Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 December 1940 — Page 30
SPORTS. ..
By Eddie Ash
AS THE CLUBS of the
American Association look
back over the 1940 campaign, most of them are able to point to one or two “jinx” opponents who kept them from materially: improving their position in the league race, says Frank Colley, the league’s ace press chief. : * Ask the Indianapolis Indians about St. Paul and Kan-
sas City, and Minneapolis, too. But the three leading clubs furnish the best example, since they
were standouts in the flag chase .
. . « Although the Kansas City
Blues finally won the A. A. championship by a margin of four games they were given a battle down to the finish by Columbus and Min-
neapolis.
~The Blues unquestionably figure that the fight would have been gn easier one had the Millers not proved. such tough customers. . . Only the Millers were able to edge the champions on the season, 11
games to 10.
.. On the other hand, the Blues’ mastery over the Red
Birds, by a 15 to 6 margin, helped to keep them on top. Columbus realizes that its inability to defeat the Blues cost the
pennant. . .
. Had the Birds been able to do as well against the title
holders as did Minneapolis, they would have copped the flag by a one-game margin. . . . At the same time the Birds found the Millers
easy picking, winning 14 and losing
only six.
To complete the round robin, the Millers can find great satisfaction in their work against the first placers, but their inability to cope with the Birds cost them second place, and had they been anywhere near as successful against Columbus as they were in 1939 they
would have captured the league gonfalon,
Millers Down Hens in 19 Games
THE MILLERS held an 18-game edge over Toledo, beating them 19.to 1, and .a one-game margin over Kansas City, making Kansas City 17 games superior to Toledo, yet the Blues topped the Hens
by only two games. Once more, Kansas City held a
nine-game edge over the Birds,
and ‘but a two-game margin over the Hens, which should make the Hens seven games better than the Birds, but Columbus smashed Toledo 17 to 5, for a 12-gameé advantage. . : Similarly, Toledo held a 14 to'7 margin over St. Paul, while In-
dianapolis edged the Hens, 13 to 9. ...
Tribe 11 games better than St. Paul to 5, a nine-game margin.
» » 2
This should have made the but the Saints tripped them 14
THE MORE you try to figure out why one club will click against another, but fail against the third, while the third in turn is wal-
loped by the second, the harder it becomes. . .
. Often a club which
is a “jinx” for ‘another club pone year is easy picking for the same
club the next season.
Anyway you figure it, baseball is a funny game, .
. « Minneapolis
had a one-game advantage over ‘Kansas City, which held a nine-
game margin over Columbus which
should have made Minneapoiis
some 10 games superior to Columbus. . . . Instead the Birds held an
eight-game margm over Minneapolis.
- Here are the records of each club against every opponent for
1940:
Club K. C. ses etesns xX Col. Sets ane ‘Mpls. sssscenses JA1 Lvl. “ts ser ” St. Paul ..,.... 9 Ind. .......... 7 Toledo ...10 Milwaukee .... 7
15 15 12 8 X 13 9 10 8
1 X 1
1 8 8 1 7
Lost .......57. 60 59 75
K.C. Col. Mpl. Lvl. St.P. Ind. Tol. Mil. W. L, 10 13 15 12 95
15 14 8 X 5 14 10
79
Pct, 625 600 S598 500 466 425 © .396 392 |
57 60 59 5 69 84 90 90
12 13 13 14 X 9 8
17 19 12 7 13 X 10
84 9
Betzel Returns to A. A. as Coach
BRUNO BETZEL, Indianapolis’ 1928 pennant winning manager, will return to the A. A. next season as first assistant to Bill Killefer,
Milwaukee’s new pilot. . , . Killefer
charge of the pitchers and catchers . . .
signed Betzel as coach to take Last season Bruno man-
aged Binghamton of the Eastern League, The Southern Association’s managerial lineup was completed with the signing of Ray Blades at New Orleans, Oscar Roettger at Birmingham, Bert Niehoff at Little Rock and the re- engagement of
Kiki Cuyler at Chattanooga.
