Evening star. [volume], September 17, 1936, Page D-1, Image 45

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WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1936. PAGE D-P
-
Chapman Proves Boon to Griffs: Reeves Laughs Off Rabies Threat
Ben Gets on Base Nearly
Every Other Time He
Goes to Plate.
; * BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
i • >HE aura of prosperity that has
I,' I hovered over the collective
I head of the Washington ball
club this season, and particu
v‘ larly of late, has not missed William
Ben Chapman’ the fly-chasing gazelle,
I who swallowed the chagrin he must
have felt when traded away from
> a world series cut and came up with
his greatest year in big league base
ball. As a matter of fact, that the
Nationals have enjoyed their artistic
prosperity since the middle of June
might well have been because Chapman
passed it on to them as much as
Ben’s new environment helped him.
As the season draws to its close,
Alabama's fleet-footed son is in a
fair way of compiling a remarkable
record. Despite a .334 batting average,
Ben's name won't be found among the
slugging leaders of the American
v League, but he is the type of ball
I • player whose value is not confined to
producing base hits only. There seems
to be no question but that Washington,
in swapping Jake Powell for Chapman,
“ came up with the best lead-off batter
In the American League at least.
Ben has a remarkable facility for
getting on base, and therein may
lie much of the secret of the Griffith
A. C.'s sucess. When Chapman
joined the club on June 15, Wash
, ington was in sixth place and below
the .500 mark. Today the Griffs are
in third place and nine games ahead
cf a .500 percentage.
He Will Do Until . . .
T IS worth considering, that ability
of Chapman to reach base. Con
sider, if you please, an unusual 90
f game record for Ben in a National
uniform. Since joining the club he
> has reached first base nearly every
other time he stepped to the plate,
on an average. Every fifth time he
walks up, he scores. Nor does this in
^ elude the times he gets on base by
fielders’ choices — forcing another
runner.
Getting statistical for the moment,
Ben has faced pitchers approximately
437 times as a Griffman. He got 125
base hits and 66 bases on balls. He
was hit by a pitched ball ones and
five other times he was safe on
errors.
> In short, Ben reached base 197
times out of a possible 437 for a per
centage of .451. If this sort of an
approximate average, plus the fact
s that Chapman leads the league's lead
off hitters in driving across runs, does
not place him at the top, then he
will do until a better lead-off hitter
crosses Bucky Harris’ path.
Sington Is New Hero.
1-TOME today to vacation until
A A Saturday, when they invade New
York for a farewell series in Gotham,
the Nationals had other reasons to
congratulate themselves on the worth
of an outfielder. The latest of the
fly-chasers to warm Harris' heart is
big Fred Sington.
p> The former Alabama foot ball star
•till is on trial as a big league ball
player, but his chances today appear
far brighter than when the Griffs
left for their trip West. Sington, it
seems, must hit well in the .300 class
, to hold a regular job. After a feeble
start Fred is nearing the .300 figure
now after touring the Western hall
of the circuit at a .320 pace.
it isn’t the quantity of Sington’s
base hits that is impressing Harris
now so much as is what his blows
are meaning. The big boy, even when
he was not hitting .300 in his first
eight games, showed an uncanny
ability to come through when hits
meant runs.
Reviewing his Western record,
Sington, in eight games drove across
the highly commendable total of 13
runs. Every time he made a hit it
averaged slightly more than one run
driven across for he boosted his total
•t this speciality on 11 hits.
For his entire trial, then, Fred has
v batted in 21 runs on 20 hits and if
his “foul” home run in St. Louis
the other day had been called fair, as
the Griffs swear it was, it would have
been two home runs driven across for
the old mauler of the Crimson Tide.
To Have Drill Tomorrow.
JJNUSUAL for a ball team that has
played so hard since the middle of
last March, the Griffs will not idle
completely until Saturday. Still with
his eye on second place, Skipper Harris
has ordered the gang out for practice
tomorrow afternoon to prevent their
batting eyes from growing rusty.
Originally the Nats were to face
the Yanks tomorrow, but the game has
w been moved up to make a double
- header on Sunday in Yankee Stadium
A single game on Saturday will be
played.
From New York the Griffs will re
turn home to wind up the season next
week with three games against the
Red Sox and two more with the
Yankees.
p New Device Puts
Umpire on Spot
B) the Associated Press.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn., Septem
" ber 17.—Guy T. Luntsford thinks
he is about to call the third strike
on the hapless base ball umpire—
I with a little mechanical gadget, a
! robot ump that couldn’t see ’em
wrong.
