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MUPSD AX, 7ri, IP9 R M MINI
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
!!1I.
PRESS
PASSES
-By BUD BENJAMIN -
More Natators Arrive; Jordan
Named Mat Captain
v -
Pitching Problems ...
BACK IN 1936 a chunky, bearded
right-hander named Berger Lar-
son pitched Ray Fisher's Michigan
baseball team to a Western Confer-
ence title and was voted the most.
valuable player in the Big Ten.
Berger's pitching was something to
watch. Players reverently recall his
magnificent curve ball, his tremen-
dous competitive spirit, his uncanny
control and invariably whisper: "Boy,
what a team we'd have if old Berg
was chuckin' this year."t
Their wishful thinking is par-
ticularly applicable to this Wol-r
verine team of 1939. Man to man,j
they are a better ball club thanI
the 1936 title winners. That isf
until you survey the pitching.L
No Larson will be out theree
breaking a three-foot curve.t
There is no Herm FishmanI
among the sophomores to win
eight games in the initial year.t
The returning veterans boast oft
no pitcher of the calibre of long
John Gee.
Given three such pitchers, this 1939
team would walk to a Conference
flag. They have the best defensive
catcher in the Conference in Leo
Beebe. There is no third baseman
the rival of Capt. Walt Peckinpaugh.
Elmer Gedeon and Pete Lisagor are
veterans any ball club could use. The
outfield of Charley Pink, Fred Tros-
ko, and Dan Smick combines defen-
sive strength with ample plate pow-
er, especially in the big bat of Smick,
who slugs that apple. There is suf-
ficient reserve strength.
I'm not selling the pitching staff
short this year before they hurl their
first game. Conceivably they may
produce. If they do, the team will
ride along with them-in my opinion
to a Conference crown. But I be-
lieve, and I'm sure Ray Fisher does
too, that there are problems connect-
ed with this pitching staff, technical,
psychological, and physiological in
nature.
Number one hurler today is
Jack Barry, a lanky right-hand-
er, with ordinary speed, a good
curve, and a model pitching tem-;
perament. Unheralded at the be-
ginning of last year, Barry step-
ped into the relief role, lost none
of his.equilibrium, showed enough
stuff to get by in good shape. Of
all of Fisher's pitchers, Barry is
the most reliable, but he has yet
to take his regular turn and work
the distance. His only glaring
shortcoming is control, a tech-
nical problem that Fisher and
time must remedy.
Number two is Russ Dobson, slim
right-hander. Russ introduces your
psychological problem. And to this
observer, Russ holds the answer to
Michigan's baseball problem this
year.
No pitcher since Larson has shown
the stuff, the natural ability, the
potentialities of Dobson. He has
speed. He has control. He has a bet-
ter-than-average Conference curve.
And yet he never has pitched a com-
plete game for Michigan nor has he
ever proven that he is anything more
than a "thrower."
Dobson's trouble is an incor-
rect pitching environment. He
lacks the leather hide of Barry,
the assurance of Fishman, and
the competitive drive of Larson.
He is sensitive out there, espe-
cially so to the attitude of his
teammates.
Last year from my press box perch,
I 'saw Dobson pitching to Beebe in
the Toledo game. The scribes to a
man called him the best pitcher
they'd seen all year. He had more
stuff than any college pitcher I'd
seen since Larson. Yet Toledo's sec-
ond raters pounded him out of the
box in one of the shoddiest perfor-
mances I have ever seen.
Dobson never has had what mightI
be termed "drive." In basketball as
well as baseball he looks half-heart-
ed, timid, disinterested. But con-
versations with him, and with his
teammates, have convinced this re-
porter that Dobson wants nothing1
more than to do a good job for Ray.1
He won't stand up and shout it to
you, but the quiet way that he'll tell
you about it and the effort which hej
is expending is convincing.
Dobson cannot be ridden. In-
sulting him is not going to solve
the problem. When he takes the
mound this year for the first
F loida Sqad
And Buckeyes
Add To Group
Ohio State Mentor Favors
Wolverines To Capture
National Tank Crown
A steady stream of swimmers con-
tinued to dribble into the Intramural
Pool yesterday in preparation for
the National Collegiates this week-
end although most of them will arrive
today.
Mike Peppe and ten of his swim-
mers arrived bout six p.m. yesterday,
joining his diving trio of Al Patnik,
Earl Clark and Brud Cleaveland who
had arrived Tuesday. Peppe was more
than slightly skeptical about the
chances of his team (or any other
team for that matter) to dethrone
Michigan as National champion.
The Ohio mentor frankly stated
that Michigan proved that they "have
the best team in the country" two
weeks ago at the Big Ten meet. "In
a dual meet we can give them a
fight (a darn good one as two tie
meets between the two schools testi-
fy) but" Peppe continued, "they have
to much free style strength and
that's what they pay off on."
