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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1941 Z-33
ClruDogrIr
Not Likely To Beat
Yankees In Series
p..... ..--
Brooklyn Ball Club Lacks
Yankee Outfield Power,
Relief Pitching Strength
Dodggrs'iPin Hopes
On Wyatt, Higbe
By DICK SMON
New York's subvay business will
get an added boost beginning tomor-
row at the crack of dawn when 75,000
rabid baseball fans move on Yankee
Stadium for the opening battle of
the 1941 World Series
When the New York Yankees take
the field againyt the Brooklyn Dod-
gers, it will mark the first time that
Gotham has had a subway series in
four 'years and the first time that
the Dodgers have taken part }n a
post season championship since 1920.
Yanks Are Favored
Once again this year te American
League entry will be the ruling fav-
orite and it is quite evident that Leo
Durocher ,and his gang from the
wrong side of the tracks will nee
more than the array of talent with
which they barely eked out a victory
' in the Xational League pennant race
to stop Joe McCarthy's lads from
capturing their fifth World's Cham-
pionship in six years.
The Yankee infield and outfield is
much superior to that of the 'Bums',
and the pitching and catching de-
partments are fairly even-with the
Bronx Bombers even having the edge
here.
The biggest advantage the Yanks
will have as they roll into the world
series will be their infield. There isn't
a keystone combination in the majors
today, or for that matter in the min-
ors, that can compare with second
baseman Joe Gordon and shortstop
Phil Rizzuto of the American. League
champions. 1 11
Infield Improved"
This fact is most interesting be-
cause at the start of the season this
was the weakest part of the Yankee
defense. Gordon started the seasonQ
at first and Rizzuto was paired wit
rookie Gerry Priddy at kecond. This
combination didn't click at all, and in
mid-May McCarthy switched Gordon
back to his old stand at second.
Apparently, this was just what the
doctor ordered for Joe has just fin-
ished his best year. He hit the ball
at a .280 clip, knocked in about 85
runs, and belted 24 or so home runs.
Phil, on the other hand, smacked the
ball at a .315 clip and played sensa-
tional ball in the field.
The shuffle that moved Gordon
back to second placed Johnny Sturm,
a rookie from Kansas City, on first
base. Although he is no Lou Gehrig
at bat, barely hitting around the .250
mark, he is a cracker-jack fielder,
and in no way gives evidence of being
a weak spot in the Yankee infield'
Rolfe At Third
At third base for the Bombers. is
Robert' "Red" Rolfe, one of the old
Yankee stand-bys. Despite his .265
batting average, he is still a very dan-
gerous man in the clutch. If Rolfe
should be unable to play in the series
because 'bf the intestinal disorder
which put him on the shelf for the
last few weeks of the season, McCar-
thy has two capable reserves in young
(Continued on Page 2)
Frosh To Hear
Hygiene Talks
Six Lectures -To Be Given
In PhysicalProgram
Physical education requirements
for freshmen men will center around
a series of hygiene lectures required
of all freshman men and the activi-
ties program for a'll those enroled
in physical education.
A series of six hygiene lectures
will be offered during the first three
weeks of school for all freshman
men whether in physical education,
NROTC or ROTC. The first lecture
was given yesterday in Room 25, An-
gell Hall. For further details, on
this program see the University cata-
logue or physical examination fold-
ers.
For those selecting gymnasium
work, groups will begin their pro-
grams the fourth week of school. The
day, time and type of activity are de-
termined at the classification for
"I" U ,-+dn *4in All oumn aium
Leader Of Yankees
"Marse" Joe McCarthy, Yankee,
manager who this year led his
American League powerhouse to
their fourth pennaiAt in five years.
The confident McCarthy can be
counted on to give the Brooklyn
fans plenty to shout about in the
forthcoming World Series.
I-M Building
Offers Sports
For All Men
Informal Athletics Attract
Nearly 5,000 Students
For Annual Competition
The University of Michigan's in-
tramural athletic program for the
1941-42 school year will feature comnr
petition in 36 different sports and
it is expected that the number of
-participants will total at least 5,000.