Luntsford’s device, on which he
v has applied for patent, operates
with photo electric cells. Unless a
pitched bell passed properly over
home plate (which would be of
transparent material) the light
ray would not be broken and the
delivery would be recorded as a
ball. '
But when a strike cut the plate
the light ray would sound a gong.
The sound of the gong, if the
device got in operation on a big
acale, would still forever a unique
voice always abroad in the land
during base ball season—"yer out!”
4
MAD MAN LOOSE ON G STREET. —By JIM BERRYMAN. U
Herb, Mdd Dog
BEMVM®
VARSHV BACK OP
GEORGE WASHINGTONS
SQUAD.. WHO BIOS
FAIR TO RANK HIGH
AMONG LOCAL
PIG-SKIN STARS IN THE
COMING CAMPAIGNS.
HIS TEAM MATES
HAVE PUPBEP HIM
*MAD DOG* BECAUSE
HE WAS NIPPED BY
A BERSERK BOW-WOW
THREE WEEKS AGO,
ANP HAS BE EH
| TAKING INJECTIONS
I EVER SINCE....
colonial Grippers
CONSTANTLY WORRY
ABOUT REEVES
Sl’PPENLY COMING
POWN WITH RABIES
AND ACTUALLY
barking Signals...
‘f^lF^THAT
) WILL JUST STAY \ T
r MAP UNTIL AFTER \ ^
THANKSQIVlWli-- /
MAYBE ME'LL BITE I
. OFF SOME EXTRA )
A VARPS FOR US... '
(, i aLAD HERBIE
'( AlM'T feelin' '
^CEAUQOOP J
fCl’WU*
/ Bov'.-THASTM' ACKAAJSAS
OM6 WHERE I 0,T
aOTTADO/viy, I C?CT. 1%».
Stuff!
IN PRACTICE, HE
HAS PLAVED HAVOC
WITH WOULP-BE , ‘-SSj
TACKLERS, AT \’.V
THE SAME TIME <»V
Complaining that
THE SERUM MADE \ ^
HIS UNPERPINNlNGr \.
WEAR AND WOPBLy..
Homer Standings
Yesterday's homers — Terry,
Giants, 1; Trosky, Indians, 1; P.
Waner, Pirates, 1; Herman, Reds, 1.
The leaders—Gehrig. Yankees,
48; Trosky, Indians, 41; Foxx, Red
Sox, 38; Ott, Giants, 32; Di Mag
gio, Yankees, 29; Averill, Indians,
26.
“ POPPIM
OFF"'3t^„
Fly-By-Night Ball Makes Hit.
EIGHT travel-we&ry ball clubs—
four American and four Na
tional League teams—were
back in their own back yards
today with knapsacks loaded with a
lot of soiled linen, which might indi
cate poverty. On the contrary, how
ever, it heralds one of the most suc
cessful financial seasons in history.
The boys have the money to have
their shirts and socks laundered but
they haven't time to spend it.
Few people may have realized it but
our Nationals, for instance, helped to
make history when they took off on
that final Western swing. In one brief
week the Washington ball club, like
other Eastern teams in the American
League and the Western outfits in
the National League, negotiated a
partial swing of the circuit.
In the case of the Nats, they
invaded Detroit, Cleveland,
Chicago and St. Louis and
reached home on the day that,
only a week previous, they ar
rived in the West.
It's all because of the new schedule
put in effect for the 1936 campaign,
a slate that revolutionized major
league base ball. Instead of taking
three trips to the West, or to the East,
as the case may be, the teams made
four jaunts. Instead of most series
lasting four days they lasted only
three. The final Western-Eastern in
vasions, for the most part, comprised
only two-game series.
IIUICI ITKMIlMgCia imilldJCU.
TpHE noble experiment has produced
myriad complications. Hotel men
have viewed the new schedule with
dismay. Railroads have hailed it with
great glee. Ball players have looked
upon it with disfavor but the smarter
boys realize that it is a necessary
evil and are philosophic.
Club owners have wondered
why it has taken all these years
to think of this newest path
out of the wilderness of empty
seats and hollow coffers.
Definitely, the new fly-by-night
schedule has been a success and it is
almost certain to be used again next
year. It has cost the major league
club owners approximately $3,000
extra per year to send their teams on
these more frequent excursions but
th^ harvests they have reaped as a
result have made the investments
more profitable.
Records for attendance were set up
in both leagues. The Giants and
Cardinals drew upward of 64,000 in
the Polo Grounds. Washington and
the Yankees drew a similar crowd in
CoL Rupert's stadium for a season
record in the American League. Fans
find that interest is maintained more
easily by having the teams constantly
shifting and new attractions on dis
play three or even four times a week.
