Varsity THE MItHfGAN DAILY AEoT To Open CageSeason HereSaturday Against Stat Tank Clowns Promise Laughs New Varsity Face * * Ma1 Mann't Trio Of Jesters To Provide Merrirment For Fans At Annual Swimming Gala By BUD HENDEL Believe it or not, Coach Matt Mann. is staying awake nights worrying about the seventh annual Swim Gala which will be held Friday night in the Sports Building pool. And Matt has real cause for worry. No, he isn't afraid that this year's Gala won't be a success. In fact, he knows full well that i will be the best yet. And he isn't concerned over the fact that the big show may not draw a crowd. He is well aware of the fact that the natatorium, which only accommodates 1,000 people, will be packed to overflowing when the program starts at 8 p.m. Friday. Mann Frets Nonetheless, Matt Mann is wor- ried. He doesn't know if he should install safety belts in every seat, put up a fence around the edge of the pool, or just hope that none of the spectators roll into the cool waters while doubled up in screaming laugh- ter over the antics of the three clowns that he has on deck to entertain the crowd. For this fun-making trio can really provoke the belly laughs. They'll do everything from fancy dives to fall' ing out of the ceiling, if their pasf performances are any indication. And when they start cutting up, then Michigan Mat it's time to flash the danger signal. After all, Mann doesn't want 1,000 spectators fainting dead away from sheer merriment. And anything can happen when these boys start indulg- ing in their specialties. Crowd-Pleasing Boys They'll bring down the house when they take their places on the diving board. When they actually execute their dives, the roaring will be heard for miles around. They'll do their own interpretations of the graceful dives that T-Bone Martin and Lou Haughey of the Varsity will exhibit to the audience, and then they'll do some extra-specials that- they've cooked up themselves-such well- coordinated plunges as the "back- belly-flopperoo," the "water-busting- header," and a host of others. But Mann has more than just clowns to offer Friday night. The champion Wolverine swimming team will be there ' to stage an as- sault on existing pool records and to put on feature and comedy races: Twenty aquatic lassies and Kay Cur- tis' water ballet troupe will journey from Chicago to display floating ex- hibitions and various top-of-the-wa- ter stunts. Add to this special relay races by, sororities and the men's dormitories, and you have the bare outline of the biggest Michigan Swim Gala ever staged. Tickets will be distributed on the first come, first served basis and are now on sale at the Athletic Adminis- tration Building for'50 bents apiece. Part of the proceesds will go to the Women's Athletic Association for its swimming pool fund. For a big night of top entertain- ment-it's the Swim Gala, Friday, Dec. 12. Team To Open At Penn State / 1942 Slate Is Toughest InWolverines' History; Keen Seems Optimistic Wolverine westlers can thank their coach, Cliff Keen, for giving them one of the toughest schedules in Michigan mat history. The Varsity will meet the National Intercollegiate Champion, the runner up, the East's strongest team, the Big Six title holder, and two of the Big Ten's best teams. "The boys don't mind a difficult schedule," Keen said yesterday, "and besides Maize and Blue fans are en- titled to the best incollege wrestling today." The astute mat mentor shyly neglected to add that his team will be able to give as many headaches as they receive and at the same time show Wolverine fans that they have one of the most colorful squads in the country today. Only Two Big Ten Meets The success of this year's wrestling schedule can not be laid to Michigan's' membership in the Big Ten. Despite Keen's strong desire to' arrange for five or six Conference teams on the Varsity's program, he was able to schedule only two, Iidiana and Ohio State. Keen will not send a squad to the Midwestern A.A.TU's this weekend, although Bill Combs, backbone of last year's squad will compete unattached in the heavyweight division. "I would' like to send a whole team to the tournament," Keen added, "but my boys aren't in shape yet, and I have- n't selected my squad yet."l Open Against Penn State Michigan opens the 1942 season away when they meet Penn Statej on Jan. 10. The Nittany Lions are considered one of the strongest bands of wrestlers in the East. Two days later on Jan. 12 the Varsity meets the best outfit in the country-Kansas State. Besides being Intercollegiate Champs the Wildcats hold the Big1 Six crown. Most colleges would require a two1 weeks' rest after meeting those two teams, but there is no let-up as far Is the Wolverines are concerned. The