours** colleagues. He had been fold th at he had Hie “best pitching staff in the league.” “And I'm finishing la s t and Tm in debt up to borrowing the last dollar,” pleaded Rohison.

He found a friend, and a friend in need is a friend indeed. John J . Mc­ G raw w as the counsellor a t the time.

“You'll have to start all over. Stan.” rem arked McGraw in the summer of 1908. “Forget the players—go ou t and get yourself a manager.”

There w as more than a spark of sentim ent in McGraw’s h eart for Stan­ ley Robison. JoKn J . had been paid a high salary to join th e Cardinals in 1900 after his Baltimore Orioles lost their National League franchise when the circuit reduced from 12 clubs to eight. He had not forgotten.

Stan Robison dumped his problem rig h t into McGraw’s lap. “A ll right, John, H I do that.” replied the owner, “bu t w hat do you say, if you select my manager.”

McGraw Plays Both Ends in Rare Deal That started McGraw to thinking.

■Where could he spot his candidate in the National League. H ’m —McGraw’s own Giants were slipping! The great machine that captured pennants in 3904 and 1905 was showing signs of fading.

The Chicago Cubs had won the flags in 1906. 1907 and 1908. . H ere was. a glorious opportunity for McGraw to play both end* in a rare deal. T here w as Bresnahan, right from his own school, smart, shrewd, a greav player himself, and a natural baseball leader. McGraw hesitated about p a rt­ ing w ith his ace catcher. B ut, then, he'd have to strengthen his own forces if he expected to get back in th e ru n ­ ning w ith the Cubs, and also the P itts­ burgh Pirates—even a t the price of parting w ith Bresnahan.

McGraw remembered how he wanted to become a m anager when h e played w ith those Orioles, and now', well he'd get in touch w ith Stan Robison out in S t Louis.

“H I give you Bresnahan,* said Mc­ Graw to Robison. The S t Louis ow ner could hardly believe those words— Bresnahan to manage his Cardinals!

The playing roster of the Cardinals was turned over to McGraw. ‘T ake your pick,” announced Robison. The deal was one of the biggest of that tim e.

Pitcher A rthur (Bugs) Raymond and Outfielder Jack M urray, talent that would rate as high as 5175,000 according to th e current scale of player value. w ent to th e Giants, and Pitchers A rt Fromme and Eddie Karger. good for another $75,000. to the Cincinnati Reds for Catcher George Schley who was transferred to the New Yorks as re ­ placement for Bresnahan.

The acquisition of Bresnahan as m an­ ager of the Cardinals was truly a shot-

Down the T rail W ith Bresnahan Y ear.

Club.

L eague. G .

1895—L im a ________ —__O hio 1897—W ashington— ___N at.

7 1688—T oledo_______ ...Int. S t 4 1899—M in n eap o lis— ..West.

3 1900—C h ic ag o . ___ .....N at.

I 1901—B altim ore*.. .. .. A m er.• 85 1902—B altim o re! . , - .A m er. 66 50 1902—N ew York... , _ N a t 1903—N ew Y ork------ . N a e 211 107 1904—N ew Y ork. .. N a e 1905—N ew Y o rk _____ N at.

95 124 1906—N ew Y ork ------ .. Not. 104 1907—N ew Y o rk . ... N at.

139 1908—N ew Y o rk !...... _._.Nat. J909—S t. Louis.— .. .Nut. 69 1910—S t. L ouis — Nato 78 78 1911—S t. L o u is__ _ — N et.

48 1912—S t. Louis.. ^ ., N ot.

1923—C hicago! . ...Nat. 69 ICI 1914—C hicago............ .....N at.

77 1915—C hicago. .Not. ISIG—'T oledo...

44 . A . A. 1917—T o led o .. ..

A. A. 40 1918—T o le d o . . A. A .

19

AB. ____ 18 12 I 2 293 234 178 406 402 331 405 328 449 234 234 227 108 162 248 221 120 80 52

R. t H .

2 0 0 0

40 31 16 87 81 58 69 57 70 27 35 22 8 20 42 19 19 IO 4

6 5 I O 77 64 52 142 114 IOO 114 83 127 57 65 63 36 37 69 45 29 22 12

2B. OB. HR m_ .

0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 9 9 I 6 4 9 13 3 I 30 8 4 21 8 5 18 3 0 0 22 4 9- 7 4 25 3 I 0 4 I 15 3 0 17 a 3 7 2 I 2 5 I ’ 4 IO 0 8 I I 2 4 1 5 0 _ 0 2 0 - I __

SB B A . F A . ___ ...

0 .333 1.000 0 .417 .800 0 1.000 .857 G .OOO .OOO IO .263 323 l l .274 .914 6 ■.292 .945 34 .350 -965 13 .264 .954 l l -302 .970 25 TSI .973 15 .253 s e e 14 .283 395 l l .244 SSO 13 .278 SGI 4 .278 -968 4 .333 .974 7 228 963 24 -278 •978 IP .204 .962 4 .242 1.000 I -275 .967 mmwm -231 •962

M a jo r L ea g u e T o tals___ 1410 4480 684 1251 1-22 72 26 zn 279 SHS •Ju m p e d to A m eric an L eague. tJ u m p e d w ith J o h n M cG raw . C a tc h e r F r a n k B ov/erm an a n d P itch er* J o e M cG innity a n d J o h n C ro n in to N ew Y o rk G ia n ts, J u ly 16, 1902. tT ra d e d to S t. L o u is C a rd in a ls f o r P itc h e r B ugs R aym ond. O u tfield er J o h n M u rra y an d C a tc h e r G eo rg e SchloL D ecem ber. 1908, C ard in als g ettin g S c hi el fro m C in c in n a ti f o r P itc h e rs A r t F ro m m e a n d E ddie K arg er.

IP u rc h a s e d b y C hicago C ubs. J u n e a. J913. a f te r prolonged c o n tra c t sq u a b ­ b le w ith S t. L o u is clu b , w h ich h a d a tte m p te d t o re le a s e h im in O cto b er.

1912. w ith o u t a sk in g w aivers.

PIT C H IN G RECORD Y e a r.

C lu b . ' L eag u e.

C. W. L. A ve. SO . * B B . H. 1897—W ashington..

- N a tio n a l 7 4 0 1.000 IO 5 _ 1898—'Toled o ______ _ In te r-S ta te 4 2 2 -SOO ll 8 40 1899—M inneapolis..

—W estern 3 0 2 .OOO 5 8 W ORLD S SER IES RECORD Y e a r.

C lub.

L eag u e. G . A B . R . H . 2B. SB. H R . S B . B A . F A .

1903—N ew Y o rk > N at.

9 16 3 3 2 0 0 1 J 1 3 1.000

in-the-arm for St- Louis fandom. The<*chise. Bresnahan- faced a new problem d u b had played to 328.000 a t home and —his baseball relations w ith a woman 330.000 on the road in 1908, netting col­ fo r the boss. um ns of red ink in the ledgers. BresThe Cardinals almost won the 3911 nahan not only was publicized b u t he pennant, b u t were sidetracked by a delivered on the ball field. He tran s­ combination of circumstances—an in­ formed th e Cardinals from a colorless ju ry to Bresnahan and a w reck of the attraction to one of those “Gas-House- New York, New Haven fie H artford Gang” dubs. train carrying the team from Philadel­ The Bresnahan influence w as reflect­ phia to Boston. Nevertheless, business ed a t th e turnstiles, th e 1909 attendance continued to boom, th e attendance in­ increasing to 443,000 a t home and 368,000 creasing to 570,000 a t home and 390,000 on the road in 1911. on the road.

Money w as rolling in for the nearBresnahan took the situation in his bankrupt Cardinals. They attracted own hands at this time. He had some­ 562.000 a t home and 331,000 on the road thing to sell Mrs. Britton—success on in 1910. the field and a t the gate. She consented Owner Robison now was free of d e b t to a five-year contract a t an annual All mortgages had been paid off. He salary of 510,000, plus a percentage of returned to his luxurious suite at a St. the profits.

They failed to h it it off, however, Louis hotel. He visualized a pennant and a t tile close of the 1912 season, Mrs. for his Cardinals, with Bresnahan at the Britton instructed h er law yers to can­ helm. of course. They were more than owner and manager. They were dose cel the contract w ith Eresnahan, even to the extent of a settlem ent Both friends.

Perhaps Owner Robison felt he had parties agreed to this arrangem ent, and reached the desired goal in life after Bresnahan, paid off, signed w ith the settling accounts w ith all debtors. Any­ Chicago Cubs, where he later became way, he died in March, 1911, a t Cleve­ manager, eventually passing out of bosebalL land.

Ireland’s two-fisted son—Reg was W ithout Robison. Bresnahan encount­ ered a rocky road in St. Louis. Robin­ bom in Dublin, Ju n e 14, 1880—had son’s niece, Mrs. Helene Hathaway paved the way for S t Louis’ seven N a­ Robison Britton, fell heir to the fran - tional League pennants in later years.

Dixie's Weak Arm Strong Asset in Making Assists Dixie Walker. Dodger outfielder, has taken advantage of th e fact that he has a below-normal throwing arm to become one of the National League’s leaders in assists from the outfield in two of the last three years.

National leaguers generally ar* agreed th a t Dixie has a w eak arm and it is good baseball to try for an extra base when he has to make the throw.

Dixie’s arm may be weak, b u t if s fa r from being a total loss. He was on top in assists by National League outfielders in 1941 with 19 and, after m aking only eight in 1342, came back with 20 in 1943, to run second to Chuck Workman of the Braves in assists from the outfield.

Workman, incidentally, is the first outfielder in the league to have more than 20 assists in one season since Gene Moore and Vince DiMaggio each made 21 for Boston in J937.

Jo h n McDonald O ut in M o n treal S h ift MONTREAL. Que. — With the ex­ piration of John McDonald's one-year contract us general manager of the Royals, December 31, came the an­ nouncement by President Hector Ra­ cine that it would not be renewed.

Branch Rickey. Jr., was added to the club’s executive roster as vice-presi­ dent Racine said no immediate appoint­ m ent of a general manager, publicity director or road secretary would be made. McDonald filled all three posts last season. The club drew 21.000 more spectators at home than in the previous campaign, but rood attend­ ance was down, expenses u p and the ledger showed only a meager profit at the end of the season.

No reason was given for the ter­ mination of McDonald’s connection w ith the Montreal club. On his last visit here. Branch Rickey, Sr., had stated “thai a good job of manage­ m ent had been done on the field and in the business office."

Shortly afterwards, however, it wa* announced that Bruno Bctzel would re ­ place Fresco Thompson as pilot of the Royals.

For the present, business affairs of the club at this end will be looked ofter by A rthur Ncrmandin. who holds the title of “assistant to the president" LLOYD MCGOWAN.

fM

IN THE -:-

Press B#>x «♦ C*

< D

Z < in

o

z in us

X

H

WHITERS TO FETE CROSS’ e w YOUK. N. Y.~On iMonday.

Jununry 17, al Tool* Shor’a. the New York d>apter of the Bai** ball Writers' Assccialion will throw a dinner for Harry Cross, die New York Herald-Tribune veteran. This dinner is apart from the big affair of die New York chapter, which is lo be ht.-ld on February 6. It has been de­ cided Iv pass up fine offers from otfier hotels, and return to the Commodore.

The Cross dinner is open only lo the members of the New York ch.npler and very likely will be limited to IOO guests.