Nats Set Gate Records.
pVERY club in the Ameripan
'L' League, with the exception of the
White Sox, will show tremendous in
creases in attendance figures. Wash
ington is one of the clubs that will re
veal a standout swing upward. At
home the Nationals have done
extremely well, with two records
smashed. On opening day a mark
for the Capital inaugural was estab
lished with 31,000 filling Griffith
Stadium.
On July 4 a record for a non
wcrld series game in Washing
ton was set when the Yankees
were played a double-header.
Vacant seats were not exactly
plentiful on Labor day, when
the Red Sox invaded.
Away from their home the Griffs
prospered again. On Patriots’ day, in
Boston, they drew a near-capacity
crowd. In Detroit they drew well
earlier in the season, as they did in
Cleveland. The only really bad break
the Griffith A. C. got during the en
tire year was last Sunday in Chicago,
when upward of 35,000 would have
watched the heralded second-place
“show-down” between the White Sox
and Washington. The double-header
was rained out, and moved to Monday,
when 10,000 turned out.
One of the confirmed believ
ers in the new schedule is Clark
Griffith, whose words bear
weight in the American League.
Griff says the new eat-on-the-run
schedule Is here for keeps, and he
should provide a true barometer on
what will happen when the moguls
of the majors gather this Winter for
their annual meeting to smoke each
others' cigars, swap talent and dis
cuss a continuation of the new slate.
Griff Keen on New Slate.
/"'■RIFF cites a 4-polnt program of
benefits, as follows: (a) Elimina
tion of boredom to fans; (b) Elimi
nation of drawn-out slumps on the
part of the players; (c) Chances for
teams to win more series, and (d)
Tightening of the race.
“Sometimes last year teams
were going for a month,” he
said, "and fans forget about a
team or give up on them if they
are in a long losing streak on
the road.
* “These short series and trips sort
of help keep up a player’s morale, too.
When you get off to a bad start on a
road trip, a short one, you can keep
on scrapping because you figure you’ll
soon be home, and most clubs do bet
ter at home.
"In a three-game series, such as
those of this season, you've got a rub
ber game. Someone wins the series.
It's not like breaking even in four
games and getting nowhere.
“Last but not least, a short series
doesn't offer opportunity for 'spot
pitching.’ A team can’t use the same
pitcher in a series twice very well.
“Last year some teams would
use a pitcher in the first game
of a series and then throw him
back in for the last game if he
was effective against a particu
lar club."
In all, it looks like a tough break
for the hotels, a great boon to the
railroads, and new prosperity for lo
cal laundries. On the entire West
ern swing the Griffs completed they
got only one chance to send out their
soiled shirts—and then by paying ex
tra for one-day service.
LEWIS SLATES BTTBYAN.
CHICAGO, September 17 (/P).—John
Henry Lewis, Phoenix, Ariz., world
light-heavyweight boxing champion,
and Clarence (Red) Burman, Balti
more, Md„ a protege of Jack Demp
sey, have been matched for a 10
round bout at the Chicago Stadium
October 2.
Set-up Is Same as in 1935
as Dodgers Are Faced
With Flag Near.
BY SID FEDER,
Associated Press Sports Writer.
BILL TERRY has his fingers
crossed . . . Casey Stengel
has his tongue in his cheek.
The Giants go to Brooklyn
town today for the first of five games
with their perennial No. 1 Jinx, the
Dodgers, and out of the two series
they play may come the National
League pennant.
The set-up Is parallel to what it
was two years ago, when Terry's now
historic crack—"Are the Dodgers still
in this league?"—set oil a Brooklyn
explosion that blew the Giants Tight
out of their National League pen
nant chances.
The Terry Terriers, at that time,
had a somewhat smaller lead than the
4 Vi-game margin they’re sporting
over the second-place Cardinals today.
But the edge looked as safe as money
in the bank, nevertheless. Then
Stengel's beauties picked up after the
Phillies tangled with the Giants, won
two straight at the tall end of the
campaign—and the Giants got Into
(See GIANTS, Page D-4.)
Major League Statistics
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 17. 1939.
American
RESULTS YESTERDAY.
Cleveland. 13: Boston. 3.
Detroit. 6: Philadelphia. 2.
New York-Chicago—Wet grounds.
Only games scheduled.
s s g » g P | g !• i 5 f
! i D * ' ! i F • ! * !
