Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 14 June 1941 — Page 10
SPORTS...
8y Eddie Ash
THE PHENOMENON of the national sDorts’ mind . which insists that John L. Sullivan could knock the stuffing out of Joe Louis or that Bill Tilden of 1922-25 would ‘make Don Budge look like a ping-pong player with a . sprained wrist is just a hangover from childhood hero
_ worship days, explains an article in July Esquire. Why is it that the mere mention of Bohby Feller .in the same
breath with Rube Waddell, Walter
merely brings a patronizing smile? . .
Johnson or Christy Mathewson . Or that a horse laugh is your
_ only answer when you try to point out that Tom Harmon is as good 8 broken field runner as Red Grange? Of course, the -current crop of fighters is just a bunch of hams. . And so on down the line, through the sports where it is impossible ; to prove that our modern athletes are far superior to the boys of
yesteryear.
But when you get down to a few sports where records tell the
story, you've got an argument. . average score for Bobby Jones’ top
. Take golf, for instance.
. The eight years- of competition was
~ 2037....But if you examine the scores in the National for the last
: Set years you'll find that'the average score was just a shade over
a. hen you move on to track and field you find the same situation,
only more so. ... And you'll find the
same upward trend in all sports
where the skill ‘of the performance can be told by the record, The reason for this continued improvement in the quality of ath-
letes? .
today for every one who went after records a few years ago. .
. For one thing, says Esquire, there are hundreds of athletes
. The
athletes of today are trained with much greater care than those of a
generation ago.
. Besides, the incentive to develop into an out-
~ standing performer is greater since the reward is considerably higher.
On the other hand, it’s not hard
are believed superior to anything we have now. . .
to see, why the bygone big shots . In those early days
of sports there were few men who were extraordinarily proficient. . ..
Few people tried seriously to achieve for, those who succeeded really stood
Local Arena Dunked; Fights THREATENING WEATHER and
perfection in sports. . . , Thereout."
Postponed a “wet arena” accounted for the
postponement of the professional fight show scheduled at Sports Arena last night, according to the officials of the Businessmen’s
« Sports Club.
It was explained that equipment at the Arena was drenched by ' rain in the afternoon and that managers of the main go fighters were - unwilling to send their boys into action under these circumstances. However, many fans were disappointed after making the trip to
the Arena only to be confronted by nouncement.
a cardboard postponement an-
The. same card is to be presented next Thursday night at the Arena, featuring Leo Rodak, Chicago, and Armanda Sicilia of Spring-
field, Ill, in the top attraction.
. At the weigh-in yesterday after-
noon Rodak balanced the scales at 134 pounds and Sicilia at 132. Matchmaker Bud Taylor said all future shows will be schedulsd °
‘on Thursday nights.
PP
.
s
. MIKE KELLY, owner and president of the Minneapolis Millers, wants to know what's going on before his eyes and on the air. . . In other words, the affable boss who was in the American Association when it was organized in 1902 makes a double check on his team. While watching the play from his spot in the press Soop; he keeps
@ radio turned on to get the announcer’s descriptions. .
. Hence, Mike
doesn’t miss anything on the field, nor any comments on the air.
Fans May Vote on 1942 All-Stars
MEMBERS OF THE TEAMS representing the National and American Leagues in the 1941 major All-Star game at Detroit July 8 will be chosen by the 16 big league managers, although it was reported the player selections will be given back to the fans in 1942, when the ‘10th game is scheduled to be played at Wrigley Field, Chicago, - in
which city the first All-Star classic
was conceived by Arch Ward,
Chicago Tribune sports editor, in 1933, when the fans were given the
_ opportunity to vote on the players.