Work on the February 6 show al­ ready is urtder way. wi’h Chip Royal Associated Press feature editor, the eo.ich and boss. Chip once was a piofessionul actor.

The New York chapter has voted to contribute a book to the William Lyon Phelps Memorial Library at Yale. Dr. Phelps u'as a hit as a speaker al the 1942 dinner.

The Dodger safari to Bear Mountain, N. Y.. for the press, is elated for Thurs­ day, January 27.

D. D.

N

ON T H E Alaska: Air Lanes Frisch Gets Out the Old Crying Towel

Still Scooping ^Em Up

By CHARLES J. DOYLE

CITES BUTH AND BARBER OHN K HUTCHENS, radio editcr of the New York Sunday Timc^in a review of radio highlights of 1943, listed baseball broadcasts by Babe R uth and Red Barber. He wtotc: “F o r reasons th at have less to do with radio than w ith right field, the arrival of Babe R uth as a netw ork perform o was a m atter for sentim ental rejoicing.

And ^>caking of basebaU. the reporting of Red Barber once m ore gave you the satisfaction th a t comes of watching a m aster craftsm an a t his job." Ruth did a series of Saturday morning q u o tlon-and-answ cr broadcasts over NBG for the A. G. Spalding Company. Bar­ ber play-by-playcd the Brooklyn Dodger games over WHN, New York, for Old Golds, and also miked on th* World's Series over M utual for the GSlcUc Safety Razor Company.

Incidentally, Jack Gould, radio col­ um nist of the Sunday Times, writing in the same issue of the Times, that “Red Barber and his beloved Brooklyn Dodg­ ers are not going to have a monopoly any longer on local broadcasts over WHN," said that Waite Hoyt, “the form er pitcher and one of the best baseball commentators, may come East to do the play-by-play" of home cen­ tesis of the Yankees and the Giants on WINS (for Gillette). HoyL now a Cincinnati sportscaster, formerly aired on WOR, New York.

J

PITTSBUHCH. Pa.—Questions, ques­ tions and more questions. Frankie Frisch, Hank Borowy, Stan Musial, Danny Litwhilcr and Dixie Walker, baseball's ambassadors lo the service­ men in Alaska, arc beginning to think ] that a question mark should be the insignia on the shoulders of the men stationed in the frozen stretches of the far North, For Uncle Sam's boys keep pumping queries at the players and then come up with more.

They want to know all about the game, why the Cardinals lost the World’s Series, how the Yankees won, how docs Kip Seweli throw his blooper ball and hundreds of other things con­ nected willi the sport. And they never seem to tire of the stones the tourists tell, witli Fnsch and Walker doing the heavy talking and the others chiming in.

Writing from somewhere In the Aleu­ tians, Frisch said: "At times we arc so dog tired after coming home that w*e fgei like flapping right into bed.

Jack Ryan v! the Chicago Daily News In the la.st two days we really have is the new chairman of the Chicago stepped on i t Up at 7 in the morning Basketball Writers' Association. Ryan aud on Uic go until 10:30 at n ig h t The was elected at a recent meeting, suc­ old throat then needs a few lozenges. ceeding James Enright of the Herald"The boys have been going a t a fast American. clip. Yesterday we did a lot of boat traveling, and, luckily, it was a perfect Eigbty-tiiree m tJnbrrs of the day. It was a beautiful trip. I was on Baseball Writers’ Assocbtloo of “Who w as T h e Big T rain’?" asked my stomach, looking out the windows.

America are iisted as serving in the Schoolmaster Joe K elly of The Qua It was a grand sig h t especially coming armed services and (en others as Kids on the Blue Network. “I think irlo Kodiak. foreign correspondents. he was W alter Johnscm." replied 13"And yet this trip was tame, com­ year-old Harvey Fischman. yvelly in­ pared with some others to w hldi we Connie Mack, owner of the Athietlcs. are looking loru*ard. We have a heavy formed the youngster he 'was correct and Cy Pc terman. back from a year schedule, but these service kids are as a w ar correspondent in Africa, will P V I. IIMMT BLOODWORTH, the D etroit T igers' a g g re s ­ be honored guests a t the fortieth annual anxious to talk with us. You would.be Stern Tops Commentators dinner of the Phihidelphia Sporting surprised at the num ber of times we sive second b ase m a n for th e p o st tw o y ea rs, is p o lish in g u p are asked about Rip Sewell's blooper on his so ld ierin g in (he E n g in eers' R eplacem ent T ra in in g C en­ on Sports in Radio Poll Writers* Association the evening of ball.

Must always give some kind of te r a l Fort L eonard W ood, Mo. The Arm y is n 't n ew to Jimmy, January 27.

Bill S tem of NBC again was voted demonstration of it. The movie we had the favorite sports commentator of been looking for* (the World's Series w ho serv ed a bitch a s a so ld ier before h e b ecam e a professional WOODWARD HEADS LOAN DRU'E reel by the American leag u e) has b a ll p la y e r. (Photo b y U. S. Arm y S ig n al Corps.) the radio critics of the nation in the annual poll conducted by Radio LANS for backing the Fourth War caught up with us and we are showing Loan Drive, set for January 18 the p k lu rcs today for the first time.

Dally. He compiled a total of 828 t h r o u g h February 15,' were points to 546 for Ted Husing and “If anyone in the States complains launched by Neu* York sports about anything, that person should take 292 for Red B arber o u t of a possible w riters mid promoters in a meeting at a trip up here, one there would be 1 , 000.

Toets Shor’s, Deormber 27. With Stan- little grumbling thereafter. These serv­ H arry Wismer ranked fourth, with ice kids arc doing a great job. Some 226 points, followed by Don Dunof U)cm have been up h t r t for a long phy, 112; Clem McCarthy, 82; Bd time, and it becomes mighty lonesome.

Parrott Joias Dodgers Thorgerscn. 72; Bill Corum. CO; Russ It pleases us to know that thesc^boys Hodges. SO. and Bob Bison, 48, Harold Parrott, ace sports col­ (ake lo our hot-stove sessions."

BlVt.V SEES ACTION ON TARAWA * among th e leaders. umnist of the Brooklyn-Daily Eagle, Eskimos Kttow Their Baseball v.*as named traveling secretary* of VT. IST .'C L . JIM BfV^IN. former JBattery Team at F t. Wood Even the Eskimos know about base­ the Dodgers. January 5. He suc­ pitcher of the Phillies and last ball. Frisch revealed in w e th e r letter. ceeds Mel Jones, who went into Seeks Old Set of Uniforms It was p art of a three-ply question froa with Richmond of the Piedmont A t a morole session on the Pribilof Is­ the Navy. last August. In addition a listener on nicknames including the League. landed on Tarawa w ith a Does anybody have an old set of lands. Frankie was startled, when. in quarterm aster u n it of the Marines, re ­ to his duties as tnr\*cllng secretary, word "Big." uniforms? l f so, they can help a response to a question as to whether ports S /S erg t Pete Zurlinden, a Marine Parrott will edit lite Dodgers' fan service team, and also tu in the anybody present knew about baseball, Corps combat correspondent Said Bivpaper.

Jack Benny, airing his au revoir to suits into cosh, by communicating tm Eskimo seated in the drsl row in­ in of tile fighting: “Those machine gun 1943, on his I ^ C program. January 3; ■ ^ ■ w ith PvL H. T. Dodds, B Btry, 8 ^ formed Frisch he was a catcher. bullets whizzed by us a heck of a lot related developments of the war in a ley Woodward, sports editor of the F -A Bn., FL Leonard Wood, Mo., 'T h e men in all the camps sure have faster than the line drives I used to clever take-off on a baseball game. Af­ New York Herald-Tribune, presiding, been glad to see us." Borowy wrote Ed who writes: "Help me locate some 12 duck in the pitchers’ box.

And, you ter assigning positions lo various fig­ sub-committees for all sports were larrow of the Yankees, "and they cerold uniforms th at I could buy with ures in the World War, on two opposing named and several ideas advanced. ziinly want to talk baseball. We tell can a t least sec a line drive most uf m y own money. I don’t care w hat teams, the eighth inning o p e n ^ with among them a Carnival of Sports Night stories, answer questions and do every­ the lime." shape they are in. I u*ant them for the arrival of the New Year and Gen­ a t Madison Square Garden, admission thing else they w ant" m y battery team for '44.”

CapL Henry Greenberg, former eral Eisenhower going to bat as a pincbto which will be the price of a War Dodds was a semi-pro pitcher Borowy added that while it has been hiUer, w ith the bases filled. Apparently outfielder of the Detroit 'llccrs. is Bond. Members of the baseball sub­ ccid, the Ave baseball men have not and manager before entering the on an undisclosed new B»ignment the script w riter knew his baseball committee arc: Tom Meany, PPJ, chair­ suffered and there hasn't been as much service and is anxious to have his after being on duty' 15 month.s at The job was well done. man: Branch Rickey. Brooklyn Dodg­ sto w as he expected. buddies uniformed lo r next season. the headquarters of the training ers: Ford Frick, National League; Tom­ Describing ilw trip to the Northwest, command’s flying and technical my Holmes, Brookl>*n Eagle, and A r­ Hank said the tm in ride to Seattle France Laux, veteran sportscaster e t schools and ba.ric training centers. thur Patterson. Herald-Tribune.

KMOX. St. Louts, w as able to cele­ past year, the rest of the tim e being asted nearly^ four days, w*idi another Fort Worth. Tex. His job was to brate the coming of the new year at on the ocean or in foreign ports a s a assbt In developing and supervision Corp. John Devine, sports editor of four-day wait for the Douglas Navy home.

He had been in S t John’s Hos­ chief petty officer in the Navy. His of the physical training pr^tram . tile Irislt World, has a new son, bom plane which flew them to Anchorage. pital for several weeks, following a wife is holding dov^*n a position at the in Park Hospital, S t Albans, L. I., N. Y. Alaska. "We flew so high I thought I m ajor operation. was In heaven," wrote the Yankee Pee Wee Reese, former Dodger short­ G reat Lakes, IU., Naval Station. pitcher. “A soft, white blanket of stop. now is managing the Norfolk Lee Dunbar, sports editor <»f tile Johnny Pesky, the Red Sox short­ GARAY SPORTS EDITOR FOR KXOK clouds underneath and rainbows over­ Naval A ir Station basketball team.

Oakland (Calif.) Tribune, has been stop on leave as a Naval aviation cadet, head. with oxygen tanks working, our a r r y CARAY. form er sports an­ ill and 'h ts dally column was dis­ spent the holidays in Boston. H e prac­ height 15,000 and the outside tempera­ .MANLEY SEES LOT OF ACTION continued until he recoi*ercd. nouncer a t Kalamazoo, Mich., has ticed o.*i the A rena ice rin k w ith the ture 20 below. been appointed sports editor of ORF. GEORGE MANLEY, former Bruins hockey team and looked a t home We stayed at Anchorage for nine Cltarlie Grimm and Bob Lewis arc KXOK, SL Louis. In addition supervisor of umpires for the on skates, although it had been tw*o i-xpccled to p u t on their comedy skit days. During our stay there we would to covering play-by-play action of all Canadian-American L e a ^ e and a years since he had on a pair.

Again at the annual dinner of the Chi­ put in about ten hours' a day visit­ sports, Caray w ill conduct the pro­ brother of WiUiara J .

