Evening Star Newspaper, April 20, 1937, Page 14

A—14 = SPORTS. T HE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON D. C, TUESDAY APRIL 20, 1937. SPORTS. Diamond Attendance Mark Due : Summer Drill Makes CourtAces : BIG”ME MAY H” ' Base Thefting Is Simple When the Enemy Aids 12,000,000 MARK Questions Galore Intrigue | Nation’s Fans as Long Struggles Begin. BY GRANTLAND RICE. HE big parade again is moving. A fight lasts a few minutes. An open golf championship lasts three days. Few foot ball teams play more than 11 games. A six- day bicycle race is what it calls for.| But some 350 ball players now are facing a 154-game test that runs from April to October in the annual manu- facture of heroes and goats, stars and blokes, in pursuit of two pennants that lead to another million-dollar world | series in the Fall | Quite a number of things can happen when you toss 350 trained athletes into a pit for nearly six months. There is not only the team scramble, but | also the battle for individual leader- ship that, in one way or another, catches the fancy of every home town | in the country, where more than a| few rural habitations are rooting for | & Hubbell, a Martin, a Dean, a War- | neke, a Feller, a Mungo or some other | home-town product who is bringing | pleasant publicity to his native heath. | Interest Is Universal. | BASE BALL means something more than a pennant race or cash| and fame to a few hundred ball play- | ers. Tt catches and holds the interest of millions of fans all over the map bringing in a new excitement to all these as the box score unfolds its story from day to day { they get along time? | Gehrig, Di Maggio, Hub- | Cochrane reenberg, | “Waner, Vaughan, Grove,| ‘Warneke, Collins, Ott, Martin, Medwick Ferr, Appling and Waner led their leagues & vear ago. But 1937 is another year. What pitcher will bag ames— | the big test? Ed Walsh o won 40 games Matty, Johnson, Alexander ‘ and Wood won between 35 and 40.| But the ball carried less rubber in| where a big wallop now the tide in a flast k all advance signs. blow wide | open, base ball now is on its way to et a new attendance record. This is | belief of President Ford | ident Bill Harridge. It iction of Commissioner in Landis, who has 0oking at base ball crowds for | Great Attendance Seen. A TTENDANCE figures from Cali- fornia to the Atlantic Coast were well above old-time marks this Spring any time they had good weather. That’s all they need this season— good weather for week-end crowds— plus two good races to set ¢ new high mark in the way of admissions. A runaway gallop after June won't help either league. But this isn't Ukely—even with the Yankee punch again on hand. Ruffing’s absence and | Di Maggio's illness won't be any bi help against teams that have im- proved, or at least look improved. De- troit, Cleveland, Chicago, Washington | and Boston all can dish out trouble | if most of their leading athletes re- main intact i The National League race should be one of the best in years. There is a good chance the Giants, Cubs, | Yankees, Tigers and White Sox all will move up around the million mark at home, with Cleveland on a big jump, partly due to Bob Feller’s fast right arm | With the right break, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 12,000,000 mark passed. | Races Hard to Pick. OUR correspondent still draws a hazy vision of the Yankees lead- ing down the stretch—but there should be no such margin as in 1936, when Cochrane and Greenberg van- ished from the Tigers and the Red 8Box blew up. With better luck, the Tigers still are good enough to be close up. The art of soothsaying in the Na- tional has many rougher edges. Here Cubs, Cardinals and Giants are almost | perfectly bunched, with the Pirates hanging on as Reds and Dodgers sup- pI%., more than a few shocks | Of the three leaders the Cubs seem | to be the best-rounded outfit, con- | sidering all departments that make and stop runs. I know Grimm and his bunch believe Rip Collins at first will make a big difference. The Cubs | also have the pitchers—more reserve | stuff here than either Cardinals or Giants, who have too many starting | gambles after Dean, Warneke, Hubbell | and Schumacher