following Saturday, Jan. 17, the Var- sity comes home to clash with the powerful Michigan State crew. Mich- igan's traditional rivals were runners up in National Competition in the 1941 season. At the start of the new1 semester, Feb. 16, Nebraska comes to town. Dates Of Meets Michigan's conference meets are on1 Feb. 21 when the Varsity meets Indi- ana at Bloomington, and on Feb. 28 when Keen takes his aggregation to Columbus to'battle the powerful Ohio State wrestlers.1 The Conference championships will be held in Chicago on March 13-14'.1 East Lansing will play host to the1 National Intercollegiate competitors1 on March 26-27. This marks the first time since 1934 that a Michigan school has had this honor. In that year the national tournament was held in Ann Arbor. Keen has Jan. 24 and March 7 as Sextet Shows' Promise Even While_ Lsing By STAN CLAMAGE A quick survey of the highlights of Michigan's hockey defeat at the hands of the London A.C. proves ab- solutely nothing that was not already known before the season's opener. Facing a team that was better equipped with manpower and experi- ence, the Wolverine sextet just wasn't able to combat the superior odds that faced them. Although they werel out-skated and generally out- played, there xdere some sparks that flashed out of the dregs of defeat. Maybe they might offer some conso- lation, but hockey teams don't win games on consolation. Braidford Plays Well . ..Johnny Braidford, sophomorek center, did some good work in his play-making role. He fought all the way, and with better luck, some of the plays might have materialized and helped a lost cause. Several times the puckmen worked in close only to have sloppy stick-handling turn them back. Had they been a little more careful and not so wild, the bridge between the two scores (6-1) might have narrowed a bit. But don't take anything away from that London out- fit. They were good. Hank Nifty In Net In the nets Hank Loud turned in .a fine performance. Time after time he kicked out Canadian at- tempts. Out of 49 direct sloots six hit their mark. In many cases Loud had to work alone. His defense didn't offer him sufficient protection at all times, thus forcing him to come out. However, at least two of the re- bound scores might have disappeared, or been merely postponed, had the first try been turned to the side in- stead of right out front where another Canadian was waiting to fling it back into the open net. Finally, while continuing on their present course this semester, facing Port Dover here Saturday, Eddie Lowrey's squad might find some ray of hope for next semester. The team would be strengthened tremen- dously if those five ineligible puck- men can regain their standings. * Fraternity :Jewelry ... r AN 10 0 EXCLUSIVEI 140 r 7 1 t i ( t ( I ! k i Leo Doyle, Wolverine junior, has just about clinched a starting berth at guard. He is probably the best ball andler on the squad and is an a cellent shot. Ali-Amertcan Bob Westfall The Michigan Union ballroom is going to be very crowded tonight. Tonight is the night that Ann Ar- bor honors its All-American Bob Westfall with a dinner party. And with room for only 572 dinner guests the committee in charge of the affair is now becoming worried concerning how best to accommodate the expec- ted overflow crowd. Bob the Bullet is very bashful. And therefore he is no doubt going to be red and heated from boyish embar- rassment the evening long, because his athletic successes for the past seven years are to be feted and highly praised by one and all present. And a quick review of these accomplish- ments in the realm of sport clearly reveals that Westie began early his All-American development: At Ann Arbor High Bob was a nine letter man, and subjected four sports to his athletic prowess. There were three years of Varsity football, an- other triple of basketball, an addi- tional two monograms he won in baseball, and finally in his senior year he took a fling at shot-putting .and broad jumping in track and brought the total to nine AA's. Even as a sophomore he was ac- claimed All-Five-A fullback, a signal honor indeed. A knee injury shelved him early in his junior year, but as team captain the following season he was again the fuljback of the league. In basketball also he was named an All-Five-A player. This then was the embryonic back- ground out of which developed the greatest fullback ever to wear the Maize and Blue. And small wonder the people of Ann Arbor want to honor that full- back tonight. I Javelin Throw Rejection Hits Miehigan Hard Decision Of Big Ten May Cost Squad Nine Points; Wege Is Star In Event By BOB STAHL Michigan's chances of regaining the Big Ten outdoor track champion- ship were dealt a severe blow at the