+ Personnel of the 1941 teams’ will be announced by July 1. ~ Detroit club officials report they have been swamped with ticket ~ applications, indicating a sell-out of the 58,000 seats available at
Briggs Stadium. . . . Should rain be played the morning of July 9.
force a Br DostprnemErt ,the game will
Baseball At
a Glance
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
5 571 564 547 An
a 24
& {Columbus, outhit 10 to 4 by Milwaukee last .night, nevertheless sat top the American Association with & comfortable game-anda-pat lead
aay. The Red Birds’ mar resulted from their’ edging out last-place
ing second-place Kansas City, 11 to
Taking advantage of four errors, Columbus scored its runs in the oe and fifth, and, although Milukee hit the pitching of young
‘able to tighten up in the pinches. : Toledo rapped four Kansas City pitchers—Ardizoia, Wensloff, Barley
both, Kansas City got only four hits. Other teams were idle because of
GAMES TODAY AMERICAN ASSOCIATION AroLis at, | inneafolis.
PLAX eo at 8 Tole at “alanis, ou (two).
NATIONAL LEAGUE 8 at Pittsburgh
Fhiingeish stg
fia
hisags + avian. LEAGUE
RESULTS YESTI YESTERDAY AMERICAN ASSOCMIION |
umbus : 'waukee 000 008 003 0%= 001 : 1 :
1o4siok} Safar Schmitz, Lambert,
oi) 6 an ty 000 004 Too—t 1% § disoia, Soameny
Indisnapolis at St. “st. Paul, wet grounds. Louisville at Minneapolis, cold Weather,
NATIONAL Ledevs = ‘a
oe 1 4 ’ Wyatt and Owen; a; Lanier and Mancuso.
Only games scheduled. ¥ A ——
AMERICAN LEAGUE Only game scheduled. :
EAE Fight Postponed . NEW YORK, June 14 (U. P)— The return fight between welterweight champion Fritaie Zivic of Pittsburgh and Private Al Davis of the Army, scheduled for June 25 at
the Polo Grounds, has been postponed until July 1.
By JOE WILLIAMS Times Special Writer
Bare Comet” ad | Herma
ve, : Harder,
Williams .410 Tops Batsmen
NEW YORK, June 14 (U. P)— Ted Williams of Boston and Pete Reiser of Brooklyn continued to dominate, the major league batting races for the third straight week, according to averages released today. Including figures for games played Thursday, the statistics showed Williams with a stick mark of .410—a slump of 24 points from the previous week—but. still 46 points better than the mark of the American. League runner-up, Pat Mullin of Detroit, whose .364 clubbing has kept the Tigers afloat. Reiser’s 364 for the season represented a three-point’ ‘gain over last week and a nine-point margin over National League runner-up, Enos Slaughter of St. Louis. The Cardinals had four men among the 10 leading batsmen and Brooklyn had three. Bobby Feller’s 13 victories against two defeats for an .867 mark raced American League pitching performances while Howard Krist of St. Louis still topped National League hurlers with five wins and no losses for a 1.000 average. Leaders in other departments follow: Runs—(A) DiMaggio, 52: (N) Hack, Cubs, 44. Hits—(A) Cramer, Senators, 76;
Yankees,
| (N) Slaughter, Cardinals, 76.
Doubles— (A) Boudreau, Cleveland, 19; (N) Dallessandro, Cubs,
11. Triples—(A) Travis, Senators, and Keltner, Cleveland, 8; (N) Moore, Braves, 6. Home Runs—(A) York, Tigers, 13; (N) Ott, Giants, 15. Runs-Batted-In—(A) York, Tie gers, 48; (N). Nicholson, Cubs, 50. Stolen-Bases— (A) Case, Senators,
|7; |(N) Frey, Reds, 9
The 10 leading batters in each league follow:
AMERICAN LEAGUE AB
Williams, Boston we Mu
an St. Siehert, Fhilade Iohta. o | DiMa New York. DiMaggis, Boston es NATIONAL LEAGUE
AB R H RBI Pct. Reiser, Brooklyn 143 -24 Slaughter St. Louis., 314 Mize, St. Loui 142
Hack, Chicago
, St. Lo : : 338 Pistenor. tabrgh. ‘AMERICAN LEAGUE
Lyons, 0 NATIONAL LEAGUE" G Rls, St. Su sassese 11 Warneke, Louis .... 12 Blanton " Philadelphia. | Casey, Brookl
t, B oe mbert, St. Lo
Tourney at BR
An A, B. C. all-amateur golf tournament is scheduled tomorrow at Speedway. Starting time is 1 p. m.
