Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 30 March 1952 — Page 13
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SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 1952
Times
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PAGE 13
T he Press Box--
~ gravely, “the sophomore jinx got him.” ;
" elected him to pitch it. He won and starred in the series. |
" happened?
| the hottest
|" foods!
elves—large told storage r storage of
i By JIMMIE ANGELOPOLOUS CAN BIG-TIME gamblers reach our high school basketball players? La Tn This question is blood-curdling, - Thank goodness the answer is “NO.” I am convinced of that. ~~ My investigation convinces me we in Indiana can still retain our faith and confidence in the honesty and integrity of all players and school official§ in our great high school basketball tournaments. I heard a disturbing rumor this week. It concerned the Vincennes-New Albany afternoon game of the Bloomington semifinals this year, It might have concerned a dozen other important tourney games if those games involved a team as outstanding as this year's brilliant New Albany Bulldogs.
» = ~ 3 THE TIMES prints this story today as a tribute to teams like New Albany, and as a stark, realistic reminder that, despite the simon purity of our great IHSAA tournaments, we cannot forget that lurking in the background of our fine high school athletic programs are possibilities of greed. : * Mention of New Albany is done only because New Albany happened to’ be the target and innocent victim of what might have been a vicious gambling ring. In no way does. this story reflect on the play of Coach Gordon Raney’s best-ever at New Albany,
a ” » ~ » . ~ . ©" THAD a call during the week of the state finals. The caller appeared innocent. He talked sincerely, He said
F
By Joe Williams
~ There's No Such Thing As ‘Sophomore Jinx’
NEW YORK, Mar. 20—Let a young ball player, not necessarily an arsonist, burn up the league his first year in the majors, then fall all over himself in labored futility the next, and without fail there will be some one, nodding
This implies a species of sorcery, witchcraft or voodooism and is strictly for the birds. There is no such thing as a sophomore jinx. Either a ball player has it or he hasn’t and only time will tell. It is possible to rationalize all such disparities. . » ” ” - " Maybe the player was hitting or pitching over his head the first year. Maybe he was just plain lucky in concealing a weakness. Maybe he took his press clippings too seriously and decided he had the ‘game whipped. There is always a reason. To attribute it to some mysterious chemical force is silly. Besides it isn’t always significant. 3 » » = ° » » ” LET'S consider some case histories, Walter Dropo of the Red Sox, for instance. This large young man hit .322 his first year and was voted the league's outstanding freshman in '50. Last year he nosed-dived to .239 after dropping back to the minors. The Red Sox are taking another look at him. What happened to him? You get your best information on ball players in the enemy dugouts and you are told ‘“Dropo can be pitched to.” If this is an accurate size-up then it took the pitchers | a full year and more to find his blind spot, and it may be safe to assume he won't make it. Gene Bearden had a remarkable season his first year up with Cleveland, winning 20, losing only seven and pacing the league with a brilliant 2.43 earned run average. That fall there was an unprecedented American League play-off game and the Indian players, given the choice,
Next year (8 and 8) he couldn't get the cat out. What |
Old Connie Mack had the answer.
| ‘Fix’ Was No Fix
Local Bowler Takes ABC Lead
v
he was told by a man that a third party had given the man a tip the New Albany-Vincennes game looked a ‘‘sure thifg for a shoo-in.” The third party told the man to lay his money on Vincennes. The “line” among the gamblers gave Vin-
. scorers or a key man.
cennes eight and one-half points on the Saturday morning of the New Albany-Vincennes game. New Albany ‘had clubbed Vincennes, 64 to 46, early in the year. The caller, whom I did not know, said the man told him the third party boasted he “laid” $500 on the game. He took Vincennes and eight points. New Albany, which won by 18 points on its home floor, downed Vincennes,
56 to 49, by seven points. The third party won his bet.
