Evening star. [volume], September 30, 1949, Image 52

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
■ . 1 —■**— ——
w in, Lose/ or Draw
By FRANCIS STANN
It's the Little Things That Cost
When that curve ball spun out of Mel Parnell's control the
other night, and got past Catcher Birdie Tebbetts, and allowed
the lowly Nats to beat the Red Sox, 2 to 1, Manager Joe McCarthy
knew how Clark Griffith felt 45 years ago.
That was history repeating itself, and just
as Jack Chesbro’s wild pitch in 1904 cost Man
ager Griffith of the New York Highlanders the
American League pennant, so may Parnell's wild
heave have cost the Red Sox.
“Pennants are lost on the little things,”
Griffith was musing as he listened to the rain
washing out yesterday's game. “At the end of a
season, you can sit down and remember how a
pop fly fell safely in such-an-such a game, or
how a runner held up at third base when he
should have scored, or how a pitcher let a hitter
get away when he had him cold.
“That rookie, O’Brien of the Red Sox, loafed
home early in the season against us and failed
Ftsncu sunn. to score before we completed a double-play from
the outfield. That cost Boston a game. Pesky did the same last
Tuesday, except that it didn’t cost the game.
“A few days ago, you remember, Sid Hudson hit a pop fly that
fell between Henrich and Stimweiss. It cost the Yankees a game
—maybe the pennant. It’s when you lose out, and have the next
five months to think, that you remember those little things,” con
cluded the Old Fox.
Griffith Needed That Pennant
But to return to the parallel between Parnell's and Chesbro’s
wild pitches, here’s the way it happened 45 years ago:
New York, Boston and Chicago were noses apart all season.
Finally, Chicago faded and it was between the Highlanders (now
the Yankees) and the Red Sox. The Highlanders, managed by
Griffith, had a half-game lead with a single game to be played on
Friday, two on Saturday and two on Monday remaining between
the two teams.
Chesbro won for Griffith on Friday, sending the Highlanders
ahead by a game and a half. “We needed that pennant,” remi
nisced Griffith. “The American League was new and we were trying
to buck the Giants, who were established. Vfhen Chesbro won on
Friday, I thought we were home.”
The owner of the Highlanders, Frank Farrell, messed up things
a little, himself. He rented the park to Columbia University for a
football game and, as a consequence, Saturday's double-header was
moved from New York to Boston.
The Spitter That Didn t Break
On its home field. Boston won both games and now the High
landers were trailing by half a game, going into the final double
header. Griffith, naturally, chose his 41-game winner, Chesbro.
Bill Dineen, later famed as an umpire, was Boston’s pitcher,
and going into the last half of the ninth the Highlanders were
leading by a run. There were two out and a Red Sox runner was
on third base.
"Freddy Parent was his name,” recalled Griff. “Played short
for Boston. He was batting when Chesbro threw his spitter. Some
how, it didn’t break. Jack Kleinan was catching and when the ball
failed to break, he missed it. Parent scored and eventually Boston ,
beat us.
"It was the biggest disappointment of my life,” sighed Griffith.
“We’d have won, sure as sin, but for that spitter that didn't break.”
Hannegan Sold, Leaving Dyer With Bag
In the back of his mini Eddie Dyer of the St. Louis Cardinals
had a Murry Dickson complex all season. Once, during spring
training at St. Petersburg, somebody asked him about the sale of
Dickson and he expressed himself openly. “He’s a tough little
monkey. He can beat us—and he’ll do it if he can,” Dyer pre
dicted.
'•i Dickson was one of Dyer’s pitchers until last winter, when
Bob Hannegan sold the right-hander to Pittsburgh without Dyer’s
knowledge. Hannegan, former Postmaster General, was in the
process of getting out from under as owner of the Cardinals. The
PiratCs bid high for Dickson and. Hannegan sold.
Dyer didn’t like it. He tried to shrug it off, but he told
intimates that not only did he need Dickson, but that Murry was
a threat to the Cards every time he faced them.
Well, yesterday Dickson may have knocked the Cards out of
the National League pennant when he beat ’em, 9 to 2. Eddie Dyer
may have been crestfallen, but he certainly wasn’t surprised.
Grid Drama in Dixie
Leahy FavorsfhfflCarolinaJ
Sees Tulane, S. M. U. on Spot
oy rrank Leahy
Notra Dome Football Coach
Southern stadia will be the
scenes of several of tomorrow’s
more important football games.