ing camps. and’ watched the big
¢|Pour of the nation’s
By GEORGE KIRKSEY United Press Staff Correspondent NEW YORK, June 14.—THe National League's “lively ball” suddenly has gone dead. Maybe it’s the moisture in the air or the dampness” in the ground but whatever the cause, the resound-: ing smack of wagon-tongue on horse-hide has been missing for the past few days. When the league-leading «St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1-0, last night in St. Louis, it was the seventh shutout in the last 16 National -
Y ‘outdueled Whit Wyatt, Dodger ace, to increase the Red Birds’ lead to three full games. A crowd of 15,70Q attended. The last three games played in the National League have been shutouts. In addition to Lanier’s
airtight job last night; vis Paul Derringer whitewashed the Braves, 1-0, and Carl: Hubbell blanked the Cubs, 2-0, in the only two games played Thursday. ‘ Aldon ' Wilkie, Pirates’ rookie southpaw, started the shutout parade last Monday when he goose-
_enders another whitewashing, 3-0." The same day Vern Olsen, Cubs southpaw, shut out the Giants, 11-0. Wednesday? Dick
Errickson, Braves’ Tighthander, blanked the
len doesn’t want ¢ club. 0 a pi other years: “Many hitters who
Reds, 2-0.
‘This streak of ‘shutouts indicates that the
were up in dizzy figures in April and ‘May have started to come down, out fast. Several players say the ball isnt as lively as last
- the . Phils, 5-0. Tuesday, Lon Warneke handed the tail-
season. However, these players have: low, batting averages and no player ever thinks there's jackrabbit ‘in the ball when he’s not hitting.
Brooklyn's defeat last, ‘night is id to cause another Dodger » Larry MacPhail can’t weakSe now in in his policy to “buy the pennant fof Brooklyn” and his
. present club doesn’t seem gaited
for the long haul. Babe Phelps,
who pleaded illness and didn't go
west with the Dodgers, is almost seraln hb ‘be traded. Manager Durocher Hine told ‘MacPhail The Dodgers t ‘on he want a relief jer and 2 right-handed hit-: ting outfielder . Lanier pitched a four-hitter ast night to hand the Dodgers their first shutout of the season. He
scattered three singles through the first three innings, and then
walked three men to fill the bases in the fourth. that jam, he didn’t man to reach first until the eighth when Wyatt, who made two of his team’s four hits, singled.. It was Lanier’s fourth victory against two defeats and Wyatt's fourth ojos against nine victories. Wyatt has dropped his last two starts, although allowing only a total of four runs. He had a run of 26 scoreless innings until the Reds made three in the ninth last: Sunday and beat him, 3-2. A walk to Terry Moore, Hopp’s pop single and Phdgett's line single score the lone St. Louis run. The Cards made only four hits and none after the fourth inning. All the major league clubs resume action today with the Western American: League clubs playing in the East and the Eastern the West. League clubs playing in 0
Rain-drenched Redskins Face
: Minneapolis
Entire St. Paul Series Is Washed Out
Times Special
consecutive days, the Indianapolis Indians are coming around to. the belief that it’s a jinx year for them. Wednesday, at Indianapolis, the Tribesters and Kansas. City Blues were held idle by rain and then the Hoosiers departed for St. Paul to meet the Saints in. two tilts. But Lexington Park was drenched
the teams did not get the feel of a ball. : It was a nothing-to-nothing series, no runs, no hits, no errors, and everything going out and nothing coming in. Today found the Redskins in Minneapolis, eager and anxious to get
and a double-header tomorrow against the hard-hitting Millers, Millers Hold Upper Hand
Tom Sheehan’s team holds the upper hand in a big way over the
| Killeferites this season and the
Tribesters probably face a week-end of misery unless they match the Millers in the run-making department, which isn't likely, as the Minneapolis sluggers are known far and wide as a fancy outfit in their own bandbox park. The Millers have lost five in a row during the fail-end of their Eastern trip and the losing streak cost them the league lead. It can be taken for
hard to get along with on their home grounds.
this afternoon and tomorrow the
Logan and George Gill Starr has won 10 games. against
Gill, four and one. College Star Reports .