Manley, sec­ cago boseball o*riters in the Morrison ing the camps and mess halls. At retary of the International League. w*as gram "Sports from a Different Angle,* Hotel. January* ll. Grimm had refused the mess halls we would cat Army home on furlough during the holidays WAL.MSLEY MADE LIEUTENANT hoard each evening a t 10:45. under die AWRENCE E. WALMSLEY, form er title of “Sports E xtra." He succeeds to appear bemuse the Cubs* secretary chow, talk baseball or anything the from the Gilbert Islands. Now* 42 years boys wanted to talk ab o u t The boy's traveling secretary of the Colum­ Je rry B um s, who has gone into the was in Hcnrotin Hospital, but Lewis old, George had a hard time getting bus Sally League club and business service. lias improved to such an extent that he are glad to sec us and talk to us. into service in an active arca, because m anager of Allentown in the In ­ cxpi'cts to be able to team up again They arc crazy about our national pas­ of his age. although he had 178 hours time and fire hundreds of questions ter-State in 1942. was commissioned a w ith the Milwaukee manoger in a skit Bill Brangle of Station WWJ. Deof operational flying to his credit. How­ pertaining to baseball I think that second lieutenant in the A rm y, on gradat the Windy City scribes* feed-fest. „ I tr o it w*ho displayed a fine voice as o u r coniing up here is a shot in the ever. he talked himself into getting i ^ o n from ^ e Transportation Corps i H arry Wismer on the into the real w*ar zone w ith the Seventh arm for servicemen.

Officers Candidate School at New O r­ LAUNCH JACK SINGER SIUP “We travel in planes, boats, trdcks Bomber Command. In addition to leans. December 29. Walmslej^ w as in ­ broadcast of the Georgia Tech-Tulsa h e lO.OOO-tun Liberty sliip Jack and jeeps.

Sugar Bowl game over CBS on New George, the secrelarj* of the Interna­ ducted into the service, December IO. Year’s Day for the Gilicitc SafeV Singer, named after the former tional League, who served in World "“n ic climate up hero has been very sports A*riler of the New York fine. It's cold here, bu t we don't f e ^ War 7. has seen four others of his fam­ 1942. a t Hartford, Conn. H is home is at Razor Company, reported that a total Joum al-American. who \\*as killed it like we do at home. It doesn't snow ily go into the service—two sons and Plainfield, Conn. Following the com­ of 15.400 service men and women »*er« as a w ar correspondent on the aircraft here as much as people might believe. a daughter and a nephew, Lieut. Jos­ pletion of the four m onths' training in the stands as the result of fund­ currier Wasp, was launched at Wilming­ “In the last two days we have put eph Reid, who was killed as a pursuit course. LietiL W’almslcy was assigned raising activities by the Young Meas to active duly in the T ra n ^ o n a tio a Business Club of New* Orleans. ton. Calif., yards of the California Ship. in 13 appearances, and don't think that pilo t Cozps, the newest branch of the Army building Co., December 23. The eor- we didn’t feel i i Service Forces.

Luke Appling, shortstop of the rerpondcnts 19-yeiir-old sister. Ruth “We have just received the 1943 L ie u t Ben V entner of the U. S. Coart clirisfencd the ship and Mark Hcllinger, World’s Series motion pictures. This Chicago White Sox, b at Camp Lee, Guard teamed with the vcician Levi McCormack, form er Seattle a uTiter and one of Singer's closes is going to help us a lot. Frankie Va., transferred from Fort Sheri­ Smith in broadcasting the nineteenth and Spokane outfielder, com­ friends, gave the eulog\*. dan. 111., for basic training in that Frisch and Dbctc Walker are the main annual £ast-'\^'est game at San Fran­ pleted his (raining at the Pasco, quarterm aster center. He e.\pressed story tellers, although Musial. Litcisco for the Shriners’ Hospital for Wash.. Naval A ir Station and re ­ Lou Smith, sports wrKer of the doubt he would be able to return whiter and myself do very well also.

Crippled Children, under the .‘•pcnsorported for sea duty. He had been Cincinnati Enquirer. Is on a th tte Even though I am the only American to the majors as an active player ship of G illette Safety Razor Compaxiy at Pasco since the station opened. week \*»caUon. leaguer in the group I gel along okay. after the war. because of trouble over M u tu a t New Y ear's Da.v VentI au*ays have a g o ^ answer for any­ with his legs and his age.

P \‘L Cene Carolan, former outfielder ner, formerly of Station KFF.C. ^ Lieut. Francis Stan, former sports thing that they might say. of the Scranton Eastern League Miners, Francisco, gave the stars a rourtog WTitcr for the Washington Star, who “You don’t need fiihing tackle up here Writing from somewhere at sea. Bob is recuperating from an emergency ap­ buildup for "the game in which was wounded in the Mediterranean sec­ to catch salmon.” Hank added. “They Feller, former acc hurler of the Cleve­ pendicitis operation, performed a t Jef­ legs ru n th at weak legs may w*lktor. is under trcaancnt at S i Alban's are so thick that you can get all you land Indians, reveals he has spent only ferson Barracks, Mo., where he is sta­ Sm ith addressed him as “Mel" cr ' Lieu­ Hospital in Long Island, N. Y. want with a boscboU b a t" eight days ^ the United Stales the tioned. tenant Ventner.*'

P

P

H

C

L

T

rbett Kayo of John L. Rang in Great Ring Era i

h

THI SPORTING NEWS, JANUARY

Sullivan Upset Started Boxing Out of Barroom to Million-Dollar Gates

Acclaiming the New Champ at New Orleans

jfiVh Marked D efinite P assin g o f O ld B are-K nuckle Days; ; - Boston S tro n g B oy, W ith 3 4 -P o u n d A dvantage ' in W eight, R u le d as 4 to I F avorite

; There w a s , f o r e x a m p l e , t h e s p e c t a c u la r , s h o r t s c r a p i n w h ic h Jack.D em psey h e ld h i s t i t l e a g a i n s t L u is A n g e l F ir p o . t h e W ild Bofl of . th e P a m p a s .

A s y o u m a y r e c o lle c t , F i r p o k n o c k e d J a c k cot of the' P o lo G r o u n d s r i n g i n N e w Y o r k .

7 . There w e re . to o . t h e f i r s t a n d s e c o n d c o n te s ts b e tw e e n D e m p s e y aad Gene T u n n e y . N o t t o b e o v e r lo o k e d w a s t h e f ig h t in w h ic h J o e Louis k n o c k e d o u t B i l l y C o n n ..!. . * _ Also in m y li s t o f p o s s i b i l i t ie s w e th e B o b F i t z s i m m o n s t r i Jim Nearly Regained Title Bffiph over Jim C orbett a t Carson, Nev., Three Years After Loss in the fourteenth, w ith th e so lar plexus peach; and Corbett’s highly d ram atic Jim C o rb e ils greatness is em pha­ namely spectacular, h ir.rry -m a k in g sized by th e fact th a t in 1900, three rirfnry over John L. Sullivan. years afte r he h a d 'lo st to Bob Fitz­ [finally decided on th e C orbett trisimmons, and tw o years after his oipfa over John L ., in th e tw enty-firsl retirem en t following a nine-round nsnd at New O rleans on th e n ig h t of loss to Tom Sharkey on a foul. Pom ­ September 7. 1892. padour Jim alm ost regained th e tfhy did I pick th a t one fight in p ar­ title from Jim Jeffries. ticular? Well. th at’s easy.

Going into th e tw enty-third round, h the first place, th e rise of C orbett C orbett’s score sh eet showed 22 for I * the champion of A m erica—please him and none for Jeffries. Jim had Bete, not as cham pion of th e w orld, only tw o rounds to go to tu rn a ■teause, contrary to general s u p p o s ­ tric k w hich h as baffled them all in ition Sullivan never held th a t title— th e heavyw eight class—w inning back 'remade, boxing. th e title afte r it had been lo s t Ended Bare-Knucide Era. However, in th e tw enty-third, ■Corbett's victory, gained w ith gloves, C orbett’s legs w en t back on him and sa ring which had a d irt floor, m arked h e w as knocked o u t he.passing of the old L ondon prizercf days. I t m eant th e en d of th e bre-knuckle era an d s e n t boxing into th e official decision w as a draw. In « much more * glorious history u n d er any e v e n t later on. H eenan lost to the « Queens berri’ code.

Englishm an, Tom King, so John had lime throws a halo over th e past. no rig h t to th e w orld title.

De old guy w ith th e scythe an d the A nother source of tb e ’claim th at Sul­ bur. glass glosses, a n cien t heroes with livan w as th e w orld champion is his J rosy coat w hich m akes them im pcr- 39-round fight w ith C harley M itchell, dabtes—and untouchables. However, th e B riton, a t C hantilly, France, in J* tune has come to stop pulling 1889. Sullivan did not w in th a t fig h t Neches. and te ll th e tru th , the w hole W eighing som e 40 pounds m ore than troth and nothing b u t th e tru th .

Charley, an d having the advantage of Sullivan was a g reat character. He th e heavy going in a h a rd rain —the ws surrounded w ith legend and now fight w as w ith b are knuckles, London a steeped in fable. rules, on tu rf—S ullivan w as held to a Just how great a fighter h e w as m ust draw. be left to your ow n im agination. I nev­ So m uch for th e w orld championship er did hold w ith critics w ho w en t in to business. * rild- debates about S ullivan being The C orbett triu m p h over Sullivan r a te r than Jac k Dempsey. I saw w as n o t th e first big fight w ith gloves.

IDmnpsey w in h is title, I saw him fight Some rin g liistorians have called it Tunney, I saw him in m ost of his such. B u t th ey w ore w h a t th e old­ ttradout battles. A nd I regard h im as tim ers derisively called ’'m ufflers” when ie puncher of punchers.

Corbett beat J a k e K ilrain a t New I never saw Sullivan u n til he w as O rleans in 1890. C orbett and Jackson oar the end of his clays. I w en t over lad w orn gloves. to Jersey one n ig h t to h e a r th e once Across Hie ocean they w ere fighting righty Boston S trong Boy. then xe- w ith gloves an d a new , m ore scientific faned an d a teetotaler, deliver his era w as daw ning fo r th e rin g game. bftous ta lk against h ard liquor.

Sullivan won th e A m erican title from Sullivan represented a picturesque ’acidy R yan in 1882, w ith bare knuckles.

By no m eans d id i t go o u t w ith C orbett cam e into d ie professional bis defeat by C orbett. B u t Jim . who rin g in 1884. In 1889. Jim fought his *<s a finer type o f m an. a b attler w ith am ous 27-round battle, skin gloves, “Ore education, m ore w it. finer sensi- w ith Jo e Choynski on a barge n ear KliUes, the m atinee idol w h en h e w ent lenicia, Calif. G entlem an Jim won by ® the stage, started boxing o u t of the k n ockout barroom and tow ard tile m illion dollar C orbett k e p t coming along, and finally.

Pies of th e R ickard era. C orbett b e­ Sullivan no longer could sidestep the fan that long, h ard pull w hich, in th e agile, clever Californian. Jo h n L., bois­ Bichord heyday, b ro u g h t to th e jin g ­ terous, too often d ru n k , had been heap­ l e "the finest people,” a s T ex liked ing derision on th e m an h e liked to to call them. call a n u p s ta rt B u t C orbett k ep t dog­ In the days o f Sullivan, n o m em ber ging Sullivan’s steps, and they w ere Jair sex, ev en one of th e sisters m atched by th e Olym pic C lub of New ri Joy, dared to come in to a fight arena Orleans, to top a three-night boxing Citess disguised as a man. carnival.