coaches' convention in Chicago last Saturday, when it was decided to toss the javelin throw out of all future Western Conference competition. That this act of the Big Ten au- thorities hits the Wolverines harder than any other team in the Confer- ence is very obvious to the observing eye. Of the five point-winners in the javelin throw in last spring's outdoor Big Ten meet, Michigan's Johnny Wise, who placed fourth, is the only one still in competition. Bob Tillson, another Wolverine, took sixth place in the event. Sure Points Lost What is even more important to the Wolverines, however, is the fact that Pete Wege, the phenomenal javelin-tossing novice, will not be able to add what were to be almost certain points to the Wolverine cause. = As a freshman last year,'Wege turned in one heave of 196 ft., 6 in., which was more than nine inches better than the distance turned in by the first-place winner of the javelin throw in the Conference meet. So with Wege and Wise both out of com- petition, it is probable that by one fell swoop the Big Ten authorities have lopped an almost certain nine points off Michigan's score in the coming outdoor meets. Several reasons were advanced by Michigan's track coach, Ken Doherty, as to why the javelin event was dis- carded. Probably most important is the fact that the event is so danger- ous to spectators, contestants, and others who might come into the path of a flying javelin on the field. More- over, very seldom has a javelin thrower ever been able to turn in three years of competition because the event is so injurious to the bak and shoulder muscles of the thinclad contestants. High Sehools Discard Javelin High schools have already ruled out the event from interscholastic meets, which means that college coaches would have to develop their javelin men from scratch. Besides' that, the fact that there will prob- ably be no more Olympiccontests for some time to come was another fac- tor leading the Big Ten authorities to discontinue the javelin event. Michigan's javelin throwers will get their chance to win a letter in the Penn and Drake Relays, which are not under the sanction of the Big Ten, and Coach Doherty de- clared that if they show enough promise, Wege,' Wise, Tillson and Chuck Trick will have a chance t' enter the National Iintercollegiate meet next June. - Be a Goodfellow Dec. 15 - State Tops Central, 29.23 EAST LANSING, Dec. 8-(A)-Chet Aubuchon's deadly long-range shoot- ing and an early second half spurt gave Michigan State College a 29-23 victory over a stubborn Central Mich- igan quintet here tonight. It was State's second win and its 16th ti- umph in as many starts against the Bearcats. S PORTFOLIO w Role Of Athletics 0 For The Duration By HAL WILSON Daily Sports Editor * s* * s FROM THIS DATE henceforward the scope, the role, the function of the sports page is changed. Just what concrete effect the machinations of the international statesmen and armed forces will have on all athletics in general, and collegiate athletics in particular, is not yet determined. Many, people wonder; some venture opinions. But no one knows for certain. Just one thing stands out as fact. The necessity for national unity, the need for a supreme war effort is bound to alter the status quo of all athletics to a considerable degree. It may come quickly or it may come slowly. But it will come. Make no mistake about that, Instead of asking the question: "What is war going to do with our present sports setup?" however, I'd like to phrase it a little differently. I'd like to ask: "What are our athletes going to do about the serious interna- tional situation?"' IMMEDIATELY I am reminded of a sultry day last spring when Athletic Director and Head Foot- ball Coach Fritz Crisler was ad- dressing some three or four hun- dred Michigan letter winners and guests at the annual 'M' Club ban- quet at the Union. The war, inso- far as it affected the lives of Amer- ican citizens, was then just a threatening cloud. Fritz had some- thing like this to say: "These graduating senior Michi- gan 'M' men--and there are 43 of them here tonight-have contri- buted heavily to University life and activities, often at the expense of ceaseless, tireless, unflagging effort. They will be expected to contri- bute just as fully, just as effectively, and just as unselfishly to activities in the outside world from now on Unfortunately, because of the pres- ent ominous condition hanging over most of the yet free countries, the immediate contribution of these athletes to their communities and toltheir nation may have to be made on the battlefield, as was the situ- ation in the last war. They will be expected to be the leaders of to- morrow." THOSE aren't the exact words Fritz used, but as close an