turn in their day's work. They are at least as good a pick as any—meaning the Cubs. Individual Stars. | EHRIG has his chance to pass | through 1,900 or more consecu- | tive games. Can he duck the fates | against injuries and illness that now | down so many? Can he again take charge of the home-run office? Will Bob Feller's 18-year-old arm | hold out? Here is the one star with | & chance to beat the old mark of 17| strikeouts. Feller tied this mark his | first month out. Now he has more | experience and a whole season in | which to display his wares while feed- ing a fast curve across the plate. How will Dean and Hubbell work out their old argument? Can either show more than Van Lingle Mungo, the Brooklyn blast who is one of the best? Where will Di Maggio finish in his second year? Back in condition, he ought to be around the top—but the | second year is the testing spot. Can Appling and Waner hold up s they did a year ago? You'll get the | answer now, day by day, as the box score unfurls its reply in full. | It's a long way from April's dog- | wood to late September’'s first tints | of crimson and gold. The main point is they're on again on another hike around the towpaths where each day has another yarn to tell. | (Copyright, 1937 by the North American Newspaper Alliance. Inc.) BANK NINES START. ‘Three games were to open the Bankers’ Base Ball League on as many diamonds of the Ellipse this «fternoon, with the Hon. J. F. T, ‘Connor, controller of the cur- w, throwing out the first ball. The*| We brought together National “wend National Metropolitan, “Security and Riggs and d W. B. Hibbs. "All were ‘8§ o'clock. PONZI ONE MATCH | championship last year, is just one | the regular play, and then embarked | ‘three innings and high run for the A/!cr Bluege singled to score Stone, who had tripled, with the Griffmen’s initial tally in round 2 of the season’s inaugural yesterday, the steal sign was hung out. Here you see Oss headed for the middle cushion and arriving there safely when the high throw of Catcher Brucker of the A’s got away from Second Baseman Cissell and landed in left fleld, where Shortstop Newsome re- trieved it as Umps Moriarty looked on. because Hogan and Cascarella both died aerially. There was one out at the time, but Bluege was stranded The Mackmen eventually won, 4-3. —Star Staff Movie Photos. FROM CUE HONORS Can Win by Scoring Over Greenleaf, but Another Triple-Tie Possible. | By the Associated Press. EW YORK, April 20.—Andrew Ponzi of New York, who didn’t bother to defend his 1935 world pocket billiard game away from this year's title. If Andy can whip Ralph Greenleaf, the tournament veteran, in his third match of the round robin tourney, tonight, he will be in. Greenleaf and Ponzi finished in a four-way tie with Jimmy Caras of Wilmington, Del., and Irving Crane of Rochester, N. Y., in | on the current series to determine the | champion. Last night Greenleaf lost to Caras, | 125 to 118, in 37 innings, one of the | tightest matches of the tourney, and Ponzi won his second game of the | series over Crane, 125 to 72, in eight | innings. Fight Starts All Over. NOTHER tie will bob up if Green- leaf and Caras, who plays Crane, triumph tonight. If they win the round robin will be thmwn into a three-way deadlock. ‘Willie Mosconi, Phlladelphm ‘won, | two $100 prizes for his best game of tournament of 95. Greenleaf turned in the best grand average, 8 7/78. All places below fourth were de- termined by the total number of points scored throughout the tourna- ment, according to Jack Polansky, the tournament director. Fifth place on this basis went to Erwin Rudolph of Cleveland with 1,195 points, sixth | to Mosconi with 1,124 and seventh to Nofrio Lauri, Brooklyn, I,046. Charles Seaback, Boston was eighth; FENDER Bent? ‘Bovy DeNT?. See Us! COMPLETE MOTOR REPAIRS Any Service for Any Car! CENTRAL J3ie WORKS 443 EYE ST NW DI 616! Zip of Big League Base Ball Startles Rookie Fan, Aged 74 E CAME to see the cherry blos- | soms, but John D. Thomas of Eufaula, Ala., 74, today ad- | mitted the pretty pink petals will fade from mind long before the | thrill wears off his first big league ball | game. Not in 53 years—or since 