Eddie Shokes, the college firstsacker,»Duke University via Cincinnati, reported to the Indians in the Twin Cities and Manager Killefer is anxious to get a look at him in action. He was sent to the Tribesters for a thorough trial and he'll get it if he can hit league pitching. But it must be remembered that Shokes is fresh off the campus and not too much can be expected of him in his debut into professional baseball. With the return of Catcher Al
410| Lakeman to the active roster after
a long stay on the hospital list, Joe Becker has returned to the Mon-
30 treal Internationals who were hard
up for a second backstop.
Four Stars Pace
i 3-A Tennis Field
ST. LOUIS, June 14 (U. P.). — top tennis players moved into the semi-finals of the Triple A invitational tournament today. National champion Don McNeill of Oklahoma City meets Gardner Mulloy. of Coral
soo| Gables, Fla, while Frank Parker,
Pasadena, Cal, plays Fred Schroeder, Glendule, Cal., for the right to
|play in the final Sunday.
McNeill ran into trouble in the second set with Charles Olewine of
83 | Santa Monica, Cal, but managed 750{ to pull through with a 6-3, 0-6, 6-3
victory. Parker was forced to come from behind twice to-win over Frank Mehner, Salt Lake City, 10-8, 6-3. ‘Mulloy beat Wayne Sabin, Reno, Nev. 6-4, 6-2. Schroeder beat William Reedy, who previously upset
Gene Mako, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
2 Jack O' Brien Claims Louis' Loss of Sweat : Will Mean Loss of Title~Williams Disagrees
£8 1% B z
MINNEAPOLIS, June 14.—Having i| been rained out of action for three
Thursday and again yesterday, andi
going in one game this afternoon|:
Ray Starr, the Tribe ace, was]! slated to work against the Millers|| assignments probably will go to Bob|& :
five defeats; Logan, one and three; |:
there will be
Favorite in
the District
granted, therefore, that they will be 8
Henry Kowal . : « runnerup for two years.
54-Hole Links Tournament
Opens Monday
at Highland
Nearly 200 golfing gentlemen from the Indianapolis trading area will start out Monday on the 54 holes of links labor that is the Dis-
trict tournament.
Designed as much for sightseeing as shotmaking, the tournament will take the club-wielders to two Marion County courses, with a jauat to Lebanon sandwiched in., Play is: to begin soon after dawn Mon-
day at Highland, and the secondday - setting will be Lebanon’s Ulen Country Club. The winner will get the Lennox Trophy and diamond studded medal after Weanesgay's competition at Speedway. Starting times were to be. set this afternoon by Cliff Wagoner, Inianapolis District Golf Association secretary. Although early entries closed at noon, players will be admitted to competition at the first tee Monday, but, of course, the late comers will have to take leftovers on the starting time schedule. Sizeable delegations from the city’s various country clubs and municipal links have entered the meet, along with crack shotmakers from out-of-town clubs that are members of the District Association. A bit shy, on individual stars, the field nevertheless shapes up as a well-balanced one. One of the top favorites will be genial Hank Kowal, who has finished in second place for two straight years. Last year Kowal burned up the back rh) at Meridian Hills as he fought in the rain to catch Bill Reed, but he was jun a stroke over Reed at the finish e. : ay 3 But several of the other proficient pokers ranked in the top bracket will be absent. Slugging John David, the state amateur titlehold|er, is unable to get a furlough from his work in Chicago, and Phil Talbot has pressing. matters in Bloomington. Reed, the defending champion, won't be on hand, either. Don't: get the idea, ihough, that a scarcity of par-| pummelers. Kowal can expect keen
P| competition from such Hitters as
Jack Taulman of Columbus, the
| Stackhouse brothers from Meridian
Hills, Clark Espie, the 1939 winner; Dick another former
McCreary, titleholder, and John McGuire, one
Sf Toons bogariets dost the itie 3a
Grant Aiming for Comeback
CHICAGO, June 14 ( P)— Bobby Riggs a Bryan Blip) Grant headed a field of 10 matched for first-round play oa in the National ge rr Clay. Court Ten- Ny nis Tournament pb at the River For- § est Tennis Club. - Grant, the Atlanta, Ga., game- § cock, will be seek- E ing to regain ‘his gk crown as national | clay court champ when he - faces Chicago’s Jimmy Evert, national junior indoor titlist. Formerly a top-seeded : star in national competition, Grant was Sesden No. 8 in the 194! tournamen by Riggs, Chicago, who was seeded No. 2, just below.Don MecNeill, Gamblier, O., the defending champion, will oppose John Russell, Evanston, Ill. McNeill begins defense of his title Sunday. Other first round matches today: Glen Parks, South Bend, Ind. vs. Robert Smidl, Chicago. George Joe! Blackmon, Bradenton, Fla. Cal Sawyier Chicago, vs. William Strange, Neenah, Wis. In the woman's division, the standout match paired Helen Bernhard, New York, and Catherine’ Wolf, Elkhart, Ind.