In charge of the other clubs are Larry Gilbert, Nashville; Paul Richards, Atlanta; Truck Hannah, Memphis, and Fred Lindstrom,
Knoxville.
2 2 2
ST. PAUL has purchased Shortstop Dick Korte from Beaumont of the Texas League, which means Manager Red Kress probably will move to third base and Gil English will switch to the outfield . . Ollie Bejma at second and Jesse Newman at first will make up
the remainder of the Saints’ infield. Umpire Jocko Conlan, American smallest’ arbiter calling plays in the
Association product, will be the majors next year. ... He'll be
a member of the National League staff , . . . Jocko stands 5 feet 7
inches and weighs 154 pounds.
Lewis Beams As His New ‘Boys’ Deliver
Pittsburgh Next for Caps As Bisons Skid"
AMERICAN BEAGUE Western Division
to ® « -- 2d 9 eh azeal™ < Rnpant
25
Sprin fi a N w Have 3 25 18 14
Pros vide Philadelphia 48 63
RESULTS LAST NIGHT INDIANAPOLIS, 4; Bugtale, 1 Cleveland, 6; Hershey, 3. NEXT GAMES
SATURDAY —INDIANAROLIS at Pitts: bur, Buffalo at Cleveland, Het P, deiphia: Providence at Springfield.
By FREMONT POWER
Despite considerable pants trouble experienced by one of his new boys,
-]Herbie Lewis was feeling as good] -
today as a hoss-tradin’ David Harum after a smart deal. Beaming in the dressing room after the ice Capitals put the blocks to the Buffalo Bisons here last night, 4 to 1, Chief Herbie flung out 50-cent adjectives twice as fast as the Kkibitzers could comprehend them. “The objects of his singular affection were Hal Jackson and HecKilrea’s “little” brother, Ken. He traded. two players and a nice pile of cash for Hay (ex-Providence) and one player for Ken (ex-Detroit.)
Orchids for Hal and Ken
They made their first appearance this season in Hoosier blue and to say the least they came through. Speaking of Hal, Manager Herbie said “that boy can do anything. He
cover up and he never makes a mistake. And all the time he’s got a lot of chatter.” Lewis had about the same to say of Kilrea the Younger (21). “A lot of drive,” is the way Herbie talked of Ken. Kilrea topped off a neat evening’s performance by scoring the last goal of the game with less than three minutes to go. In a rough shuffle in the northeast corner of the rink, he blasted one through Goalie Bill Beveridge with Bill Thomson and Jack Keating doing the assisting.
Beveridge in a Stew
By that time, Mr. Beveridge had lost all semblance of sophistication. He was taking off from in front of the net in all directions. The Bisons were first to register on the scoreboards, however, when Tony Hemmerling scooted around from back of the Capital cage and slammed one right through the legs of Goalie Jimmy Franks. Pranks threw out his left leg to foul the puck but it went past without touching him. The assists went to Maxie (not Slapsie by a long shat) Bennett and Jack Toupin. While the Buffalos were setting the stage for this, Indianapolis’ Jackson was sitting on the bench getting into his skates. -"e was even late getting to the bench, for in
| slipping into his new uniform he
While playing with the White Sox in 1935, Conlan was called
upon to umpire a game in St. Louis
he quit playing and donned the blue.
and Hkeg the work so well that
Strikes Io Spare
BY FREDDIE FISCHER World All-Events Champion
JUST AS IN many other phases of bowling, there are no definite rules governing the stance, Some stand almost upright, holding the ball in front of the chest. At least one top-ranking bowler balances the ball on his left shoulder at the start of his approach. Others bend over slightly, holding the ball about at the waiss. The one important thing to remember is to keep relaxed, holding the ball with a firm but not tense grip. Muscles should be at . rest, for tension will throw off both the stride and the swing. Assume a stance from 9 to 12 feet back of the foul line, depending on the size of your stride and the number of steps you take. . At one time I took five strides, but I have cut that down to three. A long approach serves no useful purpose: If you feel you must lead off with your left foot, take three or five steps. If leading with your :- right seems more natural, : four . is the. best number. The steps - should be short, for long strides - will throw you off balance. Throughout the approach, the left arm—or the right, if you are a left-hnaded bowler—should be used as a balance, moving nat_urally. There is no reason why you have to be on an alley to practice the approach. You can do it at home, carrying a weight to give you the feel of the ball. Keep ‘practicing until you feel you have an easy, rhythmic stride. The end of-the approach should be a slide, with the left foot well forward and the body remaining in perfect balance at the moment the ball is released.