5 = = ! ae 8 8» THE CALLER said he didn’t believe it. He said he was taken'to a man in downtown Indianapolis who verified the fact that the third party had bet and won $500 by gambling on New Albany to beat Vincennes by less than eight points. J : The caller said he hoped in all seriousness that no one could ever rig a high school game, So did IL I knew if the third party bet $500, he was acting on a tip from the real source, if ever a “fix” was on. The “fixer,” if there was one, would have bet thousands, not $500. Any “fixer” would try reaching one or two key I took the story lightly until I checked the New Albany box score, ~ - ” » » . I SAW Center Jim McLaughlin, the second leading scorer who had an 18.6 average all season, had scored only one field goal. He hit six free throws and.missed four. On the surface, the gambler, it appeared, won his bet by one point with a key man making 10 points off
, So Story Becomes A Cheerful One
his average. I noticed McLaughlin made only thrée free throws in.another tourney game. ‘ 1 perked up but never lost sight of the fact that ©
any star player at any time can hit a slump or have a
Tribesters Sink Reading 3-1 in Big 7th Inning
Tribesters were goose-egged by Pitcher Spud Mufray, a right- name still is listed on the Indian- *
i
By EDDIE ASH Times Sports Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Mar. 29—A five-run blast in the seventh inning today gave the Indianapolis Indians a 5 to 1 victory over Reading of the Eastern League in an intersquad game.
| Until the “stretch stanza’. the Tribe Training Notes BILLY JOE DAVIDSON, whose
o Bll er yo apolis roster, continues to be held Triple.| moved from one camp group to A Americ a n another. He is not counted in the Associatio n|Indianapolis picture except on {paper. Every time he's moved it's
| ad siren always lower in classification, one a bunt, and He's now with group six. The
was in young bonus pitcher has devel-
KNOW YOUR TRIBE—Harry Malmberg (left), shortstop, and Bob Prentice (right), second base, may be at those infield spots when the Indianapolis Indians open their American Association season, Malmberg was a .247 hitter last year for San Diego but is red-hot with the glove. Prentice hit .270 for Wilkes-Barre in 1951.
Kansas U. Blasts Bears 92 to 65 for top spot in unofficial single-
bad game or two. I bliried my thoughts for a week. Last week I went to New Albany. I told my story to Superintendent Harry Davidson, Principal Austin ‘A. Cole and Coach Raney. We talked for hours. They were cordial and most co-operative. Of course, they had heard nothing. > :
» n » ~ WHEN COACH RANEY talked to Frank Stemle in confidence, the quiet, innocent star didn't even know what “rigging” a game meant. McLaughlin had been ill on and off for several days. The conscientious center felt “bad” in practice all week. But he snapped: out of his slump with 10 field goals against Evansville Central in the semifinal championship game. He had had two other “bad” games during the year. Raney said he, himself, put four men back in the last quarter against Vincennes to slow down the game. I left New Albany convinced the alleged gambling. element around Jeffersonville and environs had never approached a New Albany player in any manner at any time this year, 1 apologized for any implied insolence to New Albany’s fine athletes and officials. I left New Albany cone vinced that the gambler’s fantastic luck in that game was just that—fantastic luck. :
v
Curt Freeland Rolls 702 Series, Ties for
High Game With 278
Other bowling news Page 15.
Times Special Writer
MILWAUKEE, Mar, 20—A 37-yedr-old Indianapolis bowler moved into the top spot in the singles division of the American Bowling Congress 1952 tournament here
tonight as he fired a three-game total of 702.
Curt Freeland, a four-year bowler out of the Construction League at Pritchett's fired of 211, 213 and 278. It was first 700 in the singles division the tournament and the first Freeland’s career. a n=» 5 His third game, also, tied
el
2
§
By United Press game competition, with possibly
KANSAS CITY, Mo, Mar. 20g new automobile waiting at the
EET
on
infield lost out trying for dianville. RE in Then Al Smith singled, dog track doesn’t open until June.
Reading front, 1 to 0. In the
emerged from manager, which identified
Howard Rodemeyer, After one
Turner filled the bases. [diversion and excitement. ” ” ”
a long single, scoring Rowell and
The
A =» # "
scoring Turner and Kalin. AT BREAKFAST the
short single by Lloyd Gearhart| jammed the sacks again and day, Cleverly scored after the catch’ on Herb .Conyer’s long fly. Both teams collected but seven hits/that all and Al Smith got two of the Tribe's.