Of special interest to those who
follow the
fort unes o f
Notre Dame
will be the
o u t s t anding
contests in
which T u
lane, North
Carolina and
Southern
■ Methodist will
be given the
acid test as
they oppose
Georgia Tech,
Georgia, and
the University Frank Leahy,
of Missouri.
Tulane and Southern Meth
odist are facing the teams that
were able to keep them from
having a perfect record in 1948
and the impressive showings
made by both Georgia Tech
and Missouri last Saturday in
form us that they, too, have
improved considerably in the
past year.
It is our belief that the out
come 'of these two games will
determine whether the two
aforementioned schools are to
be regarded as the top teams in
their respective conferences,
and realizing this Coaches
Henry Frnka and Matty Bell
will unleash their comalete bag
of tricks and maintain their
winning streaks.
Chapel Hill, N. C.. will see
two of America’s finest coached
teams in action as Carl Snave
ley’s Justice-powered Tar Heels
subdue a strong, young Georgia
aggregation. In equally im
portant Southern struggles, we
give the edge to Vanderbilt,
Clemson, Mississippi and Bay
lor over such formidable op
ponents as Alabama, North
Carolina State, Kentucky and
Mississippi State. Along the
borderline it looks to be Wil
liam and Mary, West Virginia
and Tennessee (the last named
of which fooled us last week)
over Virginia Tech, Washing
ton and Lee and Duke, while
the deeper South will see Rice,
Florida, and Miami defeating
L. S. U„ Tulsa and Rollins.
South Carolina will experience
strong opposition before out
scoring Furman.
Columbia, Wake Forest Liked.
Surprising setbacks last week
to the two Boston major teams
that were in action—Harvard
and Boston College — cause
Columbia and Wake Forest to
be favored over the Bean
towners. The East’s favored
four—Army, Cornell, Villanova
and Pennsylvania—will have to
extend themselves before they
overpower Penn State, Colgate,
Detroit and, Dartmouth.
A much improved Navy team
finally will leave the red side
of the ledger by outmanning
Princeton, while Maryland
and St. Bonaventure will have
to fight to down two well
coached teams in Georgetown
and Dayton University.
Intra-conference clashes are
in vogue on the West Coast,
with the defending cocham
pions of the Pacific Conference,
California and Oregon, meet
(See LEAHY, Page C-2.)
League Standings and Schedules
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1949.
AMERICAN
Results Yesterday
Cleve.. 8: Chi.. 3.
foston »t Wash., rain.
hila. at N. Y.. rain.
Only games.
Games Today
Bost. at Wash.. 2.
Phila. at N. Y.
Cleve. at Det.
Chi. at St. L.
Games Tomorrow
Phila. at Wash.
Chi. at St. L.
Cldvo. at Det.
Bogt. at N. Y.
NATIONAL
Results Yesterday
Bklyn.. 9—8; Bost..
2—0.
Pitts.. 7: 8t. L.. 2.
Only games.
Games Today
St.' L. at Chi.
CiBCi. at Pitts.
Only games.
1 Games Tomorrow
Bklyn. at Phila.
St. L. at Chi.
Mi Y. at Bost.
Cinci. at Pitts.
'1
Standing “5 _iS • jb !• 1 1
"J JliJi 11 1 l j! I J*
Boston ]—[ 9]15] 8[14|17| 15| 17| 95|^6|^
How York |11|—111|12114115| 17[ 15| 95| 56|.629|
Detroit [ 7[11|—| 9|14[14| 14| 18| 87) 64|J>76| 8
Cleveland |14|10[10|—j 9|15[ 15| 13| 86; 65|.57oj 9
Phila'phia | 8| 7| 8jl3|—116| 12| 15| 79| 72|.523|16
Chitapo | 5| 7| 81 7| 6|—| 14| 15| 62| 89|.411|33
St. Louis | 7[ 5[ 8| 7|10| 5|_—| 9| 51 1001.338144
Washington [ _4| 7| 41 9| 5! 7| 13| —| 49 102 .325 46 ■
Lost 156156164’65;72189|100|102| | f |
”<*fc Isfii111 s I I1
Brooklyn J—|lt>|10|12!l4|16|17|17| 96| 56! .632|
St. Louis |12|—jl2|16|15|10|17(13| 951 56} .629| **
Phila'phia (10} 101—111111 j 131 9!16| 8«| 72| .526 16
Boston |10| 6|11|—110|12|12|12| 73) 79| .480 23
Haw I 81 7|U|10|—112|15|10| 731 480 23
Pittsburgh | 6112] 9|10|10|—(41|11| 69 82| .457 26**
Cincinnati | 5| 5|13jl0j 71 8|—|13f 61) 90) .494 34**
Chicago | 5| 6! 6|10|12|11| 9|—| 59| 92| .39136**
Lad 156|56j72|79179|82j90|92|. j j .