1884—| until he dropped in on the Griff- Mack party yesterday had Thomas seen a professional diamond contest, and all he recalled clearly of the other, between Augusta and Atlanta, spirited Georgia rivals of the time, was that the Augusta first baseman precipi- tated a young war by forcibly detain- ing a foeman who hit at least a two- bagger. Same Old Ossie. THE ¢ity officials went onto the fleld and stopped the rumpus. “I forget who won,” he smiled. The old gentleman, a retired tele- graph executvie, sat bolt upright in amazement when Ossie Bluege threw out Bill Werber on the first infield play of the game. “Jee-roos-a-lum!” he exclaimed. “That was like lightning.” A big- city feller told him it was only like | Oswald Bluege. “Well, wasn't the speed unusual?” Nope. He'd see a lot of that stuff. Which was true, and throughout the Marcel Camp, Detroit, ninth; Fay| Gainer, Vineland, N. J., tenth; Benny Allen, Kansas City, eleventh, and Joe Diehl, Rochester, N. Y., twelfth. game, a dull one for the most part to many a calloused fan, John D. Thomas from Eufaula, Ala., Jee-roos- a-lummed and Caeser's Ghosted over the sheer zip of major league base ball, while thirty-odd thousands of others, appreciating the fine bits, con- centrated on the score, which didn't seem to interest greatly the gentle- man from Dixie. McKinley Drew 'Em. ITS REMARKABLE,” he said, “how those boys can bat, throw and catch a ball.” It was the biggest crowd he'd seen except perhaps one—when McKinley visited Augusta, Ga. And inching out of the stadium: “This reminds you of court day at Eufaula.” But the twinkle left his eye when he learned the Griffs weren't to play here today. So the cherry blossoms this after- noon hsvec a repeat patron, but the chauffeur a heap rather would be tak- ing the pater to another ball game, —ROD THOMAS, RACES TODAY Havre de Grace SEVEN RACES DAILY Special_Penn R. train leaves Cnion station 5 M. rack. Eastern FIiRST RACE AT 2:30 P.M. Train Service direct to HAVRE de GRACE Races Weekdays April 12-27, incl. PARLOR CARS DINING CARS— COACHES 3 round trip incoaches Lv. Washington 12:20 P.M. Ar.Race Track . . 1155 P.M. 4560r0und v First Race ... +.2:30 .M. | in parior incl. seat lwuvnln" leave immediately ! cars, or last race. PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD k- DERBY BOOKS SHY OF WINTER RACERS Horses That Rested During Cold Months Are Heavy Choices for Classic. By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, April 20.—Not since Black Gold won the Golden Jubilee Kentucky Derby in 1924 has a Winter- raced horse won the $50,000 added Downs. Turfmen used to say that “no good horse ever races in the Winter,” Al- though, with the rich stakes at Win- ter tracks in recent years, th adage no longer holds true, the bookmakers, who set the future odds on major racing events, apparently believe no Winter-racea horse will win this year's Kentucky Derby on May 8. Odds on the “big five” Winter- raced horses range from 20 to 1 to 40 to 1, while quotations on the five best thoroughbreds which led a life of ease during the cold months range from 6 to 1 to 16 to 1, despite the pres- ence of the nominations of Willlam du Pont's Fgiry Hill, winner of the Santa Anita’ Derby and $45525 al- ready this year, and Townsend B. Martin's Court Scandal, victor in the Flamingo Stakes and winner of $21,- 875. HERE are the “big five” in each division among this year's Derby nominations: Winter-raced—Fairy ~ Hill, Court Scandal, Mrs. Ethel V. Mars' Case Ace and Military and Dewitt Page's Maedic. Winter - rested —E. R. Bradley's Brooklyn, J. H. Louchheim's Pompoon, Mrs. Mars’ Reaping Reward, Samuel D. Riddle's War Admiral and Warren Wright's Galsun. Her Reaping Reward is one of the choices to win the Louisville stake, and her Case Ace won at Santa Anita. Her Military, also listed among the better Winter-raced horses, won once in California and was second to Fairy Hill in the Santa Anita Derby for total winnings of $11,150 this year. ARLINGTON RACES BIVE UP $376,00 Eight Stake Events Topped by $30,000 Classic—Meet Opens June 28. By the Associated Press. HICAGO, April 20.