players
oped arm trouble and he has a
Tribe weak knee, Johnny Moorman, In- i ¥ seventh the In-|dianapolis lad, is practicing with 00 an 00 5 — dians finally the same squad, Pinky May ae Lnis
Eddie Ash {noir hitting group as spartanburg of the class slump and were helped by a pair B Tri-State League. of walks off Reading Pitcher, #88
AN INDIANAPOLIS party visout. Joe Rowell and Mel Rue ited the Orlando-Sanford dog racwalked and a single by KEarling track the other night, fseuing u even the sport of queens wasn N IN connected for too exciting to the Hoosiers. They FRANE Ral didn’t know about the past per{formances of dogs and had too Rue. Jimmy Cleverly was safe on many losers. Anyway the track la, fielder’'s choice when the Read- is located some distance from InDaytona Beach
other on a rainy morning, Camp Director Eddie Stumpf announced over the public address system “would be on their own” until the noon hour. In an aside to others he said,
lswingers had to face a strong
“I hope the boys catch the hint] The errors were one apiece. The ,4 ¥5 into town for haircuts,”
it's the first time since camp
wind and there were no extra-i;neneq we've given them free
base
» ” = » » an “The hitters got wise to him. They quit going for his best pitch, a low knuckler. They made him get it higher, in the strike zone, then they belted it.”
» ” » » ” - BEARDEN HASNT had a winning campaign since. In the last three seasons he won a total of 19 games and his earned run average, the true criterion, has successively been, 5.10, 4.97 and 4.62. Apparently he became a 20game winner, not on his stuff, but on the dull wittedness of the hitters. oh Out of such things is the senseless sophomore jinx made. Isn't it possible for a hitter to eliminate a blind spot or an imperfection in his wing ? This would depend a great deal on his ingenuity and determination. It may surprise you to hear Rogers Hornsby was not.a great hitter when he came up. He couldn't even hit .300 in the minors. His first three full years in the majors yielded .313, “327 and 281. Good enough, but nothing like what he was to hit once he perfected his unique, far-back batting stance, which-permitted him to step into the pitch and nullified any attempt to pitch him tight, or close ih,"the best allpurpose batting stance I ever saw. The sophomore jinx was supposed to have coiled its odious talons around Mickey Cochrane when he skidded from .331 in 1925 to .273 in '26. Since he wound up with: | a .320 lifetime average you can see how misleading such testimony canbe. Cochrane has a succinct explanation. “I was more careless the second year and the pitchers | were more. careful.” | » » » . I ” » ” Cochrane had grown complacent, and the pitchers capitalized on it. Next year, wiser and chastened, the A’s gifted | catcher, was back in stride, hitting .338, and stayed there.
|
= = = = = ~ BECAUSE OF their fine performances last. year, their first, a number of youngsters will face the glare of
searching scrutiny this season. Notably Gil McDougald, “who played so prominent a part in the Yankees’ pennant
and series exploits. If he fails to- maintain his forceful '51 tempo it will mean (A) the pitchers have gotten his | number or (B) he had a lucky year. Let's give the sopho-
more jinx back to the sophomores.
; .
ww! Tel
Bol Pagan pin ah .
drives were held back and the crewcuts are crying for a barloutfielder’s camped under them. pars scissors.” |The Indians now have won five
blows recorded as long gaytime hours and even the
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Mar. 29—Three members of the shipment of players from the parent Cleveland club arrived at Indianville by plane tonight. Second Baseman Bobby Wilson, previously reported as balking over the sale of his contract to the Indianapolis Indians, was one of the three to land. Others were Pitchers Lloyd Dickey and Ray Narleski. Outfielder Paul Lehner stopped at Jacksonville, Fla., enroute and Catcher Joe Montalvo is traveling here from Arizona by train. Pitcher Gerald Fahr, originally included in the shipment, is being retained by Cleveland “to be used in a deal,” according to officials here.
" u Ld =» » H
ALTHOUGH Wilson is on hand, it is said there is still some doubt he will play with Indianapolis. He wants Cleveland to make every effort to sell his contract to any of the big league clubs. He said he made the trip here to talk to Hank Greenberg. The contradictory statements issued here and in Tucson about shipment of players to the Indianapolis club has everybody more or less confused.