•Vtithcr Corbett Nor Fit* Ever Champ T he cops said, “ Five-ounce gloves or I lave said th a t C o rb ett never w as no fig h t” A nd so they w ore fivechunpiori of th e w orld. N eith er w as ouncers- T he club p u t u p 525,000 and Ktzammons. w ho stopped P om padour there w as a stak e of $20,000.

Jim on March 17. 1897. T he first of our C orbett w as only 26, a m arvelous ath ­ heavyweight lead ers to present a d e a r lete, a fine ball player as w ell as a great tele to the eWorld cham pionship w as boxer. His older brother. Joe, pitched Jim Jeffries, who in 1898 knocked out for th e B altim ore Orioles in th e Na­ «e faded P eter Jackson, th e n official tional League.

Sullivan w as only eight years older, (tampon of th e B ritish Em pire.

Sullivan, who d rew th e color line, b u t he looked C orbett’s senior by 15. fo'baps as a convenience, n ev er m et John L. scaled a t 212 pounds, C orbett Jackson, who m ight have proved too a t only 178. Sullivan w en t into the 'tever for the Boston S trong Boy. rin g a 4 to I favorite. T he referee was Corbett fought Jackson, and got no Professor Jo hnny Duffy. B at M aster Miter than a draw . T hey m et in the son w as th e tim er.

I t w as q u ite apparent from the s ta rt before Jim won th e title, and witted 61 rounds, to a draw . T h a t w as th a t th e fight would produce a new ® Francisco, on M ay 21. 1891. champion.

After Corbett had gained th e chsm C orbett danced aro u n d th e older JM&saip. he never took on Jackson. cham pion, feinted him into knots, the claim th a t Sullivan w as th e eluded h is terrific swings, an d got the “ topion of the w orld tra ces to sev - Boston Strong Boy good an d sore.

Ka! sources.

Sullivan had been champion ten years First comes the idea th a t o u r ow n an d seven m onths. His adm irers felt C. Heen&n w as th e first w orld certain h e w ould retire unbeaten. As “^®Pion. and th at h e g a in ed . a clear things turned out, h e had postponed r ™ t o beating Tom Sayers in 1870.. his retirem en t ju s t a little too long. may have beaten Sayers, b u t Nobody who follow ed Sullivan, w as

6, 194 4

B y D AN D A N IEL .

Invited by T he S porting N ews to p ic k th e stan d o u t fig h t of American pugilistic h isto ry , I fo u n d m yself co n fro n ted w ith a p e r­ juring problem. N ot th a t th e n u m b e r o f possible choices w as so eriensive. But th e m a tte r o f selection w as baffling.

POMPADOUR I M CORBETT bein g c a rrie d from th e rin g b y a w ild ly -ch eerin g crow d a fte r he knocked out C ham pion John L. S u lliv an in th e tw en ty -th ird ro u n d a t N ew O rle an s. La.. S ep­ tem ber 7. 1892. The d ra w in g w a s m ad e b y a c o n te m p o ra ry a rtis t. able to last so long as th e titleholder.

B u t then, as the years rolled along, w e got m ore and m ore great fighters and competition became tough.

C orbett won th e cham pionship byw earing Sullivan down. However, the finisher w as a left hook to th e jaw , after a h ard rig h t to th e ear. Sullivan fell. He tried to get up. B u t he couldn’t.

H e w as finished.

In the Septem ber 19, 1892, issue of T h e S porting N e w s , there appeared a blow -by-blow account of th e C orbettSuilxvan fight Here’s th e w ay things w en t from th e nineteenth ro u n d to the finish—how C orbett k ep t tirin g the old­ er man. how G entlem an Jim stunned the fistic w orld w ith his am azing feat— as described by Al Spinks

Like tq Read About Other Standout Boxing klatches?

Would you like to read th e th rill­ ing stories o f o th er s t a n d o u t fights of A m erican pugilistic history?

T h e S p o k t jsc N e w s invites com ­ m ents from read ers on such a series, telling which great boxing m atch they w ould like to see described in fu tu re issues. , J u s t address y o u r com m ents to The SrOR-nxc News, St. Louis, Mo.

a n d w h ile d is p la y in g t h a t f a ta l w e a k ­ n e s s . C o r b e t t w e n t d o w n o n h i m a g a in .

A r ig h t o n th e e a r a n d a le f t o n th e j a w s e t t l e d t h e b u s i n e s s and t h e c h a m ­ ................

R O U N D 19—B o t h m e n w e—r es q u i c k to p io n s h ip . T h e l a s t b lo w s e n t d i e o n c e tko u s l’y . S u lliv an g r e a t J o h n L . S u ll i v a n lo H ie f lo o r w ith r e s p o n d . T h e y b o x e d c aiu u ti a th u m p , t h e s e c o n d tim e in a ll h is c a ­ l a n d i n g a______________ting n d J i m r e t a l i a t i n g o n t h e s te m a c h a n d s t e p p e d a w a y iro m a h e a v y r c e r a s a f i g h t e r t h a t h e h a d b e e n rig h t.

S u ll i v a n ’s l e f t w a s c o n tin u a lly k n o c k e d d o w n . B u t h e w a s d o w n f o r In m o tio n , s e e m in g ly f r o m t h e r a tt l e s . g o o d . I t w a s a c le a n k n o c k o u t b lo w .

S u lliv a n d o u b le d u p h i s le g s a a th o u g h T h e C a lif o r n ia n lo o k e d t o o c l e v e r f o r h im . a n d h e l a u g h e d a t t h e champion in p a i n , b u t i n a n o t h e r i n s t a n t s e e m e d a s h e le is u r e ly b o x e d f o r a n o p e n in g . t o c o lle c t h i s s e n s e s a n d m a d e a n efT o rt H e f a il e d In t h a t a n d t r i e d C o r b e t t la n d e d tw o q u ic k l e f t s i n t h e t o r is c .

H e w as s to m a c h a n d S u lliv a n . lo s in g h i s t e m ­ again w ith t h e sam e r e s u l t . p e r f r o m a s ta g g e r in g r i g h t , r u s h e d a t k n o c k e d o u t p u r e a n d s im p le . H is s e c ­ o n d s h a d t o c o m e t o h i m a n d a s s i s t h im h i s opponent. to h is c o r n e r. E v e n th e n J o h n L . w as R O U N D 20— S u lliv a n lo o k e d t i r e d a n d • •o u t" and did not know w h a t w a s g o in g h i s l e f t w a s v e r y s h o r t . H e w a s b lo w ­ o n . I t w a s n o t f o r o v e r t w o m i n u te s in g h a r d a n d s e e m e d c a u ti o u s , b u t h e t h a t J o h n r e c o v e r e d h im s e lf . M e a n tim e . w a s t h e s a m e r e s o lu t e , f e r o c io u s m a n o f C o r b e t t h a d retired to h i s c o m e r o n y o re . B o th e x c h a n g e d rig h ts a n d S u l­ th e o r d e r o f th e re f e r e e , w h ile t h e m a n liv a n w a s b e a te n to t h e ro p e s.

T h e w h o h a d so lo n g b e e n k n o w n * a s t h e c h a m p io n w a s n e a r l y k n o c k e d c o w n c h a m p io n o f c h a m p io n s w a s c o u n t e d o u t w ith t h e l e f t o n t h e stomach and right a n d c a r r i e d t o h i s c h a i r . on th e h ead .

S u lliv a n t r i e d a r i g h t W h e n t h e ten seconds were a t a n e n d . a n d r e c e iv e d fiv e c lip s o n t h e h e a d a n d P r o f e s s o r D o n o v a n o f t h e N e w Y o rk s to m a c h .

T h e c h a m p i o n 's k n e e s w e r e A t h l e t i c a n d W . A . B r a d y . C o r b e t t 's s h a k i n g , a n d h e s e e m e d u n a b l e t o d e ­ m a n a g e r , s p r a n g t o t h e s t a g e a n d flu n g f e n d h im s e lf .

S u lliv a n w a s f o u g h t t o t h e i r a r m s a r o u n d t h e m an w h o w a s t h e r o p e s w i t h h e a v y r i g h t s a n d le f ts . n o w t h e c h a m p io n p u g i l is t o f t h e w o rld R O U N D 21— I n r e g a r d s t o t h i s t r i f l i n g a n d t h e w i n n e r o f $45,000 In p u r s e a n d m i n u t e a n d a h a l f w h ic h d e c id e d t h e s t a k e , a s w e ll a s a r e p u t a t i o n t h a t w ill h e a v y w e i g h t c h a m p io n s h ip o f t h e w o r ld . t u r n p e r h a p s t e n ti m e s t h a t a m o u n t in to a g r e a t d e a l m i g h t b e s a id . T h a t t h e . h i s e x c h e q u e r . C o r b e t t r e t u r n e d t h e i r c o n t e s t w o u ld e n d i n t h a t r o u n d , n o s a l u t a t i o n w i t h a h e a r t y e m b r a c e , w h i l e m a n p r e s e n t b e lie v e d .

S u ll i v a n c a m e t h e t e a r s s w e lle d u p i n t o h i s e y e s . O t h ­ fro m h is c o rn e r in t h e sa m e sh a p e th a t e r s ju m p e d u p to t h e s ta g e 8 n d h u g g e d h e h a d s h o w n f o r a d o z e n r o u n d s b e ­ t h e C a lif o r n ia n . T h e y h a d p r o b a b ly w o n f o r e . H e h a d t h e s a m e c r o s s e x p r e s s io n m o n c v a t 2 o r 3 t o I a g a i n s t J im .

W h ile t h i s w a s g o in g o n . S u lliv a n s o n h is fa c e . a n d se e m e d to b e a s s tro n g a s s t a n y t i m e d u r i n g t h e fig h t. H e s e c o n d s w e r e b r i n g i n g h i m t o . W h e n c o n t i n u e d t o d o t h e ' ’e d g in g in " a n d h e c a m e to . h e lo o k e d a t J a c k M cA uiifT e C o r b e t t fo llo w e d h i s o r i g i n a l t a c t i c s o f a n d a f t e r o p e n in g h i s e y e s h a l f w a y " e d g in g a w a v .” T h i s s o r t o f t r a d e w a s s a id i n m o r e t h a n o r d i n a r y ’’b o o tleg '* D id t h a t n o t g o in g o n v e r y lo n g . n o t m o r e t h a n v o ic e : " S a y . a m I lic k e d ? t e n s e c o n d s , w h e n C o r b e t t j u m p e d b a c k , v o u n g fe llo w d o I t? " M c A u llff e a d m i t ­ r u s h e d f o r w a r d , h i t J o h n o n t h e n o s e t e d t n a t t h a t w a s t h e c a s e . J o h n d id a n d J o h n w a s d a r e d . C o rb e tt w e n t a t n o t sa y a n y m o re u n til C o rb e tt c a m e h im f u r t h e r a n d t h e s a m e o ld n o s e w a s o v e r a n d s h o o k h a n d s w i t h n im . J o h n a g a in s m a s h e d a n d m o r e b lo o d c a m e t o o k C o r b e t t ’s h a n d a n d s p o k e l o t h e o u t . J o h n lo o k e d a s t o u n d e d a n d C o r­ c r o w d : " G e n tle m e n .” s a i d t h e e x - c h a m p ! c n . b e t t j u m p e d b a c k w i t h a m e r r y s m ile .