NY I—1141101141161151141131961481.6671 —
Chll 71—1161 SIllTTol 1 111.51781651.545117Va
Wnl 71 51—llll 81111191161771681.53111914
Pet I 81141111—I 9| 91 9ll7l77l68l.531ll91/4
Clel 61 91141 71—I13I14I13I76I68I.528120
Bosl 71121 81131 91—1121111721741.493125
StLI 81 41 31101 61101—1101511901.362143 V4
Phil 51 71 61 51 91 61111—1491951.340147
L., 1481651681681681741901951—I—I I
GAMES TODAY. GAMES TOMORROW.
Chicago at St. Louis. Chicago at St. Louis.
Cleveland at Detroit. Cleveland at Detroit.
Only games scheduled Boston at Phlla. , .
Only games scheduled
national
RESULTS YESTERDAY.
New York. 2-3: Pittsburgh. 1-4.
Brooklyn. 7-10: Cincinnati. 4-2.
Philadelphia. 7-2: St. Louis. 3.5.
Chicago. 3-4; Boston. 2-2.
-plWIIfTTT?
51 s 11111.1 r r I B
s 1 • Sis; ati g *
H ! tr C 1 1 I tr t 1 S
WY 1—1101111151131111101161861671.6011
StLll2l—I11H3I 91 9113U51821621.6691_4^3
Chilli I 51—1 91101161151161821631.566l__6_
Pit I 71 91101—1101141131151781671.6361 0 _
Clnl 91 91121 81—1 91131131711731.493115%
anti 81131 61 81131—I 81 81641781.451121‘1
Bkll 71 9r7l~»T9ll01—111 1621611,434124 _
Phil 31 7I~6I~7I 91 91 91—I50l04l.347l36»ii
L—1571621631671731761811941—I—I I
GAMES TODAY. GAMES TOMORROW.
New York at Bklyn. St. Louis at Chicago.
Cinci. at Pittsburgh. Only gam* scheduled
Only games scheduled
WEAK, BUT STEPS'
LIVELYAT LETTS
G. W. Back Strives Mightily
to Make Good for Folks
Back in Arkansas.
i
BY BOD THOMAS.
4 i 14 Jg AD DOG" HERB REEVES
\l\ of the George Washing
1*1 ton backfleld is whisking
froth all over the gridiron
down at Camp Letts, but this isn’t
because, three weeks ago, Reeves was
chawed by a hydrophobic canine.
He works himself into a lather
every day trying his dingbustedest to
make a team which, at this time,
knows no sure-fire regular.
For the same reason most of the
other Colonials have daily foaming
spells and flecks of white may be de
tected even on the whiskers of Head
Tutor Jim Pixlee and his principal
aides, Bill Reinhart, the backfleld
coach, and Botsey Koch, the line in
structor.
Arkansas Game Inspires.
pOR the first time since Pixlee came
to George Washington, it begins
to appear, he will be able to place two
teams on the field without fearing a
massacre of either. If any murder or
mayhem is to be committed against
the Colonials, likely it will occur at
Camp Letts, among themselves.
"I’ve simply gotta get in there,”
says Reeves, In explaining his ex
ceptional effort, an effort all the more
noticeable because, for a reason not
plain, he was a little retiring last
season. It may have been that Herb
didn’t want to show up Tuffy
Leemans!
"Y’know,” amplifies Reeves, who
hails from Pine Bluff, Ark., "George
Washington plays the University of
Arkansas on October 16 and, to tell
the honest truth, if I don't do well at |
least in that game, which the folks
out home will be reading a lot about, 1
I’ll be hall scared to go back to Pine
Bluff.”
Describes Deg Attack.
TN DESCRIBING the affair with the
dog Reeves avers he doesn’t know
which hurt him the more, the bite or
the loss of his pet, a 4-year-old female
bird dog.
"There was never a gentler animal,"
he says, although the dog was fighting
her own pups when Reeves, trying to
subdue her, himself was attacked.
Reeves thought little of his wound—
the fang marks on his right wrist
aren't yet fully healed—until a
neighbor’s dog, which a short time
before had bitten his own, developed
rabies. An examination revealed
hydrophobia symptoms In the Reeves
pet and Herb, along with eight others
who had handled her, promptly were
innoculated.
Reeves took 14 injections. He was
so eager to get to foot ball camp he
disobeyed the orders of Coach Pixlee
and came on nine days ahead of time,
bringing along two doses of the rabies
serum. He stopped at Cincinnati for
one injection and several days ago
was given the other at Camp Lettts.
Herb Has New Pep.
UE REPORTED 15 pounds under
weight—and weak.
‘‘The stuff doesn’t seem to affect
me except for a weakness in the legs,”
he said the other day. Just the same,
that afternoon he scored a touchdown
that gave the team a 6-6 tie with the
second, scampering like a frightened
antelope and. in close quarters, hitting
like an angry bull.