Grant
workout with his four sparmates in preparation for his
Title defense gesinst ext Wednesday nig
Ball, El Paso, Tex. vs.
Pro Shooters Chase Nelson, Hogan, Little
Wood Fires 72 in Ohio Tournament
GIRARD, O., June 14 (U. P).—| a
Three veterans of the professional golf circuit led the way into the second round of the $5000 Mahoning Valley Open Tournament today as new par-breaking scores appeared certain. Lawson - Little, National Open champion last year; Ben Hogan, leading money winner this year, and Byron Nelson all tied at 67 in ie first round of 18 holes yesterday. stroke back at 68 as today’s 18 ya of play began was blond Clayton Heafner of Linville, N. C. Al Espinosa, Bobby Cruikshank, Thomson and Ted Luther .of Pittsburgh were tied with 69's. Open Champion Craig Wood, ma his first tournament appearance since he won the title last week at Texas, was five strokes behind the leaders with 72. Wood ran into trouble on the second hole of yesterday’s round and carded a seven.
Chasing the Leaders
Between Wood and within striking distance of the leaders loomed numerous stars. Ky Laffoon and Lloyd Mangrum of Chicago, Sam Parks Jr, the 1935 Open champion; Tony Joy, local professional; Vash Hromyak, Pittsburgh public linksman, and Johnny Bulla started the day with ¥0’s. Horton Smith and Toney Penna were tied at 71 and both were capable of overcoming the four-stroke deficit in the three rounds left to
‘|play over the par. 70 Mahoning
Country Club course. A 36-hole final round is scheduled Sunday. Hogan's first round was almost perfect. He found the raindrenched, lush fairways to his lik-
ing and although he took a five on
the third hole when his second shot missed the green, he was dead to the pin after that for birdies on the 4th, 6th and 7th.
Showers Soften Fairways
Little provided yesterday's up and down play. He took four bogies and seven birdies, including one on the 8th in which he holed out his chip shot. Nelson carded five birdies and three bogies. He hit the cup with his second on the par four 13th for an eagle. Several showers softened the fairways yesterday and reduced the distance of drives. Hogan finished just ahead of a driving thunderstorm.
Golfing Party for Ladies af Highland
While the men are occupied with the District Tournament, the ladies will have a golfing party of their own Tuesday at Highland. The guests will be Patty Berg and Helen Dettweiler, two nationally’ famous players, who will meet Dorothy Ellis and Elizabeth Dunn in an 18-hole match. But before that, the ladies will sit ‘down to an’ 11 o'clock luncheon and then witness a clinic. The match will follow a clinic at 1 p. m,, both of which are free. All city and state club members are
Harvard Crows Win Two Races
NEW LONDON, Conn. June 14 (U. 'P).—Harvard crews neared their fourth consecutive sweep of the Yale-Harvard regatta today in the 79th renewal of America’s oldest _intercollegate rivalry. The Cambridge freshman and junior-varsity crews defeated Yale
and all that was needed for another)
clean-sweep was a victory early this. morning by the heavily-favored varsity in the four-mile race. The Harvard freshmen whipped over the finish line of the two-mile upstream course on the Thames River four lengths ahead of the Eli shell. Then the Jayvees, rowing over the sane course, won by a length. i The weather was ideal for rowing. Fog and mist blanketed the river, a faint southeast breeze blew, and the water was smooth.