S u d d e n s * h e r e t u r n e d t o t h e f r a y a n d “ I a m o n l y g la d t h a t t h e c h a m p io n s h ip b e f o r e 'S u lliv a n k n e w w h a t w a s th e h a s b e e n w o n b y a n A m e r ic a n .’

T n is s p e e c h b r o u g h t d o w n t h e h o u s e m e a n in g o f t h e C a l i f o r n i a ’s h a p p y lo o k . h e g o t a c r a c k o n t h e s id e o f t h e h e a d a s it h a d n o t b e e n a f f e c te d d u r i n g a ll w e e k . T h e r e w a s a g r e a t w ild a n d w o o lly t h a t m a d e h im c lo s e h i s e y e s .

W ith t h i s . C o r b e t t w a s e n t o p o f h i m w e s t e r n , h o t. s o u t h e r n , m a d . e n t h u s i a s ­ in n o tim e . L e f t h a n d o n o n e s id e o f t i c v e i l w h e n C o r b e t t k n o c k e d J o h n L . t h e h e a d a n d r i g h t h a n d o n t h e o t h e r , S u lliv a n o u t . b u l t h a t n o is e w a s n o t a p o o r J o h n L . S u lliv a n b e c a m e a n u n ­ m a r k e r t o t h e w ild . m a d d e m o n s t r a t i o n c o n s c io u s . b e a t e n m a n .

H e s ta g g e r e d t h a t w a s m a d e w h e n J o h n L . S u lliv a n a b o u t o n h i s p i n s f o r a s e c o n d o r so . s a i d th o s e m a n ly w o r d s .

Coaid John L. H ave Won by Bare K nucks?.

'A V Says V et S p o rts E ditor, W ho Declares Sullivan B e a t H im self^ “A fter Jim C orbett knocked out John L. Sullivan, adm irers of th e Boston Strong Boy declared h e could have beaten G entlem an Jim h ad h e fought w ith his usual weapons, th e hare knuckles,” says John E. W ray, v e t­ eran sports editor of th e S t Louis Post-D ispatch, in his c u rren t review of great boxing matches.

“A ll of Sullivan’s title battles w ere fought w ith b are knucks and certain ­ ly th e gloves w ere foreign to him,” w rites W ray. “H e did not need them . . . . H is hands w ere like iron.

“B ut th e gloves padded his fists and protected his foe from the fu ll force of his terrific swings. . . . ’C orbett could not have withstood som e of th e blows Sullivan landed a t New O r­ leans, had Jo h n L ’s fists been bare,’ so friends said.

“All of which is highly conjectural. . . . I t was ju s t th e backfire you ex ­ pect when a ring idol unexpectedly is overthrow n, “T h e real cause of John L Sullivan’s defeat lay not a t all in his padded fists.

“I t w as Sullivan's years—h e w as 34 a t th e tim e—th e cum ulative physical deterioration of m any year* of high living, h is obesity an d his underesti­ m ation of th e ’dancing m a s te r/ bis d e v e r and crafty foe.

“N or can we give an y com fort to those old adm irers of Sullivan who th in k th at w ithout gloves Sullivan could have won, , . , Considering J o h n L a physical condition and state of m ind, C orbett w ould have whipped him ju s t th e same.

“For. if the tru th b e told. Sullivan did m uch to w hip him self in th a t fig h t C orbett w ould have beaten h im w ith th e b are m auleys ju s t as b e did w ith gloves, in this w r ite rs deduc­ tion from historical accounts of th e fig h t"

Gordon Plans Physical Test for U. S. Duty K e lle r C oes In to M a r itim e >et <

z< l/»

J o

z 2

lA Iii ■X

S e r\'ic e ; Y an k s lo S h ift iJ n d e ll lo L eft, If—

By DAK DANIEL NEW y o r k . N. Y. The new year came In for the World Champion Yankees with a fanfare. How­ ever, tile blowing of bugles au n e from the direction of the U. S. Maritime Service. The USMS had acquired Charles Ernest Keller, and the Yankees had lost him for the duratk>n of the war.

Along with K eller* acquisition of an ensign’s commission in the MariUme Service came a m thcr solid hint that Joe Gordon was lieaded into a U. S. uniform, too—if he could make it.

President Ed Barrow said that his move in sending Scout Bill Essick from Los Angeles to Eugene. Orc., to inter­ view the second basemftD. had not brought anything very tangible.

After Cordon had announced his in­ tention to go into service, and had notified Borrow aud Joe McCarthy to count him out for 1944, Cousin Ed felt tluit Essick m ight get some real dope from Die player.

However, it is a sure tiiong now that Cordon will go—if he can pass the physical checkup.

Gordon, said Borrow, had informed Essick that before talking any more on the subject of the lervice, he would un­ dergo a thorough physical checkup.

Gordon has a trick hip and a bad back, and it is believed either would disqualify him from military service.

However, the dope*on the second sack­ er. soon will be complete. If the medicos say he could past* an examination, he will offer himself for a commission. At least, that is the betwecn-the-Unes mes­ sage read into tile report of Easick's Inlerview at Eugene.

With Keller gone, and Gordon likely to go. the IMI outlook for the Yankees is not exactly tinged with a rosy hue and smeared with attar.

Keller’s Enlistment No Surprise Keller's passage into Uncle Sam's Navy blue did not come as a -surprise.

Barrow said be had known it was coming. Some time ago Keller's draft board a t FrcdcrkJc. Md., told him he could remain 2>B for another six months, and that if he left his job in tile Evcready war plant, he would auto­ matically b w ro e l-A . end subject to immediate draft.

Keller was working hard in the plant, b u t it was right a t home and he was back with his wife and kids for din­ n er avcry evening. However, Charlie decided that his 2-B situation was too tentative, and he jumped into the Mari­ time Service, which he joins on Jsmuary 20, a t St. Petersburg. H a.

A “I knew It was coming and I wish ram good luck.** said Joe McCarthy.

That means Johnny Lindell Is the new left fielder of the Bombers—unless John gets a call. too.

Keller last season hit 31 homers, drove in M runs and did the best job of his carcer un defense. He was a team in himself.

With Charlie gone, and landell in left. Roy Weatherly is th e incumbent in center, vrith Bud Metheny in rig h t Buss Derry and Don Savage, coning from Newark, are in reserve. Derry’s situation is unrertoin. as last spring his draft board froze him to his {ann.

He was not allowed to report to the Bears until harvest Lindon and Kletheny, freshman Qychasers of last reason, have Interesting potentialities. lin d e li, who had failed'as a pitcher, took to the outfield as if to the manor bom . McCarthy was a bit disappointed in John’s failure to achieve the .285 mark, b u t there isn’t a man in the Yankee orgunlzaUon who does not be­ lieve Linden will dei'clop into one of the best hitters in the m ajor leagues.

Linden can drive a hall about as far as anybody, but he hits straightaway end so is not likely to become a borne ru n star.

Metheny, on the other hand, can pull th at ball into right field, and could be­ come a four-bagger specialist of some note. Bud's record for IMS is not to be zeganled as a true index to his skills.

Metheny reported in hlorch w ith the word that he n*as likely to be called by the Array. Joe McCarthy, therefore. did not w ant to place too much stress on him. and established Lindell in right field.

Howe\*er, w ith the season half over, and Metlicnj’ still around, Morse Joe brgon to pay more attention to the one­ time Wiliiatn and alary College hero Given a chance to play every day. Boc made gi>od. Ile has been turned down in the draft racdtcolly', and Is 4-F.

EVERY BASEBALL FA N W A N TS A

Jtecrologp Louis R. (Sle^e) Evnns. former jo t league outfielder .md one of the game's greatest clowns, died at his heme in Cleveland. O., Decembec 28. after a long illness. A son. Louis R., Jr.. a private in the Army, two broth­ ers and two sisters survive. His wife preceded him in death.

Bom in Cleveland. February 17. 1885.

Evans, who played in the outfield and at first base and caught, broke in with Dayton in 1907. He was with the New York Giants in 1908. sent to Montreal and released to the S t Louis Car­ dinals. where he remained from 1909 to 1914. P e made the 1914-13 world tour with (he White Sox and Giants, as a meniber of the American League team. On his return home, he learned waivers had been obtained on him by the Cardinals and he jumped to the Brooklyn Feds. who traded him to the Baltimore Feds in June. 1913. On the disbandment of Uie Federal League.

Evans signed with Toledo and retired from the game in 1918.

As followers of John McGraw know, he to<A his baseball straight and. though Evans diverted him for awhile on^ the Giants. Steve's antics proved too nttsch for the New York pilot—one of the reasons he was shifted to the Cardinals.

Evans refused to take McGraw's orders seriously.

Mony were Evans* antics that brought numerous guffaws from teammates and fans. bu t Steve, himself, seldom smiled and that was the secret of his satire. He always picked the spots for his clown­ ing and it is recnlM he never pulled his stunts when a victory was a t stake.

Steve once stolo third w ith the base occupied—bu t the score was 14 to I in the Giants* favor. When he was called out. McGraw yelled; “You're fired!** Steve came back. contemtuously: “Yeah. You think I could stand on second base with that stupid guy playing It?” He knew McGraw didn't think much of that particular second baseman. “You’re justified.*’ softly said the moUlfled McGraw. b l spring training with the Giants.

Evans decided he was a first baseman, until one day a rookie made an amaz­ ing leap for a stop at first Sieve, who was on the bench, walked to the pitch­ e r’s box w ith his glove and threw the nuU over the grandstand. “What's that for?” demanded McGraw. *T?iat means I’m going to play in the out­ field,** Evans answered. McGraw prob­ ably would have fired any other player on the spot, but he let Evans stay in h e outfield, Steve was the bane of umpires, who never knew what to expect from him. h ie day. he was w a z n ^ by the man in blue that no more foolishness would be tolerated. In the next inning. vans pulled an um brella from his shirt, chased a Ay ball with it open and caught the agate.

L ater in the game. Steve pulled a real strip tease. Going after an easy ly. his cap fell off, then hts sh irt Uien his pants. When he finally caught h e ball. Steve turned a double som­ ersault and came up ^'earing only his underwear.

Such tales are legend and old-tim en

■

^

■

Ace Adams and Rucker Cheer Soldier. P atients

stev e E v a n s 'V astest Dash — Race w ith Irishm an, 73 Although m any fans laughed at the antics of Steve Evans, funmaking outfielder, there was an elderly Irishman in Pittsburgh who wanted to choke him. relates Willis Johnson in the St. Louis GlobeOem ocm t Whenever the Cardinals visited Pittsburgh, the Irishman. 75. always visited the railroad station to .talk with Manager Roger Bresnahan when the team was leaving. On one occasion the entire Cardinal team was gathered around the elderly fan when the conductor yelled “B o a rd r All the players drifted away, except Steve, who remained behind, keeping an eye on the train.

Finally, as the train started to move. Evans suddenly grabbed the clay pipe out of the Irishman*s mouth, tossed it on the concrete, and said. “You talk too much.** Then Steve ran for the slowlymoving train, with the old Irishman in hot pursuit, screaming. “I dare yin to coihe back!” who were intimate with Evans can relate diem by the hours. With it all. however, Steve was a skilled out­ fielder. although not a particularly strong batter. His best hitting year in the m ajors came in 1911. when he had an average o f J291. He played through the 1913 season in the outfield with only two errors.