—Arlington Park, with $376,000 in purses for distribution in 30 days, is ready for its greatest race meeting. The beautiful Northwest Side 28 with the $5.000 added Inaugural Handicap and close July 31 with a awarded. The highest minimum purse policy in the country will prevail, with a purse of at least $1,100 for every race, and should the track show a profit early in the meeting, the minimum purse will be raised, possibly to $1,500. On the final day of the meeting the two big features will be the Arlington Handicap, which probably will gross $30,000, and the Arlington Futurity, which may be worth about $62,000. The stakes: Inaugural Handicap. June 28 added “\‘Kn‘rnn Hlndlclv July 3. added value 000 Stars and_Stripes Handicap. July & added value $10.000 Hyde Park Stakes, July 10. added value $2.300 | he Lassie Stakes, July 17, ey added value K10 000, The Classic Stakes, July 24. added value | £30.000 July added Arlington value $20.00 goATlinton Ruturity, July 31, added value, 20.000 Handicap a1, Your and not fi Change today Sunoc 1ubricati Change; also GEAR LU stake for 3-year-olds at Churchill| It will be noted that Mrs. Mars has | strong contenders in both divisions.| plant’s 1937 meeting will open June | program topped by two stake races in | which approximately $92.000 will be | Winter oil is now t ‘for warm W to Summer type o Oil for uns' on ... atno 1o SUMMER TYPE Griff Blames Defeat on| New Kelly—Sam Jones Rates Club Highly. PORT ScoP BY JOHN B. KELLER. | ONDITIONS under which the | Nationals got off on the | wrong foot in their season | inaugural yesterday makes one wonder how they might fare in night base ball . . . During the greater part of the pasting a.glowing half moon hung above Grifith Stadium + . . Must have made Harris’ hench- men think it was after hours and they shouldn’t be out there . . Perhaps they are strictly day play- ers . . . They played in a daze at times, at that. | Especially Rocky Stone in that sec- ond inning when he tdok for granted that Dean wouldn't go up from sec- ond after Newsome's hoist had been caught in right and made no effort to hurry his throw . . . Dean took the chance and made third easily on the delayed heave . .. A good, fast chuck by-the strong-armed Stone would have nipped the runner ... and the A's would have had no run . in- stead of the two they got in the round But it was a good ball game to watch, even though the out- come was disappointing to the near-record opening crowd of 34,000. Perhaps while the Nationals are up in New York they’ll find some calories for their warclubs . . . Not often is a game won in which a dozen are left on the runway ... The boys need some heat in their bats. out ... Kuhel.. the fast-thinking Mackman . error . .. Myer . .. second hop ... first double . . the thumping Mack , . . . Stone. First run batted in . . . that Cissell again . . . somebody must have slipped Chalmers a new-life powder . . . first homer . . . Bob Johnson, the mauhng Mackman . . . first caught trying to | steal . .. Johnaon . and his retire- ment came in the first double play «. . first inning in which it was three up and three down . .. the fifth for the A's. First to reach the ball park . .. the night watchman who went on duty at-12 Sunday night . first to leave the ball park ... the urchin chased from the fence after he had snared a foul off Werber's bat in the first inning. When you're looking over the bat- teries in today'’s American League openers . . . try comparing them with the batteries of the openers 20 years ago . . . if you were following base | ball then . . . here they are Walter | Johnson and Eddie Ainsmith for Washington . . . Bullet Joe Bush and Wallie Schang for the Athletics . . . Ray Caldwell and Les Nunamaker for the New Yorks . .. Babe Ruth, and | . first . Cissell, first triple Thomas for the Red Sox . . . Jim Bagby and Steve O'Neil for Cleveland .. Harry Coveleskie and Oscar Stanage for the Tigers . . . Earl Hamilton and Hank Severeid for the Browns . . . Ewell Russell and Ray Schalk for the ‘White Sox . great lot of pitchers and catchers. Griff Blames Hat. CLARK GRIFFITH isn't asking waivers on Franklin D. Roose- | velt . because the President left | the Nationals’ luck at the White | House . . . Instead the Washington club’s boss partly blamed himself for the defeat . .. He fears most of the curse came from the new kelly he sported . a pearl-gray Spring chapeau of the high-crowned and broad-brimmed style affected by Arch McDonald . . . It was no gift from him, Arch swears. ever had much luck with a new hat,” mumbled Griff after the set- | back . “I won't be wearing it | again” . He didn't mention it, but some of his family after first | glimpse of the new headgear decided something else would.have been bet- ter for the Washington boss. Moaning with the Nationals after the game was over was a former member of the club .