SPORTS
AMUSEMENTS
fining ppoffs
GENERAL NEWS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1949
Red Sox, Yankees, Cards Facing Acid Tests Today
Nats, A's Hectic
Over Pitchers
To Face Pacers
Harridge Orders Play
To Continue Into
Night if Necessary
By Burton Hawkins
The mounting excitement en
veloping the knotted American
League pennant race reached the
point of hysteria today.
Out of the hands of club presi
dents, William Harridge, Ameri
can League boss, has grabbed the
right to postpone games due to
rain. In a precedent-breaking rul
ing, Harridge invested the final
decision with the umpire-in-chief
here—where Boston’s Red Sox
battle the Nats today at 2
o’clock—and at New York, where
the Yankees were slated to tangle
with the Philadelphia Athletics
at the same time.
Fair weather was promised for
this afternoon at Griffith Stadium,
but in the event of heavy rain the
game would be rescheduled for
6:30 this evening. Harridge also
ordered that in such an event,
lights would be turned on if nec
essary for the completion of the
game. The same arrangement was
ordered by Harridge to apply to
the New York-Philadelphia con
test.
• Club presidents normally are
privileged to postpone games, but
with Boston and New York tied
for first place and only three
games remaining for each team
Harridge wrested that right from
them and bestowed it upon the
umpires.
Huriers Subject to Change.
Starting pitchers in the Wash
ington-Boston game were subject
to last-minute change, with Man
ager Joe McCarthy of the Red
Sox saying, “My pitcher as of
this moment will be Jack Kramer,
but there is a possibility of a
shift.”
Manager Joe Kuhel of the Nats
planned to employ Mickey Harris,
cast adrift by Boston in mid-June
and eager to show McCarthy that
was a mistake. But Clark Grif
fith, the Nats’ prexy, was leaning
toward Rookie Dick Weik as
Washington’s starter and hoping
he could. persuade Kuhel to use
the towering right-hander.
Griffith gives his manager a
free rein, however, and Kuhel was
likely to string along with the
veteran left-hander, Harris. "If
Mickey gets in trouble, Weik and
be available and
Kuhel. Weik’s
last against St. Louis
and Philadelphia, were shutouts.
The Yankees were to fire left
handed Ed Lopat against the Ath
letics, who were expected to coun
ter with Dick Fowler. Phil Mar
childon, who has been troubled by
a sore arm, was. Manager Connie
Mack’s original choice. But Con
nie, going home to Philadelphia,
turned the club over to Earle, his
son. Earle, stung by fans’ sug
gestions that the A’s weren’t play
ing fair yith all parties involved,
made the pitching switch.
New York Set to Decide Flag.
Regardless of the outcome of to
day’s American League games, the
pennant can’t be decided at least
until tomorrow when the Yankees
and Red Sox open a two-game
series at New York. If the clubs
are tied at the end of the season
on Sunday they will meet in a
playoff game for the pennant on
Monday.
Harridge did not establish a
precedent by permitting day games
to be played at night if necessary.
In 1944, when the St. Louis Browns
and Detroit Tigers were tied in
the last week of the season, St.
Louis was rained out of an after
noon game and, with Harridge’s
approval, reslated the game that
night and lost to Boston. The
Browns later mowed down the
Yankees and won the pennant
when Washington’s Dutch Leon
ard defeated the Tigers in Detroit
on the final day of the season.
Both Boston and New York were
stopped by rain yesterday, but it
was likely that only a deluge in
Washington or New York woul<j
prevent play today. Should a
downpour in either city keep either
contender idle that game would be
canceled.
BRIEFLY: Ray Scarborough,
the talk of the village yesterday
after his spectacular 2-1 conquest
of the. Red Sox on Wednesday
night, paid high tribute to Bos
ton’s Dom Di Maggio. ... “I had
two strikes on him when he lilt
that single to score Boston’s run,:’
said Ray, “and the pitch he clipped
was one I intended to waste. It
was a high, inside fast ball which
I thought he might go for, but not
with that much success. It wasn’t
in the strike zone, but he hit It
anyway. He can hit that sort of
pitch and that’s why he’s a fine
hitter.”