Mrs. Catherine Moriarty. 82-year-oId m other of George Moriarty, former American League infielder, manager anc lutipire, died at her home in Chicago.

December 28. F our other sons. Albert.

John and William, deceased, and Joseph also played ball. Two daughters also survive.

George was with the Chicago Cubs.

New York Yankees. Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox before going to Memphis in 1916. He became an Amer­ ican League um pire in 1916 and con­ tinued in the beiih until 1927 and 1928. when he managed the Tlgera> Following his resignation as manager at Detroit. he again took up umpiring and con­ tinued to call balls and strikes until 1940.

Upon his retirem ent as an umpire, he joined the promotional bureau of the league. William was until Newport.

San Francisco, Stockton. Columbus.

Cmcmnati. Louisville. Omaha. Trenton.

York and Wausau, retiring from the latter club in 1914. The other sons played semi-pro bail.

Clarence Fuller, form er am ateur pitchci- who hurled the Alles team of De­ tro it to two national titles, died in De­ troit. Mich.; December 27. following in­ juries received in an automobile acci­ dent Christmas eve. During 1938 and 1939. when his team won the national honors. Fuller did not lose a game. He was 37 years old.

Loren IV. Park, former business man^ ager of the Scranton Miners, died at Westport, hlass.. December 26.

B ingham ton Fans Speculate bn Pilot

THOMASVILLE. Go.—Ace Adams and Johnny Rucker of the New York Giants are the proud possess­ ors of hand-lettered parchment scrolls given them by the patients BINGHAMTON. N. Y .-Speculation as in Finney General Hospital bere to the possible successor to Eddie Saw­ for visiting and entertaining them. yer as manager of the Binghamton East­ The presentation was made by C ot ern League Triplets immediately' fol­ Samuel M. Browne, com m oning lowed the news early this week th at he officer of the b o ^ lta l. in behalf of had signed to pilot the Utica club next the patients. season.

Adams, tops of relief pitchers Announcement of the change by Saw­ of modem times, was accompanied yer came as a complete surprise to the

by Mrs. Adams. Both Adams and fans. Eddie had assumed a fall '^nd Rucker had chow with the detach­ winter position as football coach and m ent personnel in their mess hall, I gym teacher a t Binghamton North They spoke before the patients par­ I High School last falL He has made a ticipating in the rehabilitation pro­ host of friends here. gram which makes them physcally Some fans picked Shaky Kaln, Norfit for their return to active duty. fo!k*s Piedmont League skipper, while The players also spoke and an­ others thought that Sol Mishkin, who swered questions about KaoKati b e. finished up strong ofter taking over fore other patients in the Red Cross Wellsville during the Pony League sea­ auditorium on the post. and visited son, m ight get the job here. Both are bedridden patients in m any of the former Triplets, Koin a pitcher and wards. They autographed various Mishkin a first baseman. articles, including tho plaster casts Officials of the New York Yankees* of many of the patients. farm system gave no indication as to The patients in Finney General the possible choice as Sawyer's suc­ Hospital, m any of them wounded cessor. overseas veterans, have been cnCorporal Jim m y Adlam. former East­ thu^astic about the visits of play­ ern leag u e second base star, recently ers. ever since Spud Chandler came sent word back to Binghamton that he here. AU of the players donated is on duty at a Te.xas Army air field. their time and provided their own Jim volunteered for service at the close transportation. of the 19-12 season.

Adams and Rucker were escorted Catcher Lou Bartola of the Bingham.

by Pfc. Bud Eckert, former catch­ Ion club b employed in a u*ar factory e r for the SL Louis Browns, who and continues to make his home in is a member of the detachment and Binghamton with his wife and family. an instructor in the rchabiUtation P i t i e r Johnny Ragcr is working in a program, and L ie u t Cleveland.

Binghamton furniture store during the winter.

■ ----------------------------------------------- r n

.

“YANK BANK”

N EW YORK. YANKEES

,r\*

T h » B « t* b e ll 8oi»l( o f C h o m p n m

S z e d like a regulatioa basebalL Y A NK BANK it useful alike as a coin bank an d as a decorative paper w e i^ t.

Y A N K BANK has raised •titching and b attractively decorated in red, white and blue.

vj

\

TWO STYLES: ( I ) Lettered "N EW YORK YANKEES'* IZI Lettered "ST. LOUIS CARDINALS'* Decorated with Cardinal Bird and rOK CVItY — ^ We

vr>U

HWU

"YANK BANK'* P e rt Prepoie

BE SURE TO SPECIFY THE QUANTITY WANTED OF EACH STYU

TO;

Y A N K E E PRODUCTS CO-, Asbury Park, N . J, Eftctosed f i n d _________________ dollora or check a r money order.

PLEASE MAIL TO ME — . YANKEE BANKS o t$1.00eodi

_______ CARDINAL lANIlS et St.OO eoeh; NAME. STREET.

STATE.

CITY__

Work o f Big Pitching Four Gives Braves Some Cheerfor’44

By JACK MALANEY BO STO N . Mass.

T h e B o s to n B r a v e s o f 1943 w e r e n o t e v e n a s good a b a ll c lu b a s t h e i r fin is h in g s p o t i n t h e s t a n d i n g s ix th — in d ic a te d , b u t th e y w e r e f o r tu n a te that t h e r e w e r e a t le a s t tw o w 'o rse te a m s i n t h e league.

T h e B r a v e s c o u ld n 't h i t a n d s o m e o f th e fielding w a s a w a y o ff c o lo r, a n d so t h e y w o u n d u p where Vi th e y b e lo n g e d , a c c o rd in g to o n e w a y o f looking at i i A n d y e t. i f t h e o ffe n s iv e a n d d e fe n s iv e play of t h e te a m c o u ld h a v e in a n y m a n n e r m a tc h e d the p itc h in g o f i t s B ig F o u r^ t h e r e m ig h t h a v e been c h e e rin g , in s te a d o f j e e r in g , a t B r a v e s F ie ld last se a so n .

A lth o u g h t h e o ffic ia l a v e r a g e s d o n o t a lw a y s tell Al Jovery t h e r e a l a n d c o m p le te s to r y , th e y a l t to o o fte n mark d o w n t h e b o ld f a c t t h a t " c la s s w i l l o u t " a n d t h a t y o u ’v e g o t to be g o o d to b e 'u p in th e to p b r a c k e ts .

F a n s o f t h is s e c tio n k n e w th e y c o u ld n ’t e x p e c t m u c h fro m the N a tio n a l L e a g u e a v e ra g e s . T h e y .y m _____________________________ m k n e w t h a t J o h n n y M c C a rth y h a d ■ " p la y e d a fin e firs t b a s e a n d h a d Paul W argo's-15 Outfield hit well imtil he was p u t o d the Chances Believed Record sidelines w ith a broken ankle with a couple of months to go. They knew* W hen Toronto and Rochester of that Butch Nicman and Chuck Work­ the International League battled man had done some grand d u tc h fo r 19 innings, J u ly 24 last, Raul hitting here and there in the season, - Wargo, Red Wing right fielder, prob­ but they knew better than to expect ably set an all-tim e record for ac­ either to challenge Stan Musial o r Bill tiv ity in his position tor a single Nicholson for honors when the figures game. Wargo had 14 putouts and were announced. They knew that one assist during th e contest seven Whitey Wietelmann played a most ac­ of the chances being handled dur- ; ceptable shortstop all )*ear. b u t they ing the regulaticn nine innings and alM knew th at Eddie Miller, former eight in overtime. holder of th at job here, would top Whijey in the records. They were aware that second and third b a u were it takes, except a team which could not played too well fo r the Braves. support him in deserving style. ' Jave pitched only 19 complete gama Pleosuie In Pitching Figures They knew, however, th at if there of the 41 in which he look p a rt but he was to be any pleasure in th e read­ worked in m ore innings than anybody ing of the averages, it would be in the else, 303. T h at had something to do w ith th* fact th at more hits AYT* pitching figures. They w ere correct. made off him than any other pitcher The Big Four. comiMsed of Al Javery. and more earned ru n s were charged Nate Andrews, Jim Tobin and Red B ar­ rett. stood up well, especially as a against him —108—giving him an E R A group, in those averages. W ith support of 32L However, w e know seven Na­ that left m uch to desired, defensively tional League managers, not includiDl and offensively, they could not be ex­ Casey Stengel, who would rcconunod pected to have superlative earned-rxm a purchase price of five high figures averages. U nder the conditions, they if they could wean Javc away froo DED have good E H A . figures, much the Braves despite his “lowly” E R A Tobin pitched 24 complete games and better than was belicx'cd they would.

Andrews was the most sinned-against Rip Sewell, w ith 25, was the only one pitcher in the group all year and yet who topped him in this respect he topped the Big Four in E H A . w ith Braves* butterfly purveyor worked TSI a figure of 2.37. W’bich placed him fifth innings in 38 games w ith 74 earned among the pitchers of the league. His giving him a m ark of 2.66 and seasonal record was 14 and 20. which place in th a t standing. Barrett should have been the reverse. Nato complete games, pitched 25S innings, and lost at least six heart-bceakersi. He allowed 90 earned ru n s for 3J8.

T his Big Four pitched a total of w pitched 23 complete games of the 36 In complete games and the team mark winch he took part, and Ll 284 innings 87.

No other group of pitchers could hurled was charged w ith 81 earned compare w ith th at record of workhor» runs.

Andrew's was the first of the Boston achievem ent Imagine their show i^ » pitchers found in the list. Last of the they had had the Cardinals or Yan­ tour in E JIA . rating was Javery. With­ kees supporting theml Because of the w ork of that quarfrW out taking a bit of credit from Andrews, this shows the peculiar slant the fig­ the Braves w ere fourth in team ures give. As grand a pitcher as Nate mg. They were sixth in was. Javery was one of the best in the seventh In fielding. That just a b ^ game last season. He had e\'erything explains the Braves* situation in

r

e

■

■

REI Niche to Nicholson, Sundra Punch Given Browns Who Knocked Over 128

in Draft News

THI SPORTING

NfWS, JANUARY

6, 1 9 4 4

v>

Cub C louter, W ho Also Set Pace in H om ers, H u rle r Called fo r F ebruary; S te p h e n s in I-A; C a rd s’ S clioendienst Still 4-F As was the case In the American League, the hom e-run leader D rove in 2 7 M ore T allies T h an Hues’ E llio tt

of the National League also set the pace in batting in runs. w ith Bill Nicholson of the Cubs proving a hefty powerhouse puncher by clouting 29 circuit blows and driving in 128 tallies.

Big Nick a product of Washington College, Md., had a substan­ tial lead on his nearest competitors, Bob Elliott of the Pirates and the veteran Billy Herman of the Dodgers, who finished second and third with 101 and IOO runs batted in. respectively.

N ic h o ls o n w a s t o p p e d b y S t a n M u s ia l. t h e b a t t in g c h a m p io n , i n s lu g g in g p e r c e n ta g e . W h ile S t a n d id n 't h i t a s m a n y h o m e r u n s , h is lead ersh ip in trip les and d o u b le s g a v e h im 347 to ta l b a s e s in 617 tim e s e t oat fo r a slu g g in g p er c en ta g e o f -562. N ic k h a d 323 to ta l b a se s in 606 tim e s a t bat fo r 531. N o o th e r r e g u la r w a s a b o v e 500.