« . Samuel Pond Jones ... Sad Sam. Sam dropped in unexpectedly just before game time to see his old pals . He is “at liberty” this year , Raising ponies at his home in Woods- field, Ohio, instead of pitching . . . Came to Washington with Mrs. Jones, who is attending a convention . . . “Pretty good ball club,” said Sam of the Nationals . . . “Better than those I played with here” . The | best he was with here was the 1930 club . + . It finished second in the | race. SOFT BALL DUES DUE. The Community Center Soft Ball League will hold its final preseason meeting of the year tomorrow night in room 5 of Roosevelt High School, starting at 7:30 o'clock. Franchise | dues will be collected at that time. . BI.AKE BLANKS BOND'S. With Blake pitching one-hit ball, the | Camp Comfort Greys blanked Bond's Red Sox, 7-0, yesterday. League Races TUESDAY. APRIL 20, AMERICAN. Results Yesterdas. Philadelphia, 4. Washington. 3 ings) | 1937, ladelphia t Louis Washington GAMES TODAY. nd Louis. Chicago at St. L NATIONAL. Results Yesterday. 1t | _Philadelphia. 2 | game 11 innings). Detroit at Cl Chicago at 8t 1—0 (frst First “Offenses.” JFOR the “first-of-the-season” ... first batter . A's .. first out . utout . . . Stmmons, the new Nat first assist . . . Bluege . . . first hit. Moses of the A's ... a single to Ieft | o yare v oren . first walk . .. Chapman . . . first | St Louls at Ginc Steal . . . Chapman . . . first strike- | By ;"‘é:‘m",{“"?i‘é“ Pet 1.006 000 000 000 000 000 000 S TOMORROW. York at Bklvn. ‘}Pm]lde!nh.l - club Finney of the 5t . Finney . . . first | ‘ Openers in Seven More Cltlefl Throng Will Watch Griffs Help Yankees Make Bow—TFair Weather Prevailing. By the Associated Press EW YORK, April 20 —Weather conditions, probable attendance and pitching selections for today's major league base ball games: American League. ‘Washington at New York. ... Boston at Philadelphia.. Cleveland Weaver or Appleton Fair and cooler-...50,000 . .. vs. Gomer, TR e =-20,000... W. Ferrell vs. Kelley Harder vs. Auker Kennedy vs. at St. Louis_.... Hildebrand New York at Brooklyn St. Louis at Cincinnati ... Pittsburgh at Chicago- BSchumacher vs Fair and cooler_.. 30,000-.. Mungo Fair and warmer__ 34,000-.. ._J. Dean vs. R. Davis Cloudy 40,000 . __ Blanton vs. French (Boston-Philadelphia not scheduled.) . first run .., Dean, | he waited for that | a great left-hander then, and Chet | er t WITH SHARPEYES Penn’s Great Coach. but to coaches of the prese Runner-up to fe ine fashions for again Even the architec Summer is Vit | 1936, a lanky sub f | hoop on his fath Menzel fill it on my 1936-37 team Tapless Basket Ball Puts | | BY LON JOURDET, ASKET BALL may seem out nf B and playe ne future, t the changeable champi , basket In my 25 y floors and high 1 illustrate. Stevens Point | never had p saw an | ‘We mapped exe: S Yn streng COME T0 SEASON | Premium on Speed, Says Coach of Seven PE'n n e Tunl Inc season with base balls flying, 1937 Spring and ner are fatef: ball now forces us to learn it all over makers remade been change eno | When Penn cla dreaming and d: opening there, and his dream was to his legs, en “Carnera cel | who were -jump b speed he'll f are out. ‘ Speed will be so next Winter l‘ t ev W agger, who | may be out, ems to me, eak coaches ' is out, An But, tering a new high-scoring 80,000,000 In the 1924 hol young and y ter, never fear. That's w Youngsters get set-up. hey 8o are the coaches. basket ball. Derby Candidates On Tm'f Yesterday SUMMER TYPE thinned out eather. urpassed motor exira pflCOo Mercury BRICANT Made MOTOR OIL ... KEEPS MOTORS YOUNG