» ~ » n ” ”
~ Kansas University’s NCAA champion Jayhawks raced tonight to the semifinals of the U, 8. Olympic trials, smothering NAIB champion Southwest Missouri State 92-65 after NAAU runnerup Phillips 66 had edged Fibber McGee and Molly 50-48. Kansas, with every well planned move aimed at a trip to Helskink, now must face La Salle in the New York semifinals Monday night. For Kansas it was easy. But Phillips deseprately needed two overtime periods tobeat Fibber McGee and Molly. o » ” SOUTHWEST MISSOURI of Springfield got ready for Kansas for three weeks, but there wasn't enough time to prepare the Ozarks entry for the superb Jayhawks, All-America Clyde Tovellette of Terre Haute, Ind, was held to eight points in the first half by the three men assigned to guard
end of the line in June. Earl Probst of Milwaukee rolled a 278 on the opening night of the tourney. Owner of the Forest Manor Decorating Service in Indian apolis, and himself a bowling sponsor, Freeland was subd for Arthur Davenport in doubles and singles. : . =» AFTER nine straight strikes, he hit high on the head pin in the 10th frame and left the 4 and 7 pins standing. Picking these up, he then struck out. “I may have been a little nervous” he sald after coming off the alleys” the other fellows were a lot of help.” Freeland had eight good pocket hits, one Brooklyn and in the eighth frame he hit the heap-pin square on the nose. The pins carried, however, » ” »
HIS previous high game had
| MM n n intersquad games and one regular co : x ; |exhibition tilt from Rochester. TRIBE MANAGER Pesautels, |The attraction at Indianville to-|Uni*orm mum pb Ja morrow will be another inter- sanged from Bay to i Harty lsquad affair, with the Indians v,2'MPergs numboe 3 ! meeting Reading again. |changed from 29 to 86. We don’t yy uw # {know why. | “a = BOTH SIDES ran out of DURING THE game with
warmed-up pitchers today and Rochester. Friday, Catcher Earl Coach Johnny Hutchings finished| Turner climbed on Base Umpire on the Tribe mound and Manager| Ertie Wells over a close play : " : | at first base. Fearing Turner Kerby Farrell worked the eighth! 0.14 phe banished, Ed Stevens for Reading. For the first time.in| chimed in with his Texas drawl camp, Johnny Hutchings put on and told Turner, “lay off the his clowning act, both while on|
Umpire, Earl. He's onr malilthe mound and at bat. He got 2a, man at the wigwam,” and
lot of toiled allowing no runs and but three 'hits despite a hasty warmup. He »> a a {forced
laughs. The big fellow]
| Turner pulled up short and rethe last three innings,
plied, “I thought I'd seen that face before. the
Reading boys to] An Indianapolis-owned yacht, '
bounce the ball back at him and the Victoris, pulled into Daytona
to first.
| borrowed {caught {game and Howard Simmons of the Daytona Beach club pitched Mrs. Emmett Farmer remained | jone inning,
ti
sharp fielding and completed two!a baseball fan and booster and double plays. But their batting his Capitol Olls won the Indianstill remains a problem this des- apolis Amateur League Champite the benefit of hitting prac-pionship a couple of times, [tice plenty of swinging againgt, Iron |Mike, the automatic pitcher while! gat a new bedtime record in Inhitting specialists look on and 4, yille the other night. He was correct swinging. Several had more than ‘an hour of this this morning.
opened on the Tribe mound today and pitched five innings. He gave only four hits, strikeout and alks. The lone, run tallied off tree and got, a large-sized dent.| %
him was unearned, since it was Another member of the Indianput on base Dy an error. : Trujillo is a strong-armed 22- it toppled over into a ditch.|. \year-old and he's making a de-| Mighty exciting times down in termined effort to make American Association grade,
Ww
|had three assists, which amused|Beach up from the Florida Keys. {the fans as he clowned the throws{John Nusbaum, owner, and J. R.
{McCormick left by car for Indi. Two new names appeared {in anapolis yesterday. They had,
the Tribe's lineup. Ray Sanders, been deep sea fishing and also yg r Rapids, cruised in the vicinity of the|#
from Cedar
the first part of theiPalm Beaches. and Marathon.
Mrs. Nusbaum and-Mr. and| the’ sixth, then re- here and are’ living on the boat. | red because of a sore arm. (Mr. Farmer is president of the The Indians kept up their Capitol Oil Co., Camby, Ind. He's
every mornin including : s =» =
PART-OWNER Owen J. Bush
faults in. stance and!
in his pajamas and between the! sheets by 8 p. m. That's fifteen a . . minutes earlier than game time Ernie Trujillo, tall righthander, in Indianapolis. : 3 un ” o
had one GENERAL MANAGER Chuck jssued but . one French backed his car into a
{ville family swerved his car and
the! the flatlands after sundown. No | street lights.