F o r th e seco n d y e a r in su c c essio n , V in c e D iM a g g io , t h e o n ly o n e o f th e D iM aggio b o y s in th e m a jo rs le st se a so n , le d h is le a g u e in str ik e o u ts. V o ic e ch u rn ed th e a ir 126 tim e s, a n in c re a se o f 39 o v e r b is 87 s tr ik e o u ts o f 1942. F rom D iM aggio's 126, th e r e w a s Q uite a d rop to N ic h o lso n 's 86, se c o n d in str ik e o u ts, and B u ster A d am s' 71, w h ic h w a s third.

A u g le G a la n o f B ro o k ly n w a lk e d th e m o st lim e s. 103, w h ile M e l O U b o o sted isis N a tio n a l L e a g u e record fo r m o st w a lk s w ith 95 m ore, in c re a sin g h is life tim e to ta l to 1,539. B y d r iv in g in 47 ta llie s , O U a d v a n c e d h is r u n s -b a tte d -in to ta l to 1,695, w h ic h a lso b ecom es a n e w record e v e r y tim e M e l b e lts h o m e a n o th e r G ia n t m arker.

S id n e y G ord on , th e G ian ts’ v e r sa tile y o u n g in fie ld e r -o u tfid d e r . g ro u n d ed Into th e m o st d o u b le p lo y s, w h ile fo r th e se co n d s u c c e s s iv e se a so n , D ic k B a r te ll o f Hie G ia n ts w a s h it m c s t o fte n b y p itc h e d b a lls, s e v e n tim es.

I

IN D IV ID U A L RECORDS S lu g .

A B . T B . PCL R BL B B .

C. P la y e r and C lub.

2 .887 0 3 2 . 23 B u rrow s. C hicago — .379 I 2 19 11 .

13 B rub aker, B o sto n — 562 SI 72 .157 817 347 M usial, S t L o u is.

331 71 128 .154 808 323 N ich o lso n , C hicago .474 I 2 9 2 IO 19 E tchU on, B oston .463 19 J 22 449 208 W . Cooper. S t. Louis.. .458 82 120 55 15 18 B o w e . P h ila d elp h ia _ 24 225 .449 . 80 101 45 G oodm an. C hicago _ 232 104 .448 28 25 . 89 O ’B rien . P ittsb u rgh „ 98 AX 258 IQI 581 E llio tt. P ittsb u rgh .

522 229 TO SI .139 .439 K u row skl. S t. Louts.. .439 385 169 Si T rip lett, S t. L ou is-P b iU d elp h la—I i i 33 .438 ie M cC arthy. B o s t o n ----------------------- 78 313 137 89 JO .435 U 1 W illiam s. C lncinnaU ----------------------30 .432 SS ie 238 102 V an Hobaya, P ittsb u rg h 127 ie J 04 295 .431 SI L om bardi. N e w York.— „ 13 58 25 .431 ie 2 P a fk o . C hicago _ .430 51 .147 586 252 «* N o r th e y . P hfladc Iphia 397 170 .428 L itw h lfer, P lU ladelp bia-SL Louis-116 .424 85 209 T ip to n . C incinnati ------------------------140 493 TS 530 223 143 .421 TS C avarretta, C hicago 43 .419 2 22 IB e F isch er, N e w York.

-J23 159 .418 380 vt O tt, N e w York .417 68 585 244 .153 H erm an. B rook lyn 77 .144 198 .414 73 478 S an d ers, S t. L o u is.

610 252 .413 68 00 .149 V aughan, B rook lyn .. .413 .128 472 196 ae 29 F . M cCorm ick. C incinnati.

8 57 238 96 .412 ST O lm o. B r o o k l y n -------------49 540 222 71 J 38 .411 F . W alker. B rooklyn---------827 237 62 50 .154 .410 I»* K lein . S t L o u ls.

495 .406 87 IQS 201 A 39 G a lsn , B rook lyn — 39 335 136 46 .101 .406 N icm an . B oston J57 580 234 70 .403 DtM aggto, P ittsb u rgh AJO 480 192 63 35 .4OO L a w n y , C hicago 8 37 90 .400 36 12 W alters. C incinnati 0 15 25 .400 0 6 S s y le s , N ew Y ork -B rook lyn .

203 -399 25 19 71 Bl O ’D ea. S t. L ou ts------------------82 225 35 69 A96 28 W #ner. B ro o k ly n 544 95 293 70 A 54 215 F le tc h e r . P ittsb u rgh 22 44 JO I 332 128 206 H aas. C incinnati 2C8 103 30 204 19 89 B ordagaray. B rooklyn 19 280 70 189 M ed w ick, Brool; lyn -N ew York— 128 497 427 279 52 56 162 M u eller, C i n c i n n a t i -------------------- 141 se 41 238 278 H o lm es. B a s t e d -------------------------- 152 629 276 40 504 222 53 H . W alker. S t. L ouis-------------------- 14« 5 93 35 276 9 C lay. C i n c i n n a t i -------------------------- 49 0 12 4 32 275 B r a z il, S t. L ou is----------------------------13 85 43 353 132 274 CatnlUl. B ro o k ly n ------------------------- 95 274 I01 40 12 6 T ob in , B o s t o n ------------------------------- 48 63 43 131 474 177 273 G ordon, N e w York.. e 32 59 22 273 4 C olm an, P ittsb u rgh 20 51 29 2 7 3 7 4 B a r k ie r . B r o o k i e 3 13 51 19 273 0 S ch u ster, Chicano 153 622 230 270 55 41 WI lek . N e w Y ork— .

22 267 GO 12 ll 18 H erm anskl, B rook lyn 267 GO 22 4 1 W yatt. .B r o o k ly n -----. 27 02 .144 533 196 266 35 H a ck . C hicago 17 19 16 264 4 K am pouris. B rooklyn 30 .136 508 184 262 56 D ah lgren . P h ilad elp h ia 262 34 L ivin gston , Phlladelphla-C hicago.120 37C 136 31 22 272 82 260 26 B ak er. P ittsb u rgh ______________ 63 77 533 2S8 R u ssell. P ittsb u rgh 146 191 168 60 257 6 R u be ling, P ittsb u rgh _____ 47 9 35 257 8 98 12 K err. N e w Y ork-—...___________ 27 120 256 28 47 B a r t e ll N e w Y ork— _____________ 99 337 414 147 32 .112 255 43 G u stin e, P ittsburgh 6 182 64 252 34 S ch u ltz, B rooklyn _ 45 249 IO 146 St 13 M ead, N e w York ------------------------------37 43 E . A dam s, S t. Lou!s-PhiiacieIphla_lig 429 149 247 39 99 247 32 R oss. B oston — --------------------------- 94 235 36 26 25 254 BS 247 C rabtree, C incinnati _____________ 95 143 245 48 56 May*. P h ilad elp h ia __________ - — 137 415 82 .345 28 M ast. B o s t o n _____________________ 80 238 244 48 W a rd ell Plttsburgh-Pliilacfclphla_145 SZ4 180 88 17 2 105 36 243 S e w e ll. P i t t s b u r g h ______________ 41 220 75 241 24 B rogan , B rook lyn ______ .. 74 13 171 239 46 22 R u ck er, N e w York_______________132 505 237 32 141 52 M arion. S t. L o u is— — __________129 418 451 151 235 SS IO M ur tough, P hiladelph ia .113 78 235 18 N ovikoff. C h ic a g o — 78 233 F r e y , C incinnati SBG 196 234 43 76 J 44 42 14 233 . 45 5 J S h ou n , C incinnati 3or 2 S alvo, P h ilad elp h ia-B oston IO 233 3 22

el

toe

re

.

SO .

1 2 18 86 2

ie

11 20 24 24 54 34

ie 3 ie ii

s

52 45

se 42 9

48

28 33 13 IS

20

24 70 39 128 24 15 4 23

a

49 25 15 22 42 20

24 14 2 48 IG 32 T 7 2 23 7 2 27 6 09 26 6 87 17 5 27 36 24 15 71 67 17.

21 20 22 21

16 44 37 23 15

se 5 9

G I. H P. DP. 0 0 0 0 2 17 7 5 0 0 13 2 3 2 4 2 0 8 I X ii 0 10 I 11 a 0 7 X la 1 0 x 3 6 2 e X IO I 0 1 J 4 0 19 I IO 9 I 8 I 0 IO IO 3 4 X a 2 3 I 0 8 a 13 o 1 0 0 2 1 9 i 8 12 0 8 2 17 I 9 1 7 2 0 5 1 I 0 0 7 I 0 3 26 I 0 0 0 0 0 2 21 0 2 I 4 0 0 3 2 1 22 2 12 2 6 3 13 1 0 5 2 2 7 8 8 0 5 2 0 3 8 0 7 I X 12 18 1 0 IO 2 13 0 2 0 7 0 2 4 2 2 9 IO I 0 2 0 0 0 I

ie

e

a

(C O N T IN U E D O N P A G E IT, C O L . 2.)

National League Record Wreckers M ajor L eagu e Records—S e t H igh est field in g percen tage. N a tio n a l L ea g u e. .974.

M elvin T . O tt. N e w York. b ecam e first m a jo r leag lea g u er to r e c e iv e liv e b a se f o n b alls on th ree occasions.

A c e T . A d am s. N e w Y ork . p itch ed in 70 catties a n d fin ish ed 52.

M ajor L eagu e Record*—T ied E ivln Cs A dam s, P h ila d elp h ia , d o u b le and trip le In o n e Inning.

E dw ard IL S la n k y , C hicago, m ad e th ree errors in an inning.

K en d all C hase. N e w Y ork, m ad e th ree a ssists In an in n in g.

B ro o k ly n ou tfield m ade 18 p u tou ts In a gam e.

N e w Y ork h a d IS m en le f t o n b a ses in a gam e.

N a tio n a l L eagu e Record*—S e t M ost h o m e run*, life tim e —M elvin T . O tt. N e w York. 4B3.

M ost b ases o n balls, life tim e —M elvin T . Ott. N e w Y ork. 1.539.

M ost runs b a tted in. life tim e —M elvin T . OIL N e w Y ork. 1.695.

M ost tim e* lea d in g lea g u e In hom e ru n s—N e w Y ork . 19 tin natf.hJHS fl*ld ln g season , secon d b asem en —L in a s R . T r e y . ClitL o w est e a m e d -r u n a v e r a g e - o n e c lu b , w ith first th ree ran k in g p itcher*— ( te n o r m ore co m p lete g a m e s); S t. Louts—H ow ard J . P e lle t, 1*5; H . M ax L an ier. 1.90; H arry D . B rcch een . 2X7; M orton C. C ooper. 230.

L o w est earned-nini a v e r a g e - o n e clu b , w ith first five ran k in g p itch ers—(te n o r morn g a m es): S t L o u is -A lp h a Brazle. 123; H ow ard J. F o lle t. 1.75; IL M ax L an ier. 1.90; H arry D . B r e c h a n . 227; M orton CL C ooper. 230.

N a tio n a l L eagu e Records—Tied M ost c o n se cu tiv e h its —W oodrow W illiam s. C incinnati, ten .

F e w e st error* sea so n —N ation al L ea g u e, 1312.

I

B y C A R L X. F E L K E R S T . L O U IS , M o.

O fficials o f th e tw o S t L o u is d u b s , w h o u s u a lly p u t in th e h o lid a y s s tu d y ­ in g tile o ffic ia l a v e r a g e s, l a s t w e e k w e r e sc a n n in g th e d r a ft c la ssific a tio n f ig ­ u r e s w it h e v e n g r e a te r in te r e s t.