Wid Matthews, Brooklyn scout
who is attempting to diagnose Red
Sox weaknesses in event the Dodg
ers and Boston play in the World
Series, charted every Scarborough
pitch and particularly was im
pressed by the effectiveness of
Ray’s knuckle^ against Ted Wil
liams. ... In the three times they
faced, Ted struck out twice and
popped up. . . . “I threw him a
variety,” said Ray, "but I think I
surprised him most with knuckle
balls/’_
College Football
Miuouri Valley 20_Ottawa (Kans.) *>
Culver-Stockton 21.. __ Tarkio 0
Valley City (N. D.) Tchrs. 45
Jamestown (N. D.) 0
High Point 107.. Port Bragg 0
Northeastern Okla. A. and M. 12
Connors Okla. Aggies 0
West Liberty 13_California (Pa.) 8
Puget Sound 27-St. Martins (Wash.) 0
Central Wash’gton 12 . Pacific Lutheran 0
Centra. ^26^ okifcT#eh ig
I
HOPES HARD HIT—It was a dejected group of St. Louis Car
dinals who left their dugout at Pittsburgh yesterday after drop
ping a 7-2 decision. This constituted their second straight loss
to the Pirates and dropped them to second place, half a game
back of the. Dodgers, who registered a double win over the
Braves at Boston.
It was different in tne dressing room oi tne buccaneers, wno were eiatea over immuiuig
the Redbirds. Left to right are Monty Basgall, who doubled home two runs and scored a
third; Murry Dickson, who pitched a six-hitter as partial revenge for being discarded by the
Cards, and Wally Westlake, who homered.—AP Wirephoto,
Only 1,200 Tickets Left for Hoyas-Terps
By Merrell Whittlesey
Georgetown, with a new coach,
a new system and a sophomore -
studded lineup, suddenly has been
conceded a chance to upset Mary
land tonight, ‘ something con
sidered highly unlikely when the
off-and-on rivals since 1899 opened
practice. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. at
College Park.
Early this afternoon only 1,000
grandstand seats and 200 stand
ing room tickets remained unsold.
Thus a capacity crowd of 18,000,
biggest ever to see a game in Byrd
Stadium, virtually was assured.
Maryland ruled a favorite by
from 6 to 13 points, odds that were
a tribute to the Hoyas. For before
Georgetown upset Holy Cross, 20
13, last week in one of the major
surprises of the infant ^season, the
Terps were name-your-points
favorites to win over their cross
town rivals.
Maryland is conceded an edge
in defense tonight but it figures
to be a free-touchdown affair,
with Maryland exploding from the
spUt-T formation of Jim Tatum
and the Hoyas operating behind a
Chicago Bears’ styled T as coached
by Bob Margarita, their new coach
and a former Bear.
Discounts V. P. I. Game.
Margarita is not one of the
local football prophets who puts
too much emphasis on Maryland’s
rather squeaky triumph over
V. P. I. last week where the
Terps were held to a 7-7 tie at
halftime. The Hoy a coach does
not feel Maryland was too worried
at any time, in the game they won,
34-7, and in addition had two
touchdowns called back and twice
were stopped Within the 4-yard
line.
It was Georgetown that received
the glowing reports last week.
Maryland scouts waited at the
National Airport two and a half
hours between their plane and
the one bringing the Maryland
team home to tell Tatum some
&
Game on Air
Station WWDC will carry a
play-by-play account of the
Georgetown - Maryland game
tonight at College . Park with
Ray Morgan on the air at
8:10 p.m.
thing he already had curmised,
that Georgetown had come up
with a good football team. The
triumph over the Crusaders was
no fluke, it was a deserved one
with the Hoyas playing a magnifi
cent second half.
Stan Lavine, the new brains of
the Maryland backfleld, will open
at quarterback tonight, with John
Idzik and Joe Kuchta at the
halves and Mighty Mo Modzewel
ski at fullback. The latter was
the leading ground gainer against
V. P. I., while Lavine scored three
touchdowns. Joe Tucker, held
out of the Gobbler game because
of an injury, will be on hand to
spell Lavine tonight and Tatum
will unveil another of his touted
sophomores. Bob (Shoo-Shoo)
Shermonski, the scat back from
Archbald, Pa.
Brasher Back In Trim.
Ray Krouse, already being
boomed for All-America, after be
ing highly rated in the South last
year, and Bob Ward are the
standouts on the Terp line. Cen
ter Jim Brasher, banged up in a
scrimmage with Penn, will return
tonight and in practice has been
playing first string offensive snap
per-back as well as line backer.
The Hoyas’ quarterbacking will
be in the hands of a local young
ster, Sophomore Francis Matting
ly, a schoolboy grid great at
Charlotte Hall. Margarita stuck
with Mattingly through early mis
takes in the Holy Cross game and
his faith in the 19-year-old 6
foot-4 back was rewarded.