NEXT-—Backswing, and followthrough.
‘About Face
PALO ALTO, Cal., Dec. 19 (NEA). -«—Seven members of Stanford’s football team were members of last
Freddie Fischer shows relaxed posture, grip on ball.
Fight Pictures Here Joe Louis, the heavyweight will be on the local screen at the Alamo Theater tomorrow in a four-
day run of motion pictures of his recent bout with Al McCoy in Bos-
lton. The films, which run for 15
minutes, record blow-by-blow action.
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found the suspenders were ’way too long and he had to have them hitched up with needle and thread. He’d sent someone out to his car, meantime, to fetch his skates. They got the wrong pair (not even his, he said) and so he did the first period on an unfamiliar pair of runners. But not long after he ook in the game to team with Bob Whitelaw at (Continued on Page 31)
T GF GA Pis. 60 45 24
GF GA Pts. | 66 55
takes the puck down, gets back to|
Butler T raps Wildeots Wears 2 Big Ten Scalps It Wass! a Neat
Butler had to ork for rebounds last night against Northwestern's tall Wildcats. Here two Bulldogs go up after the ball
along
of Northwestern.
with six-foot Henry Clason That's Bob
Dietz nearest the basket and Bill Hamilton (23) making a grab. Jim McCray Jays back in case of trouble.
Wabash Tops Ohio Cagers
Baskets flew thick and fast last night as the Little Giants of Wabash gave a hot welcome to Marietta (0.) College netmen and downed the Ohio invaders, 51 to 43. Definitely stymied the evening before by Purdue’s high-scoring Boilermakers, the Little Giants found it pleasant to go against somebody not so fast and not so accurate, At that, Wabash conceded to play the game in quarters rather than the customary halves. Marietta, in the state for a series of four games, led only in the second period. But Wabash stormed into a 29-21 lead at the half and kept in. front of the Ohioans during the third and fourth sessions. Klein and- Green each tallied six baskets for the Little Giants. : Hanover gave the University of Cincinnati cagers a taste of Hoosier basketball by taking a 46-36 decision in the Cincinnati gym. Led by Clarence Tull, who scored 21 points, the Hoosiers kept in a nip and tuck battle up to the last 10 minutes, when they broke loose for their 10-point victory margin. Evansville defeated University of Louisville at Louisville by a score of 86 to 52. Playing but 28 minutes, Doerner scored 13 field goals and six free throws for a total of 32 points. - Ewing, another Evansville forward scored five field goals. Tri-State defeated Albion of
Michigan, 31 to 29 at Angola.
Notre Dame Tries Another Shot af Big Ten Cagemen
TONIGHT’S . GAMES Michigan at Notre Dame. Anderson at Taylor. Loras (Ia.) at St. Joseph’s, Marietta at Indiana State. Manchester at Huntington. Ohio Weslyan at Ball State. Central Normal at Valparaiso. Earlham at Wilmington. Beloit at DePauw.
‘SOUTH BEND, Ind: Dec. 19.— Once-heaten Notre Dame will seek revenge on the Big Ten here fonight when the Wolverines of Michigan invade. Last week the Irish lost a 44 to 43 decision to the Wisconsin Badgers at Madison. Since the Badgers made 20 free throws to Notre Dame's nine, the Irish were not discouraged by the loss. Tonight Michigan will have an advantage in height and experi= ence, which will partially offset Notre Dame's home coutt edge. Michigan is undefeated this season. The Wolverines have won both games since resuming athletic relations with Notre Dame. Eddie Riska, captain of this year’s team and a junior last year, turned in the best game of his career to count 23 points at Michigan last year, but the Wolverines won, 41 to 39. They had taken a 40-38 decision here earlier.
| Notre Dame’s only victory over
. | son, George Keogan'’s first as Notre
Da mentor, "when the Irish took! me n Sa | golfing duffers of this Latin Man-
"| champions in
‘|dler at center, and Brogan and
Michigan came in|the 1923-24 sea-
a 29-25 decision from the Big Ten three overtime periods.