While athletic officials feel that
the intramural program as a whole
provides male students. with neces-
sary recreation and leads to a great-
er physical development, they also
recognize the emergency needs of to-
day and are offering special instruc-
tion in other activities that lead to
physical fitness.
Flexible Program
Michigan's intramural program is
a flexible, one that permits sports to
be added or dropped as the interest
demands. However, it is interesting
to note that since the start of the
program in 1913 five sports have been
included all years. These .have been
basketball, golf,' ice hockey, tennis
and track.
It is in the intramural program
that the average Michigan student
finds his athletic outlet. The pro-
gram is designed to reach the larg-
est number of persons possible and
excellence in performance is not' the
factor it is in intercollegiate com-
petition.
As many leagues and tournaments
are sponsored in any of the 36 sports
as are needed to' take care of all
individuals desiring organized forms
of competition and group experi-
ence on teams.
Ample Facilities
Ample facilities' for such a .pro-
gram are provided in the Michigan
Sports Building, opened in 1928,
which contains 14 regulation 'hand-
ball courts, 13 regal ti on squash
courts, four basketball courts, four
indoor tennis courts, five volleyball
courts, 15 badminton courts, four
golf driving nets, a wrestling room,
boxing room, training room and five
locker rooms.',
The huge task of conducting this
mammoth Intramural program. is
capably handled by Abram A. "Jim-
my" James, supervisor of Intramur-
al Sports, and Assistant Supervisors
Earl N. Riskey and Randolph W.
Webster. Since the giant structure
was erected in 1928, these men have
built ,up their list of activities, ex-
panding and adding each year.
PORTFOLIO
, 4 Give Credit To Schwener
0 Yanks Over Brooklyn
By HAL WILSON
AA$ Daily Sports Editor
NOW THAT THE BROOKLYN DODGERS have won the National League
pennant, perhaps the Flatbush Flock will cut in Clement J. Schwener
for a full share of the World Series swag.
Schwener can't hit as hard as Dolph Camilli, pitch as effectively
as Whit Wyatt, or field like Pete Reiser, but he still can lay a claim
to the "most valuable" award given by the Brooks. For Schwener,
you know, is the Boston banker who annually takes time out from
counting his dimes and quarters to draw up the major league sched-
ules each winter.
An analysis of the latter part of the National Loop schedule makes it
readily apparent just how instrumental Banker Schwener's unwitting mid-
winter program routine turned out to be in the Flock's thundering drive
to their second pennant in 21 years. The courageous Cardinals, much too
good a team for the apathetic St. Louis fandom to deserve, were panting
hot and furiously at the torrid Brooklyn spikes within ten days of the sea-
son's close.
UT THEN the Redbird's desperate stretch drive was brought to an abrupt
stop by Frankie Frisch's Pittsburgh Pirates (which, incidentally, entails
a bit of poetic justice since Frisch, a former charter member of the Cardinal
chain gang system, is said to harbor no particular fondness for his old
employers). Meanwhile Larry McPhail's crew of battling Brooks fattened
up averages on the hapless Phillies from Philadelphia, the Cradle of Inde-
pendence and the Graveyard of Ballplayers. Even old William Penn's
statue atop the city hall must shudder at its National League entry which
rests at several strata below celler rock-bottom, just 20 games behind the
seventh place Braves. We know how pitiful the Phils are; we live there.
At any rate, the Cards found it as difficult to overcome this sched-
ule set-up as to pronounce Clement J. Schwener. So the Dodgers won
the flag, the banks of the Gowanus canal were filled to overflowing
with tears of gratitude of Flock fans, loyal to the point of nervous
exhaustion, and the memorable Subway Series gets under way to-
morrow.
BUT HERE this yet unwritten tale of the struggle will probably chahge.
For Banker Schwener has withdrawn his support, and nthing but 24
hours stands between .McPhail's charges and the murderous batting at-
tack of the New York Yankees. No padded scheduje faces the Dodgers now,
but instead a steady diet of Yankee extra-base hits looms as the next week's
bill of fare.