2= Brown Bomber Takes It Easy; ¥ EF Conn Polishes Off Monday
idise| oEENWOOR LAKE, N. J., Jurie “14. Dy Teavywelght Champion
POMPTON LAKES, N. J., June 14 (U. P.) ~Challenger Billy Conn will wind up intensive training for his shot at Joe Louis’ heavyweight title with boxing drills today, “tomorrow and Monday.
He will break camp Tuesday, moConn | tor into New York and do some lim-
bering up exercises that afternoon
Carl Hubbell . . . another whitewasher.
Imagine Phelps Disappearing!
By HARRY FERGUSON United Press Sports Editor
NEW YORK, June 14. — Babe Phelps, catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers; announced today that he was going down to Maryland and disappear. Dont’ you believe a word of it. Anybody who has ever seen him in a baseball uniform knows that it is impossible for him to disappear. Blimp for nothing. He stands six feet, weighs 225 and has the trim, lean lines of a beer barrel. The Blimp could bury himself in ihe deepest forest in Maryland some segment of him still and je visible. He could submerge ae self in Chesapeake Bay, but he would displace so much water that a tidal wave would occur. He could dig a cave for days but no matter how deep he burrowed one toe always would project. ; "The Blimp and the Dodgers severed diplomatic relations yesterddy. He received a telegram from General Manager Larry MacPhail telling him he ° was suspended because he had failed to catch a train when the Dodgers started west night before last. Phelps’ absence was discovered when the’ conductor informed the engineer that the train was bouncing around so hard that it was about to leap the rails. ;
AS SOON as the Blimp received MacPhail’s billet doux, he issued a statement: “I'm sick. I got pains in my head and a misery in my chest. I'm going to pack up and go home and try to get well. And when I get down there in Maryland they won't be able to find me either.” Boasting, idle boasting. All MacPhail will have to do to find the Blimp is to climb a mediumsized hill anywhere in Maryland on a clear day, shade his eyes against the sun and peer around the points of the compass until he sees a protuberance on the horizon. That will be the Blimp. Transportation — the matter of getting from one place to another with a reasonable degree of speed — always has been a problem for the Blimp. The Dodgers thought they had solved it when they started to fly from one city to another. They reasoned that once they got the Blimp into an airplane it. would be impossible for him to get out in mid-air and start for his beloved Maryland. But the Blimp prove to be a stouter antagonist than the Dodgers had reckoned. He announced that he would have no part of these new-fangled flying" machines and that he would continue to buy railroad tickets and miss trains. So erever the Dodgers flew, the Blimp trailed along behind on the train, fight ; ing a valiant rear-guard action against the theory that men, like. birds, can wing their way through the air. » » * AMONG THE AILMENTS that beset the Blimp frequently is nostalgia, or homesickness as it is’ known among the laymen. He had a severe attack of it this spring and immediately began to hum “Maryland, My Maryland." The Dodgers were training in Havana and the Blimp tackled the problem of how to get himself there. He finally caught a train for ‘Miami, : sending along communiques that he was .approaching Cuba by slow but certain stages. He had a little cold when he arrived in Miami, so he settled down there in a quiet landing to think things over. The more he thought the worse became the code in de. haid. The best medical advice is to the effect’ that a few days under a hot, semi-tropical -sun.is fine. treatment for a cold. The Blimp - dissents from that belief. Particu= larly when a cold is complicated -
“by nostalgia. So he got on a train .
ck for snow=
and headed: right
strewn, = sleetgbo where he
PLAY GOLF
SPEEDWAY. il
Pay as: You Play Shy
They don't call him The =
SER 1
d get a treatment - " of cold drafts and wet feet. :