Tonight’s lineup for Notre Dame will be Riska and Sobek as forwards; Butler at center, and Ryan and Smith at guards.
For Michigan, Solfiak and Fitzgerald will start at forwards; Man-
Ruehle at guards.
O, Woe Is Me
STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Cal, Dec. 19 (U, P.).—Coach Clark Shaughnessy had worries today. He is fighting influenza, can hardly talk because of a cold, his Stanford football team missed practice because of heavy rain, and Claude Purkitt, only experienced replacement for right tackle Bruno Banducci, went to the hospital with a sore throat. And — .Shaughnessy says he hasn't yet figured out a ‘defense against Nebraska University because the Rose Bowl opponent wasn’t scouted during the regular season. By confession, Shaughnessy is “about half nuts,” but he announced the team would scrimmage today.
"NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (U. P.).— The story of pitching in the American League last season was a tale of one man—Bob- Feller, the Cleveland Indians’ corn-fed speed ball king. Feller won every pitching honor there was to win last season except two, and he shared one of those, according to the official pitching averages released today. The one title Feller didn’t win was for highest percentage but even in that department he wasn’t far behind, finishing third to Schoolboy Rowe and Buck Newsom, the pen-nant-winning" Tigers’ aces.
Bullet Bob led the league in
earned runs with 2.62, in strikeouts
American League Pitching far Man—Bob Feller, Who Led From Start of Season to Finish
with 261, won the most games, 27, and pitched the year’s only no-hit, no-run game, His no-hitter came on opening day against the White Sox, the first time in history that feat has been accomplished. A glutton for punishment, Feller appeared in the most games, 43, pitched the most innings, 320, faced the most batters, 1168 and pitched the most complete games, 31. Rowe captured the won and lost title with 16. victories and three defeats for a percentage of .842 followed by Newsom with 21 wins and five losses for .808. Feller finished third with 27 triumphs and 11 defeats for an average of .7l1. Sev-
eral others were interspersed among
1940 Is the Story of Oné
the “big three” but they were pitchers who appeared in very few games. While Feller wasn’t able to win the shutout championship, he copped one-third of it, tying with his teammate, Al Milnar, a southpaw, and the veteran Ted Lyons of the White Sox for that honor. Each had four shutouts. Feller’s earned run average actually was topped by one pitcher, Ernie “Bonham, { Yankee rookie right-hander who joined the club in mid-season. Bonham hung up an earned run average of 1.91 but pitched only 99 innings, not enough for consideration as the real leader. Marked improvement in: Feller's
control was evidenced as his base-
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on-balls’ record dropped from 142 in 1939 to 118 in. 1940. Ken Chase, Washington southpaw, was the league’s wild man, He walked 143 men to lead in base-on-balls, and threw 12 wild pitches to tie Porter Vaughan, Athletics’ rookie, for that dubious honor. Dutch Leonard, Washington, and George Caster, Athletics, tied for the most defeats, each losing 19 games. Leonard, however, hung up 14 victories and had an earned run record of 349. Caster won only four games and had an earned run record of 6.57, which placed. him only five notches from the bottom. Herman Besse, Athletics’ rookie, s| was the 79th and last pitcher in the earned runs with a mark of 8.83.
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Snead hedes
Em in Havana
HAVANA, a 19 (U. P.).—The hattan were pop eyed today as Sam Snead of West lirginia and Rufino Gonzalez, buckled down to serious work for an epgchal international match which will carry side bets totaling $10,000. | . The boys don’ tee off over the rolling hills of palm- lined Havana Club course until Sunday, but al-
1ready the drums are beating and
local attendance records are in danger. Sportsnjen are eager to back their favorites, and by post time the wagers! | may be substantially larger. The match vile inspired when Thorwald Sanchez, young scion of a Wealthy Cuba sugar family,
| offered to bet $5000 that Gonzalez
could whip any golfer in the world on the home |course. Thomas Shevlin of New York covered the bet and chose $nead. The pair agreed their men would play 36
holes under medal conditions. ‘Slightly Weak’.