Babe Baranowski and Johnny
Kivus will open at the halfback
(See HOYAS-TERPS, Page C-3.)'
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SATURDAY
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NA. 2
IK
Lambeau Steps Out
As Packer Coach to
Boss Whole Setup
ty th» Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis., Sept. 30.—
Earl L. (Curly) Lambeau stepped
down as head coach of the Green
Bay Packers of the National
Football League today after 30
years at the post.
Lambeau said he would con
tinue as* vice president and gen
eral manager of the Packer Corp.,
but was turning over all field
work to his three assistants—Line
Coach Tom Stidham, Backfield
Coach Bob Snyder and Defense
Coach Charley Brock.
The veteran coach, who found
te fyhe Packers and has coached
c *club since 1919, said hb Will
devote his time to rebuilding the
team and to the “manifold duties”
connected with his position in the
front office.
"Under this arrangement,” Lam
beau said, "I feel I can do the ball
club more good.”
The Packers last year had their
most dismal season in the club’s
long history, winning only 2 of 12
league games. They dropped their
league opener this year to the
Chicago Bears last Sunday after
winning only two of five exhibi
tion games.
O'Rourke Shifted by Colts
From Player to Coach
BALTIMORE, Sept. 30 (JP).—
Charley O’Rourke, the old Boston
College football star, was shuffled
off to the sidelines today by the
Baltimore Colts of the All-America
Football Conference.
Head Coach Walter Driskill took
his blond flash off the active
player list and made him tutor
of the backfield.
"We’ve needed a backfield coach
for sometime,” Driskill said. “We
wanted some one already familiar
with the players- Charley is the
logical choice. We approached him
this week and asked him how he’d
like the idea. He did.”
O’Rourke’s contract ends with
the current season, but Driskill
indicated he may be back bn the
staff next year.
Redbirds Touchy
After Dodgers
Take Over Lead
Appear Badly Upset
Over Beating Given
By Castoff Dickson
By the Associated Press
Battle-weary and disgruntled,
Eddie Dyer, on the way to Chi
cago with his ball club, absolutely
refused to discuss Murry Dickson
today, but it probably will be
many, many months before the
Cardinal skipper will stop dream
ing of his former star pitcher.
“We’ve talked too much about
Dickson all year,” was Dyer’s terse
comment when asked to account
for the righthander’s amazing
success over the Redbirds this
season.
But that didn’t stop tongues
from wagging after Dickson
pitched the Pittsburgh Pirates to
a crushing 7-2 triumph over his
former mates yesterday, putting
a damper on their title hopes. His
feat enabled Brooklyn, preseason
favorite to cop the National
League flag, to roar back into
the lead by mopping up the Bos
ton Braves, last year’s winners,
in a doubleheader, 9-2 and 8-0.
The results gave Brooklyn a
half-game edge on the Redbirds.
Brooklyn has two games left to
play with the third-place Phils
in Philadelphia while the Cards
have three to go with the last
place Cubs. If both win all their
remaining games they’ll meet In
a three-game play-ofl series for
the pennant.
Not “Sore” With Cards.
Dickson's motive is not revenge,
as the hurler pointed out himself.
In fact, Murry frankly stated he
wanted to see the Cards win the
pennant.
But that did n6t stop him from
whipping the Birds five times this
year, more than any other Na
tional League pitcher. Dickson
might have been rooting for his
ex-teammates, but his strong right
arm did the only thing his honest
heart would let him.
All of which explains his stun
ning six-hitter yesterday that up
rooted the Cards from first place.
“I hold no resentment against
the St. Louis club for letting me
go,” the 5-foot-10 native of Tracy.
| Mo., said. “They’ve always treated
me well there. I have a lot of
friends on the Cardinal team, but
that doesn’t stop me from trying
| (See NATIONAL LEAGUE, C-2 )
jj-V3---¥¥—f—
Pennant Races
At a Glance
By the Associated Press
To
W. L. Pet. GB. play.
Brooklyn _96 56 .632 __ 3
St. Louis _ 95 56 .629 Vi 3
Remaining schedules:
Brooklyn—Home. none. Away (2). Phil
adelphia 2.
St. Louis—Home, none. Away (3). Chi
cago .3.
American League.
To
W. L. Pet. GB. play.
Boston _ 95 56 .629 _ 3
New York _ 95 56 .629 3
Remaining schedules:
New York—Home (3). Boston 2. Phlla
delnhia 1. Away. none,
i Boston—Home. none. Away (3). New
York 2. Washington 1.
BASEBALL
TODAY—2:00 P.M.
Washington vs. Boston
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