2 : :
THERE IS no official public relations director in this camp and announcements are issued haphazardly by too many officials, When it was announced today that Pitcher Fahr was not being optioned to Indianapolis, it also was stated
that he wasn't supposed to be included in the shipment in the first place. S
-
n ” y n n ” ANOTHER mystery developed when one of the players, freshly arrived, said they were told in Tucson é¢hey were being sent to Indianville merely to “complete their training.” Wilson's contract was the only one sold to Indianapolis. Other players were optioned, if you can
|
| |
believe the Cleveland farm system brass. (E.A.) . |
him. But he charged back after 3intermission to hike his total to beth = 29 and ha High Gains 29 and his season's figure to 824 construction League, to preserve his nation’s best 28) preeland said he hadn’t been plus average. bowling frequently for five weeks Kansas’ 92 points broke, the necause of illness. He flew to Milschool's all-time single ‘game waukee today in his own plane to scoring record, {sub for Davenport. While Southwest Missourl was concentrating on Lovellette, Jay-/jarly which he sponsors in the hawks Charlie Hoag, Dean Kel- Construction Leagis and the ley, Bob Kenney and John Keller Traveling League. He sponsors
(burned - the ‘backboards to giv¥ifive teams in Indianapolis, two
Kansas an overwhelming 51-28 women's squads and three men's, halftime lead. s x =
4.1.4 : A 174 -AVERAGE bowler, KANSAS SHOWED no #igns preeland said he “felt swell” of its widely advertised fatigue. | ater rolling his series. He was And 6-9 Lovellette carried his 230 rolling with members of the Mupounds up and down the floor atiy, a1 Mik team at the time. full speed until he was pulled] pueaiand was rolling in his with four minutes remaining. first ABC tourney last night. _Lovellette was high with 29. wyen acked if he was going to Kelley got 17 and Hoag 14. Bill come hack next year, a big grin covered his face and all he said was “sure.” * Bowling in the same 5:15 p. m, squad George Halman of Mutual Milk leveled 654 pins on games lof 228, 183 and 243 for the sec{ond highest Indianapolis score |of the day. He was teaming with [Telford Wright, Mutual captain
Thomas with 15 and Jim Julian with 14 headed Southwest Missouri's hopethss fight, | The victory was Kansas’ 27th
against two (losses.
College aseball
Texas A &4 M 10, Minnesota 9, Hofstra 17, Newark Rutgers 2.
PERFECT FIT—Ray Mayer (left), coach of DePaul University, and Bill Brown (right), Harlem Globe
L on alleys 35 and 36 in the doubles
and singles events, Othe Indianapolis Scores:
DOUBLES ot + | Charles Koch, 551, Ernest Koch, 553-11 bert Wuensch, 529, Curt Freeland, George Halman, 555, Telford Wright, 441 Robert VanCleave, 559, Claude Stone, 531 Francis Bolls, 522, Edward Fanchslly, 550
— 1091. Mt Faust, 571, Carl McAfee, 581-1152, SINGLES
Charles Koch, 525: Ernest Koch, Roberts Wuensch, 450; Telford te
536: Robert VanCleave, 551; Cla +H Fianue Roi: Carl calor S08, Basketball Results OLYMPIC TOURNEY (At New York)
All-Stars 67. g LaSalle—3, St. Johns 62. a, | (At Kansas City) {Phillips 66 Oilers 50, Fibber MeGee and Molly's 48 (double Sq overtime). Ly 5% Kansas 92, Southwest Missourd
5 i
, iam ———
trotter star, fit an All-American jacket onto Notre Dame's Leroy Leslie who will play with the College (Pro Basketball
All-Stars when they face the Globetrotters at the Coliseum hers Friday.
. = . :
didn
3 fin + ° : : 5 : . 2 A lV Pn We Bo wi a ,—
Rochester 88, Minneapolis MW. 5
eo 5 i
He bowls with a squad regu--
Caterpillar Diesels 76, Air Force |
State 65. ;
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