Snead had the, populace groggy immediately upon arriving when he slashed out a 67--five below par— on his first attempt. Yesterday he did even better; {lhe rambled oveg the 6300-yard course in a cool 65 and at that reported his putts as “slightly weak.” |His drives, however, brought admiring gasps. from a large and envious gallery. Gonzalez, the mystery man of the match, turngd in no public score as the practice was resumed today but his backers haven't lost faith. A former .caddy, the 32-year-old Cuban hasn't been defeated on his own links in the memory of the oldest club member. Although his record in the United States is poor, his showing at home
THURSDAY, DEC
Basket That Turned Trick
Troublesome Evening Has Pleasant Ending
By J. E. O'BRIEN Mr. Tony Hinkle has a
|birthday today and Christmas
is only six days away, but there’ll be no shortage of presents at the Hinkle household so long as the Big Ten comes bearing gifts.
Maybe ons to say that the basketball ¥.ctories Mr. Hinkle's Butler Bulldogs are grabbing off are presents. Over at Columbus last Saturday it was all the Bulldogs could do to keep the Indian-giving Buckeyes from taking back the game. And last night Butler had more trouble against Northwestern than a fat lady at a bargain coun-
ter.
With about as much time as it takes Joe Louis to put a guy to sleep, Butler led, 30-27, and Mr. Hinkle issued instructions for his Bulldogs to freeze the sought-after sphere. But Bob McCarnes, Lo- . gansport-bred Wildcat, had different ideas ~
It’s Robbery, Sir He slapped in a rebound shot to pull Northwestern to within one point of Butler. It still looked like the little: boys in Blue were safe, for there were only 45 seconds to play and it was Butler's ball, Northwestern, however, pulled a hijacking job in plain view of the law, and Mr. McCarnes dropped in a goal from the outfield.. Now the Bulldogs were in trouble. A long shot was wild; a followup was off the beam, and Northwestern recovered. But not for long. Harold Braden and Bill Hamilton took back the ball and gave it to Lyle Neat, who had nothing between him and the goal but open space. He took a couple of dribbles and almost laid the ball in the basket. The game was Butler’s, 32 to 31. It was really in the second half that life began for the Bulldogs. At intermission they trailed, 21-14; they had been woefully out-of-line ‘with their shots, and at times they wondered if they inadvertently had scheduled a football game.
First Down, Goal to Go Don Clawson provided the grid-" iron touches, with the help of fellows like 192-pound George Benson and 200-pound Henry Clason. Pink-shouldered Bill Hamilton was trying his best to stop Clawson— something the whole \Notre Dame line couldn’t do in a while Saturday afternoon. This is not tosay that Clawson did anything as mean as throw rabbit punches or gouge eyes, but he’s used to playing with more sturdy companions than sawdust dolls and so naturally he can’t be blamed if he comes out of a scramble under the basket with the ball in one arm and a guy’s head in the other. But Hamilton continued to accept the treatment and the resulting free throws, implying to the referee now and then the punishment he was taking. And finally Mr. Clawson was ejected on his fourth personal midway in the second half. .
The Bulldogs Bounce Back
. Two long shots and a close-in bucket near the end of the half gave the Wildcats their wide margin at intermission, but Butler bounced back nicely. Neat, Jim McCray and Hamilton poked the meshes in succession to cut Northwestern’s lead to 21-20. Wilbur Schumacher’s goal from underneath gave Butler a brief 23-21 lead before Wendland’s long and Clason’s two free throws put the Wildcats to the front again. Then Hamilton, with Clawson on the sidelines out of his way, connected on a bat-in and follow-up and made his third on a go-fast play from Bob Dietz. Hamilton added another free throw a little later to give Butler its 30-27 lead. That’s when the fireworks started. Neat and Hamilton were the Bull-
(Continued on Page 31)
is aimost phenomenal.