Which brings us down to the point of this little essay. The Yanks
will win in six games. And it takes more courage to predict this than
appears on the surface. For up here at the Daily offices, four out of
five are from Brooklyn, and the fifth is sane.
Wherein does the' strength of the Yankees lie? One can point out
their mechanical virtues with ease. They possess a powerful array of
clutch hitters-slug-
K'- ger who can, and of-
ten do, break up a
ball game at any
time.
STHEY boast a fine
-crew of starting
hurlers, all of whom
t.are more than ade-
quate, if not overly
sensational. There are
Red Ruffing and Lef-
ty Gomez, both hold-
overs from the migh-
ty Gotham combina-
tions of the past, and
there are Ernie Bon-
ham and Atley Don-
ald and Spud Chand,
ler. Back of them,
stand a capable corps
of fire-quenchers
ready at all times to
turn in a Creditable
relief job. Chief fireman Johnny Murphy leads the list, followed by Mary
Breuer, Charley Stanceau, Steve Peek and Norm Branch.
As a defensive unit, the Bronx Bombers take a back seat to nobody
in the Americap League. Elsewhere in this section you will find des-
cribed in detail their tightly-knit infield, outfield trio, and catching
department.
But above all these mechanical virtues there rises another Yankee
attribute-just a little vague and hard to describe, but it's there and
that's what counts. You spell it CLASS, and it's won many a ball game.
It isn't cockiness that the Yanks possess, but confidence-a quiet sort of
confidence born of past triumphs, of the knowledge that in their last four
Series starts the Yank margin over the National loop entry has been 16 wins
with only three losses.
AGAINST THIS what can the Dodgers stack up? They have a strong
hurling staff, led by Kirby Higbe, who escaped from Philadelphia, and
r Whit Wyatt, both 20-plus game winners. Behind them come Curt Davis,
Freddy Fitzsimmons, Johnny Allen and "Hot Potato" Luke Hamlin, who has
cooled down somewhat. For relief, Durocher holds a trump card in Hugh
Casey, who saw action in about one-third of the Flock's regular games and
will probably face Yankee bats more often than he will like this week.
5 In addition McPhail's outfit has half a strong infield in Dolph
Camilli and Billy Herman, a good catcher in Mickey Owen, and a good
strong outfield, although it can't matc the Yankee trio of Henrich,
DiMaggio and Keller, if the latter is able to see action.
FOREmOST ATTRIBUTE of the Brooklyn aggregation, however, is their
will to win, their indomitable courage. It has won them a pennant. But
the Yanks have both this raw courage and the all-important class, the all-
important feeling of invincibility. There's the difference between the two.
Boy, buy us 2000 shares of stock in the New York Subway.
Although Ken Richardson and Jack Kennedy are giving him a
tough' battle for the starting position in the Iowa backfield, the vet-
eran Buster Mertes will probably get the call from Dr. Eddie Anderson
Lining up at fullback for the visiting Iowa gridders when they face
the Wolverines at the Stadium this Saturday will be "Bullet" Bill Green,
the leading ground gainer on the Hawkeye squad. Last year Green con-
piled 483 years from scrimmage, and when he and Michigan's Bob
Westfall tee off against each other in the first conference game of the
year for both teams, the resounding smacks may well be heard the
length of the Stadium. Both lines will be put to severe tests in stop-
ping the bruising smashes of Green and Westfall.
I
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Highlights Of Summer Sports... DiMaggio, Louis, Craig Wood Head List Of Stars
By BOB STAHL -
Even though its was overshadowed
on the front pages Qf the nation's
press by a foreign situation growing
ever more tens. athletics in the
Dodgers with the acquisition of their order, of the major events in a sum-
first National League pennant since mer of sports activities:
1920, after a hectic race with the June 18: Warren Breidenbach, the
St. Louis Cardinals clean down to the greatest quarter-miler ever to wear
final week. the colors of the University of Mich-