P r e s s d isp a tc h e s d u r in g t h e w e e k b r o u g h t th e n e w s to B i l l D e W itt, g e n ­ e r a l m a n a g e r o f th e B r o w n s, th a t i n ­ d u c tio n c a lls w e r e n e a r a t h a n d fo r tw o o f t h e d u b ’s r e g u la r s. S h o r tsto p V e r n o n S te p h e n s a n d P itc h e r S t e v e S u n d r a . F r o m -L o n g B e a c h , C a lif., D e ­ c em b er 30, i t w a s r e p o r te d th a t S te p h ­ e n s w a s re cla ssifie d a s 1 -A b y h is lo c a l b oard th e r e , h a d ta k e n h is p r e H n u n a iy p h y s ic a l te~st a n d 'receiv ed h is in d u c ­ tio n p a p ers. I t w a s sta te d t h a t J u n io r e x p e c te d to g e t h is fin a l c a ll w ith in a f e w d a y s.

S te p h e n s r e c e iv e d a 4 -F cla ssific a tio n a t J efferso n ,. B a rra ck s, M o , l a s t s u m ­ m er, w h e n h e w a s su m m o n e d f o r in ­ d u c tio n . A b r o k e n k n e e c a p , su s ta in e d in a g a m e w it h M a y fie ld a n u m b e r o f y e a r s a g o , a n d w h ic h h a d b e e n r e in ­ ju r e d in * g a m e w it h t h e B r o w n s , c a u se d h is r e je c tio n b y A r m y p h y s ic ia n s a t th a t lim e .

A t t h e B row ns? office, i t i s f e l t th a t th e A r m y m e d ic o s in C a lifo r n ia a lso m a y d e c id e t h a t S te p h e n s’ k n e e r e n d e r s h im u n fit fo r m ilita r y s e r v ic e . I f n o t.

M a r k C h ristm an , a s k illf u l in fie ld w o r k ­ m a n , p r o b a b ly w i l l ta k e o v e r a t s h o r t­ stop .

W ill B r in g S to u t H e a r t I n to A r m y E a r lie r in t h e w e e k , t h e B r o w n s le a r n e d th a t P itc h e r S t e v e S u n d r a , th e ir le a d in g w in n e r o f 1913, w it h a 15-11

Synthetic Center fo r Balls A s a r e s u lt o f r e c e n t r e le a s e s b y t h e W a r P r o d u c tio n B o a rd , t h e m a n ­ u fa c tu r e r o f H ie c u s h io n c o r k c e n ­ te r s—w h ic h is th e c e n te r u s e d i n le a g u e b a se b a lls—a n n o u n c e s th a t i t i s n o w p o s s ib le t o p r o d u c e th e s e c e n te r s fr o m s y n th e tic r u b b e r a n d n e w cork.

L o u C o lem a n o f A . G . S p a ld in g Se B r o s., t h e m a n u fa ctu r e r s o f th e officia l N a tio n a l L e a g u e a n d A m e r ­ ic a n L e a g u e b a se b a lls, r e p o r ts t h a t t h is n e w c e n te r is a s l i v e l y a s t h e o n e m a d e p r io r to th e w a r , i n w h ic h crude ru b b er an d cork w a s u sed . “ W ith th e s e n e w m a te r ia ls, w e w ill b e in a p o s itio n t o p r o d u c e b a lls th a t w ill h a v e a d e g r e e o f liv e lin e s s to m e e t le a g u e r e q u ir e ­ m en ts," sa id C o lem a n . " A t t h is tim e, a ll o th e r m a te r ia ls n e e d e d i n th e p ro d u ctio n o f b a lls a r e a v a il­ able."

S p a ld in g i s n o w i n p ro d u ctio n o f th e s e n e w b o lls a n d w i l l h a v e th e m r e a d y in tim e f o r p la y i n t h e n e w se a so n .

r eco rd , w a s s c h e d u le d f o r In d u ctio n e a r ly in F e b r u a r y . M arried a n d t h e la th e r o f a 2 -y c a r -o I d so n , t h e r ig h t­ h a n d e r i s e m p lo y e d d u r in g t h e o ff­ se a so n o s a stc a m fitte r a t t h e C oast G u ard Station, a t A tla n tic C ity , N . J .

D r a ft n e w s o f a d iffe r e n t n a tu r e w a s r e c e iv e d b y S a m B r e a d o n , p r e s id e n t o f t h e C ard in als, w h e n h e lea r n e d th a t A lb e r t (B e d ) S c h o e n d ie n st, b r illia n t y o u n g R o c h e s te r sh o r tsto p , h a d n o t e n ­ te r e d th e C o a st G u ard , a s p r e v io u sly rep o r te d , b u t w a s s t ill c la ssifie d a s 4 -F .

I t w a s a c o u s in , P a u l, w h o e n te r e d th e C o a st G u ard , a n d n o t A L T h e R o c h e s ­ t e r sh o r tsto p , w h o s e h o m e i s a t G er ­ m a n to w n , IIL, is e m p lo y e d in w a r w o r k th is w in te r a t S c o tt F ie ld . IU. S c h o e n d ie n st, w h o w i l l n o t b e 21 u n til F e b r u a r y 2, w o n t h e b a ttin g c h a m ­ p io n sh ip o f t h e In te r n a tio n a l L e a g u e la s t y e a r w it h a n u n o ffic ia l m a r k o f 336, a n d w a s n a m ed t h e m o s t v a lu ­ a b le p la y e r i n th® le a g u e . H is 4 -F cla ssific a tio n tra ces to a n a c c id e n t, w h ile 'w o r k in g la s t w in te r , w h e n a m eta l sp lin te r e n te r e d h is e y e .

T h e p re su m p tio n i s th a t S c h o e n d ie n s t w i l l b e b r o u g h t u p b y t h e C a rd in a ls n e x t sp rin g , e s p e c ia lly s in c e S e c o n d B a se m a n L o u K le in h a s e n te r e d th e C o a st G u ard a n d S h o r tsto p M a r ty M ar­ io n r e c e n tly w a s c la ssifie d 1 - A . H o w ­ ever, B readon has n o t y e t m ade an y m o v e to w a r d tr a n sfe r r in g R e d fro m th e R o c h e s te r r o ste r . " T h ere’s n o s e n s e i n tr y in g t o m a k e a n y p la n s j u s t n o w ,” c o m m e n te d th e C a rd in a l p r e s id e n t "W e j u s t d o n ’t k n o w w h e r e w e w i l l sta n d b y n e x t sp rin g . A U I k n o w is t h a t w e l l h a v e fo u r m e n o n t h e in field ." T h e Car­ d in a ls ’ S a m i s g o in g t o l e t h is Unci® S a m m y d o t h e p ic k in g .

Send

Your SERVICEMAN

&1)C Sporting ftctus and Give Him A il the Dope

I»

$1je Sporting News Tenfh and OItv# Streets/ St. Louis, I , Mo. Pleas® t e n d T H E S P O R T I N G N E W S f o r on® y e a r t o tb® n a m e d b e lo w . E n c lo s e d is sa y c h e c k o r m o n e y o r d e r i n paym ent a t th e srrriccm rn 'a rata o f o n ly £ 3 .7 5 rn year o r £ 2 l o c s ix m o n th * .

NAM E.

SERIAL No..

CAMP

R E G IM E N T .

__

STATE.

MY NAM E ADDRESS.

Official N. L. Fielding Records (C O N T IN U E D F R O M P A G E 9.)

P la y e r and C lub.

P a sse a u . C hicago K lin g er, P itts b u r g h M ungo, N e w York..

K igbe. B rook lyn B rech een . S t. L o u is.

B eg g s, C in cin n ati N ew som , B r o o k ly n

PITC H ERS T h is . C .

PO .

35 R 13 33 14 45 35 9 29 39

Warn eke. Chicago .

B razle. S t. Louis., M acon. B rook lyn ____ L ohrm an. 17 N e w Y o r k -6 B rook.„R H eu sser. C i n c i n n a t i ______________R F u ch s. P h ila d e lp h ia _______________R P o lle t, S t. L o u is.

D ietz. 8 P ittsburgh-21 P h ila .

-R W hite. S t. L outs.. _L B rand t. P ittsb u rgh _R F lem in g, C hicago _R H ubbell, N e w k o rk Cardon!. B oston E rick son , C hicago B urrow s, C hicago S h u m a n , P ittsb u rg h E ast. N e w York..

M atth ew son , P h ila d elp h ia M acF aydcn. B o sto n ___ B ilh o m , C h i c a g o ____ R iddle, C incinnati W vse, C hicago ___ K rau s. P h ila d elp h ia Starr. C in cin n a ti ..

R. B a rrett. 15 C hicago-23 P h ila .

D a v is. B rook lyn R ow e. P h ila d elp h ia L an ier. S t. L ou is G um b ert, S t. L o u is.

H a n y zew sk i. C hicago A n d rew s, B o s t o n ___ C. B arrett, B o sto n .

W yatt. B rook lyn W alters, C incin n ati A . A d am s. N e w Y ork.

M anger, S t. L ou is.

B u tch er, P ittsb u rg h F eld m an . N e w Y ork S . J o h n so n , P hiladelphia., W it tig. N e w York________ P rim . C hicago D errin ger. C h icago G erh eau ser. P h ila d elp h ia W ebber. B rook lyn C. M e lto n . N e w Y o rk ,

T r ln k le , N e w Y ork F isch er. N e w York,.

V an der M eer, Cincinnati..

S h ou n . C i n c i n n a t i -----S e w e ll. P ittsb u rgh M . C ooper. S t. L ouis G o m lc k i. P ittsb u rg h H ead. B ro o k ly n ____ J a v c r y . B oston H ebert. P ittsb u rg h .

D ickson, S t. L o u ts.

C onger. P h ila d elp h ia Tobin. B oston A llen . 17 B rooklyn-15 N e w Y o r k _ R C hase. N e w York.. _________ _L. S alvo. I P h ilad clp h ia-21 B o sto n „ .R L e e . 13 C hicago-13 P h ilad elp h ia R Pod ga j n y , 13 P h ila.-35 P itts.

R eaclgno. P ittsb u rg h ______ Odom. B oston R. M elton. B rook lyn W X .

A A f c o au u urgh i g u ------------* G ee.

P ittsb S t y le s . 18 N e w Y ork-# B r o o k ly n ^ !* K n st. S t, L o u is.

S to n e. C incinnati Kimball* 3 B ro o k ly n -34 P h ila .

L a on lo g , P ittsb u rg h __________

22

21

19 18 14 11 17 IO

12 12 IO

12

ll IS

23 ll

13 ll IO

33 31

12

16

16 13 9 IO IO ll

17 19 ll

21

40 29 32 38 54 34

41 34

31 13 33 32 21

28 37

8 7 6 7 7 5 4 4 57 48 47 49 50 40 43 42 43 35 33 71 55 27 49 28 24 40 20 21

22

21 20

ll

36 34 57 16

ll

22 36 45 35 37 42 47

ll 13

18 23

18 67 32 60 46 25 40 69 43 21 12

IO

66

28 22

17 21 35 16 5

30 15 23

20

34

13 3

23 39 12

Q

20

13 25 23 28 17 16 29 14 29 11

39 36 38 34 36 38 31 27 32 21 33 38 38 26 34 70

A. 55 37 36 27 28 30 25 22

5 IO IO

3

sn