ap-, proximation to his actual speecih as my memory can recall. And that certainly is the essence of what he declared. "The leaders of tomor- row," he said. Well, that tomorrow now has become today. Crisler pointed out that more than half the letterwinners who entered the services during the first World War became efficers and it was upon these men that the burden of leading the nation fell. He cited a few statistics, most of which Fve forgotton, but the point is nevertheless pretty clear. It was to these athletes, these men who stood out on the fields of sports battles that the nation looked for leadership when facing the greater struggle. And most important, these athletes didn't fail in the last war. They produced. Capt. Cart ill, Doyle, Mandler Set For Berths Comin, MacConnachie Vie For Starting Positions; Five Others In Fight By DICK SIMON There are two things on the minds of Michigan's basketball players these days-the war and the Michigan State game Saturday night in Yost Field House. Since there doesn't seem to be much that they can do to help their country at the present moment, the cagers are doing the next best thing-con- centrating on whipping the Spartans. Three Posts Decided After yesterday's practice session, it appeared that Coach Bennie Oos- terbaan had just about made up his mind on three of the five positions. Capt. Bill Cartmili will no doubt get the nod at one of the forward spots and Leo Doyle, junior' letterman, will probably start at one of the guard spots. Veteran Jim Mandler wli scored 168 pqints last season seems to have the inside track at the pivotal post, although Ralph Gibert, sopho- more from Flint, has been pressing the Chicago junior very closely. A wide-open scramble is being waged for the other forward and guard spots. Mel Comin, a junior letterman, and two sophomores, Wally Spreen and Bob Shemky, are compet- ing for the forward position, with Comin having a slight edge because of his experience, while Don Holman and two sophomores, husky Bill Mac- Connachie and speedy Morrie Bikoff are battling it out for the last position at guard. All Combinations Tried Oosterbaan is trying all combina- tions possible at these two spots in order to get the most co-ordinated group. Yesterday he used Shemky at forward and MacConnachie at guard on the "white team" along with Cartmill, Mandler and Doyle. Comin and Spreen held down the for- ward spots and Holmanhand Bikoff the guard positions on the "reds." The two squads scrimmaged for about' twenty minutes, with the "white shirts" handing the "reds" a 23-11 trouncing. Cartmill was high- point man for the third consecutive day, scoring six points while Comn and Bikoff led the losers by garner- ing four points apiece. The University Mbsical Society announces the following concerts LATE YESTERDAY EVENING word came to me that Bill Smith, varsity football tackle here from 1937 through 1939, is a pilot of a B-18 Bomber at Hickman Field, Honolulu. Big Bill was undoubtedly in the thick of the action Sunday as a lieutenant in the air corps. No one here has heard from him yet. Bill's father, Andy Smith, helped mold Michigan football tradi- tion under Fielding H. Yost, many years ago. He now holds a commission in the United States Army and is stationed on the Pacific Coast. And so it goes. I could mention here the names of dozens of Michi- gan athletes who are already in some branch of the nation's armed forces. Many of them have entered just since last June. The nmber will undoubtedly be multiplied many times in thedstant, or perhaps the near, future. I SAID BEFORE, no one can foresee the future course of'events. One can only speculate. But whatever happens, whatever sacrifice the sports world is called upon to make, I am confident that it will fulfill it with the highest honor. The mark that the All-Americans made in the last war is still on the books as 'an everlasting tribute to the fighting heart, the will to win, and the undying courage of the American athlete. If this is flag-waving, I'm all for it. . -----~-- - - -- - - - --- - s BOSTON SERGE KOUSSEVITZKY, Conductor Wed., Dec. 10; 8:30 P.M. 'I - l PForaPerfeet sz sChristmas.. GIFTS from Stae & Days Listed below just a few suggestions Manhattan SHIRTS and PAJAMAS McGregor FLANNEL SHIRTS and SWEATERS Cheney and Wembley silk NECKWEAR Interwoven silk and wool HOSIERY Hickok JEWELRY - Leather POCKETBOOKS Hickok and Pioneer BELTS and SUSPENDERS Silk and wool SCARFS Hansen GLOVES Rabhor ROBES - gabardines, silk and flannel Gordon and Ferguson leather and suede JACKETS ALL GIFTS APPROPRIATELY BOXED THE DOWNTOWN STORE FOR MICHIGAN MEN erge Koussevitzky MESSIAH CONCERT Chorus - Orchestra - Soloists THOR JOHNSON, Conductor Sun., Dec. 14, 4:15 P.M. r Thar. Jahn ,can