Yes. sir, it’s a new Reeves at Camp
Letts this Fall and, although Pixlee
will tell you convincingly that he
doesn’t know who’ll make his first
string, there's a growing conviction
among those who have watched the
Colonials’ workouts lately that “Mad
Dog” Herb mighty near has cinched
a place.
TARS LEAD IN SERIES.
RICHMOND, Va„ September 17 UP).
—Norfolk Tars moved to Durham to
day with a two-game lead in the Pied
mont League's play-off finals. Sur
viving a seventh-inning splurge that
brought the Bulls three runs at Nor
folk yesterday, the Tars pulled out
a 6-5 victory.
Not Satisfied to Be Merely
Pinch-Hitter—Terp Jobs
at Stake in Tilt.
U I—\EANUTS” SHEERAN, who
had been labeled a pinch
1 hitting back by Coach Jack
Hagerty, apparently Is not
satisfied to just play that role, and is
making a strong bid for a starting
Job.
Getting fine blocking by Bill Vali
quette, Sheeran was the ace of the
Hilltop battling yesterday.
Most of those on the Injured list are
back. Only Bob Hogan and Cy Cum.
mings, tackles, were idle. Tommy
Keating and Tony Barabas, backs,
were in shorts
John Flemming continued his sen
sational play at end yesterday. He is
improving rapidly, and, aided by his
kicking, may land a starting berth. If
Fleming is used as a kicker, it will be
the first time since the days of Jim
Mooney that Georgetown has con
sistently used a lineman to do the
punting.
VJARYLAND'S squad was to take
matters rather lightly today to
save up for a hot scrimmage tomor
row that will be followed by the selec
tion of tentative first and second
teams by Coach Frank Dobson.
All the players are fit for rough
work, except Bill Guckeyson and
Waverly Wheeler, backs, and Ed Eg
nell, big soph tackle. None of them
may figure in the battling.
Coleman Headley and Charlie El
linger led two groups in a tilt yester
day. Both of the "captains” set good
examples for their mates as the two
lines fought almost evenly. Headley
got off a long run for the only score.
The letter men, both in the line
and the backfield, were divided be
tween the two groups.
Frisch Declared Stronger Than Ever With Cards
Canzoneri-M’Larnin Bout Hinges on Commission’s O. K.—Louis Spurns Politics.
BY'EDDIE BRIETZ,
Associated Press Sports Writer.
NEW YORK. September 17.—
Sure sign of foot ball:
First topcoat of season
made its appearance on
Broawday yesterday . . . Joe Louis
turned down a fat ofTer to cam
paign for one of the big political
parties ... It is not true that the
Cardinal front office has soured on
Farmer Frank Frisch. He’s more
solid than ever with the firm of
Breadon and Rickey ... All that is
keeping Tony Canaoneri from
meeting Jimmy McLamin in a re
turn bout October 2 is the approval
of the boxing fathers here.
Don’t be surprised if Rip Collins
of the Cardinals is Bill Terry’s
choice as first sacker for the Giants
next season ... Hats off to Jimmy
Dykes of the second-place White
Sox for one of the neatest man
agerial jobs of the season ... Lloyd
Lewis, the new sports ed, has the
sports section of the Chicago Daily
Mews sparkling like nobody’s biz
. . . The high-hat attitude of the
Yankees toward filling world series
reservations is making a hit with
exactly nobody ... Syracuse has 42
players on its grid squad. Cornell
has 45 and Colgate M, for a total oC
147. Yet, all three combined an
47 short of the number Elmer Lay
den has to pick from at Notri
Dame. Just the same. Elmei
couldn’t moan any louder if he wa
on a coast-to-coast hook-up.
The New York sports mob ha
shifted to Dave's Blue Room foi
its midnight gabfest . . . Michlgai
State is going to blossom out witl
an enlarged and inclosed press bo:
which will take care of 200 re
porters, p ho togs and radio guyi
this season. You can’t miss see inf
the hand of Coach Charlie Bach
man behind this . . . Every dim*
Frankie Frisch hes earned to. i
i
world series Is In a special bank
account. -Slnoe Frankie has played
in seven and probably averaged 15
000 per, he has about 140,000 salted
i away, drawing Interest... The lit
tle birds say Charlie Oehringer's
arm is troubling him so he may
have to shift to another position
| next season. .
Followers of Tenth Avenue Tech
(New York foot ball OlanU), wire
startled when the OlanU missed
2 points after touchdown against
the All-Stan. That didn’t happen
when Ken Strong was booting ’em
In ... Earl Walsh, FDrdham back,
field coach. Ukss the air tonight
with a brand-new foot MU faatore.
\
(A
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