The Buckeye coach admitted that
Adolph Iiefer of Texas in the dis-
tances and Paul Wolf of Southern
California would cut into the Wol-
venine's free style strength. In fact,
Peppe wisher that Ralph Flana-
gan were eligible too.
Although the Eastern teams have
not as yet put in their appearance
two of the Florida men, St. Acosta
Southeastern Conference s p r i n t
champion, and Rood, distance swim-
mer arrived.
Bill Walter, a Georgia sprinter, ar-
trived as did Albert Dowden, Ed
Brandsten and E. W. McGillivray,
coaches at California, Stanford and
Chicago. None of these three schools
has any swimmers entered.
Swim Tickets Available
Despite earlier reports, there is still
a limited number of roserved seats
remaining for the National Swim-
ming Meet this Friday night only.
They may be obtained at the Admin-
istration Building. For the prelim-
inaries on Friday and Saturday af-
ternoon, the tickets will be sold at
the door, and all are rush seats.
There will be finals in five events
swum off on Friday night.
time, and perhaps pitches a wild
one on his initial effort, let si-
lence reign. Remarks such as
"there he goes again" or "quit
wastin' our time," which have
emanated from the Michigan
bench, are simply accentuating
the battle that this fellow is
fighting. It is a battle that he
will win if he is left alone and
allowed to fight it out for him-
self.
Number three, Smick, brings up
your physiological problem. A foot-
ball injury several years ago ham-
pered his pitching, causing him to
adopt an underhanded delivery, a la
Eldon Auker. He tried desperately to
perfect the style but his hopeless
wildness and occasional outbursts of
temperament made his contribution
on the mound virtually nil and sent
him to the outfield. No one wants to
pitch more than Smick, for the husky
three-sport athlete nurtures major
league ambitions which would be
fired by a successful season. They
say his arm is better, that he will
pitch overhand once more, and that
he will win. All of which depends
upon the condition of that tricky
right arm.
Between them, Barry, Dobson and
Smick pitched less than 30 innings
last year. Collectively they won two
games. Each presents a unique prob-
lem - Barry's merely being the
smoothing off of a few rough edges,
Dobson's a struggle to win his own
confidence,. and Smick's the tradi-
tional baseball headache, a question-
Ohio's '.I A!Painil.,Nation.'s Top Diver
Michiian Fiee Stylers To Settle
Fate Of Team Saturday Evening
(Editor's Note: This is the second oft
two articles surveying the chief threats
in each of the i events in the Na-
tional Collegiate swimming meet in
Ann Arbor this weekend. Today-Sat-
urday's events.)t
By MEL FINEBERG
If Michigan is to annex its sixth
consecutive National Collegiate title,
it will have to build up enough points
in the free style events to withstand
Ohio State power in the two diving
events. Of the five events on Satur-
day night, three, the 100, the 440j
and the 400-yard relay, are free style.
The Wolverines must build points here
to negate points the Buckeye twins,
Al Patnik and Earl Clark, will bring
if they take their expected one-two
in both dives.
100-Yard Free Style: Walt Tom-
ski of Michigan has turned in the
fastest time in two years, 52.1, is Big
Ten champion but has been beaten
once by Billy Quayle of Ohio in 52.5.
The renewal ofthis dual will have
the added flavor of Yale's Johnny
Good, who won the Eastern Inter-
collegiates in 52.7. Tomski beat Good
badly the night he swam 52.1. Paul
Wolf of Southern Cal, Miller of F&M,;
fourth last year, andeMichigan's
Charley Barker should be close be-
hind. Hank Van Oss and Ned Parke
of Princeton, Henry Curwen of Har-
vard, Bob Johnson of Ohio, Russ
Duncan and Bill Moonan of Yale
and Bill Holmes of Michigan can all
do 53.8 or better.
200-Yard Breast Stroke: It looks
here as though Dick Hough of Prince-
ton will lead Ohio's Johnny Higgins
home with the rest of the field out-
classed. Both these men have bettered
2:25. Mike Sojka of Texas, Justin
Callahan, Columbia's lone entry, who
finished third last year, Michigan's
Johnny Haigh who was fourth, Ohio's
Alex McKee and George Poulos of
Iowa can all break 2:30.f
440-Yard Free Style: It's a strange1
anomoly when the only man whose1
times in this event are unknown
should be the favorite. Michigan's
Tom Haynie swam 4:53.3 in winning
the Big Tens, Eric Cutler of Harvard
did 4:57.6, Harold Stanhope of Ohio,
nominally a back stroker, turned in
4:56 in a dual meet against North-{
western and Michigan's Jimmy Welsh1
has broken 4:56. But Adolph Kiefer
of Texas, swimming this one for the
first time, is again the favorite with
Haynie pushing him all the way. Bob
Lowe of Illinois, Irv McCaffrey of
Northwestern, Joe Rood, Southwes-
tern champ; and Callahan may figure.
Three Meter Dive: Al Patnik hasn't
been beaten yet and they're not go-
ing to start now. As in the low board
Russ Greenhood, Harvard's Eastern
Intercollegiate champion, and Michi-
gan's Hal Benham may threaten
Ohio's Earl Clark for second. Texas'
Billy Brink, Michigan's Adolph Ferst-
enfeld and Ralph Pyzinski will fight
it out for fifth.
Free Style Relay: Michigan is un-
defeated this year and should be even
faster than ever before Saturday.
Tomski, Barker, Holmes and either
Haynie or Ed Hutchens may crack
the present record. Ohio State with
Johnson, Quayle, Bill Howard and
either Johnny Hartlein or breast
stroker Johnny Higgins will push the
Wolverines. Yale with Good, Moonan,
Willis Snyder and Sanborn will trail
along with Princeton, Texas, North-
western and F&M quartetes offering
little competition.
Senators Triumph, 7-5
Teamur11 OOSeS
1940 Leader
On Fifth Ballot
Mericka And Weidig Given
Special Awards; Eight
Reeceive Varsity Letters
Forrest "Butch" Jordan, powerful
heavyweight mainstay of Michigan's
Varsity wrestling team, was elected
captain of the Wolverines for the
1940 season last night at the annual
Wrestling Banquet held in the Union.
Jordan came out on top on the fifth
ballot, after being deadlocked in the
first four ballots with Don Nichols,
star 175-pounder.
The Clare, Mich., junior, who suc-
ceeds Harold Nichols, National In-
tercollegiate 145-pound champion,
compiled a season record of four out
of five dual meet victories and a
second place in the Western Confer-
ence meet in Chicago. "Butch" was
an outstanding heavyweight on
Coach Cliff Keen's 1937 team, but did
not wrestle last year since he was out
of school during the second semester.
Keen Congratulates Squad
Coach Keen congratulated the en-
tire squad for its fine work this year
in becoming the first Michigan wrest-
ling team to go through a dual meet
season undefeated. He commended
Harold Nichols for his outstanding
ability in winning seven dual meet
matches in a row, a Big Ten title, and
a National title all in the course of
a single season, and presented Har-
old with a medal emblematic of scor-
ing the greatest number of points
among the squad members during the
season.
Jim Mericka, colorful senior 136-
pounder, received an award for ex-
hibiting outstanding competitive abil-
ity, and Tom Weidig, sophomore 121-
pounder, likewise received an award
for being the most improved wrestler
on the squad.
Letters Given
Eight members of the squad were
named for Varsity letter awards. They
are Forrest "Butch" Jordan; newly
elected captain, outgoing Capt. Har-
old Nichols, Don Nichols, 175; Frank
Morgan, 165; Bill Combs, 155; Jim
Mericka, 136; Tom Weidig, 121; and
Joe Savilla, heavyweight. Secondary
awards went to Andy Sawyer, 128;
Ralph Turner, 155; Dick Tasch, 165;
Rex Lardner, 155; and Phil Whitte-
more, 136.
STEA MSH IP
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Short On Goalies
NEW YORK, March 22.-(A)-The
two New York teams found them-
selves in dire need of goal tending
jhelp today.
The crippled Americans, blanked
4-0 by Toronto last night, again will
have to depend on Alfie Moore when
they try to square matters with the
Maple Leafs on Madison Square Gar-
den's ice.
The Rangers, whipped 2 to 1 by the
1 ,Boston Bruins in three overtime
periods, summoned Bert Gardiner
from their Philadelphia Internation-
al-American League Farm.
FOR
Reverible
Forrest "Butch" Jordan, star
heavyweight wrestler .of the Wol-
verine grappling squad, was last
night elected captain of the 1940
squad. He will succeed Harold Nich-
ols.
Red Sox Blank Reds, 3-0
TAMPA, Fla., March 22.-(A)-One
wobbly inning for Bucky Walters
gave the Boston Red Sox all they
needed today todown the Cincinnati
Reds, 3 to 0.
Whitey Moore had held the Sox to
three hits in five innings. Then
Bucky started the sixth with two
walks and Cronin slapped a triple to
right center to clear the bases.
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22.-f-()-Minneapolis of the
can Association threatened
ington's perfect record in the
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won 7 to 5.
March
Ameri-
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Senators
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i
mark arm. In the solution
problems lie Michigan's
baseball hopes for 1939.
of these
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Typewriters
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IT'S CLEARNESS TELLS YOU IT'S A
DELIGHTFUL DRINK -.
ARBOR SPRINGS
Coming events forecast their shadows
...Watch for the Bunny Hop
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