TUE sDAY,.APRIL , 1945 THE MICHIGAN DAILY rA Spring Footb Thinclads OpenPractice For Outdoor Campaign ( d One an LA)st will also be named for the half-mil( and mile relays, he said. ToO utdoor "-'uaAs yet, no members of any of the competing teams have been selected, Michigan's track team officially It is expected, however, that distanci opened its outdoor season yesterday men Ross and Bob Hume, Dick For- after a week's layoff with substantial- restal, Archie Parsons, Bob Thoma- ly the same personnel which captured son, Chuck Birdsall, Dick Barnar the Western Conference indoor cham- andrGeorge Vetter will carry a largE share of the load. pionship earlier this year. Thinclads Defend Titles Only one man, hurdler Bill Mar- The Wolverines will be defending coux, has been lost from the indoor titlists in the four-mile and distancE squad. A sprinkling of new candi- medley relays, having won boti dates have also reported. events last spring. Michigan also fin- Tough Sessions Slated ished second in the mile relay in 1944 With the squad already in top con- The Penn Relays, billed as one of dition as a result of the winter-long the biggest track attractions in the indoor campaign, Coach Ken Doherty country, draw from the finest cinder indicated that his 'charges will get talent available over the nation. Most down to serious preparation for the of the competition this year, however Penn Relays, scheduled for April is expected to come from Easterr 27 and 28 at Philadelphia. schools owing to travel difficulties. Doherty expects to enter a squad -_ _ of approximately 12 men in the two- WHO'S BROKE? all Practice I - I I le 1' te 'Babe' Returns To Sports as Wrestling Ref BOSTON, April 2-(/P)-It's the lure of the crowds and not-positive- ly not-financial worries that is bringing back Babe Ruth to the sports stage as a wrestling referee. "Broke!"the 51-year-old baseball immortal retorted when asked to give his reasons for his wrestling career here today, "I should say not. And I never will be as long as trust funds pay off and my other investments continue on a dividend-paying basis. "No," it's not finances that prompt- ed me to accept offers to referee in Portland and Boston," he continued. "I've been out of baseball for 11 years now and, since my old game does not appear to want me any- where, I haven't had much chance to keep in touch with the crowds. "I like being with people and en- joying them and I'll have an oppor- tunity to see them as a wrestling referee. You know I'm no rookie in that league. I must have refereed at least 10 wrestling shows while I was in baseball." "I'm 51 now, weigh about 240 and feel fine," he said. "But I had some throat trouble recently and my physi- cian advised me to cut down on smoking and slow down my visiting to Army and Navy hospitals. I've Draws 7 Sore Flipper Won't Worry Stubby Now Overwire Sees Red Hot Seasoit By The Associated Press EVANSVILLE, Ind., April 2.-Frank (Stubby) Overmire, Detroit Tiger lefthander whose claim to distinction as the American League's shortest pitcher is disputed this season by Washington's Italian-born Marino Pieretti, isn't expecting trouble this season from the sore arm that had him on the shelf for the last two weeks of the 1944 campaign. "It's coming along fair," Overmire i'eported after nearly three weeks of spring training. "But I don't want to say my arm's okay. As sure as I tail about it it'll come up sore again. I'll be able' to tell better when I start bearing down." pilot . Stubby Missed Turn s his '1he chunky little 5-foot 7-inch ge at southpaw from Grand Rapids, Mich., with had a barrel of trouble with his flip- per late in 1944, missing his regular turn on two occasions during th last week of the season when the Tigers were fighting their terrific flag duel with the St. Louis Browns. J~k I "IWc as willing to pitch, but it hurt mn bad," the former Western Michi- d an College twirler said, "and I knew S1 wouldn't be at my best. When the season ended I couldn't raise my left arm above the height ted, be- of my shoulder without getting ter- en look- -ific nains. But I gave it a good rest se Tom- during the fall and winter and didn't n some- us:e it much until after the first of d. The the year. Now it feels pr(:tty stron mainly and I don't notice any inorc soreness than I did last spring." Tries handball ,en care Overmire, who worked for a Grand maining Rapids varnish firm during the win- problem ter, played handball a few weeks be- Rosema, fore the opening of spring camp to ?onsetto, ease his arm into shape. .By that eviously, time the soreness was almost entirely ates for gone. But he didn't throw any until elding is his arrival here March 15. er pros- Nine days after he started training iem, ac- Overmire pitched the first three in- nings of an intra-squad game against eld and the Tiger "regulars". He fanned the he same, first man to face him, walked an- ld, Don other and permitted just one hit in in right, facing 12 batters. His control was he plate. exceptional. ule sev- 11 Wes- WIDE OPEN GAME COM To Rain-Soaked Sod Delays First Workout of Season Five Letter Winners, Promising Prospects Report to Munn, Subbing for Absent Crisler By BILL MULLENDORE Spring football practice got underway yesterday as 70 candidates reported to Line Coach Clarence (Biggie) Munn for the first workout of the six-weeks practice session. Wet weather prevented, the squad from holding its first active drill as the afternoon was given over to a meeting in the Athletic Administration Building. Coach Munn, subbing fore Head Coach H. O. (Fritz) Crisler who sity squad, Ward Powers, and Fran- is overseas with an Army Special cis Crockett, also reported. Service unit, said that he would take Among the more highly touted his charges out today, weather per- newcomers present at the drill were mitting. Jim Foltz, a marine trainee and for- Five Veterans Return mer all-state halfback from Toledo; Among the 70 aspirants were five Ed Trill, a 6 ft. 200-pound tackle letter-winners from last fall's eleven from Gary, Indiana, home of Tom - -T-Tnrmnn "^ A"^rl Pnh5 ft in. A REAL HANDICAP-Lt. ert R. Shepard (left), veteran P-38 who lost. part of his right leg in combat over Germany, adjust artificial limb under the watchful eye of Manager Ossie Blueg training camp at College Park, Md., as he prepares for practice the Washington Senators. INNER DEFENSE SHIFT: Baseball Coach Names Seve Probable Starters in '45 Fie] DICK FORRESTEL day Eastern meet, most of them civil- ians owing to the Navy's rule prohi- biting athletes from being off base more than 48 hours. Two or three Navy and Marine thinclads will make a special trip for the Saturday night, events. The Wolverines will definitely have teams entered in at least four relays,' Doherty indicated, naming the four- mile, distance medley, sprint medley, and two-mile. In addition, there is a possibility that Michigan thinclads. With the opening game of the 1945 baseball season less than two weeks away, Coach Ray Fisher came up with another infield juggle yesterday as he announced all but one of the probable starters in the opener against Western Michigan April 13 on Ferry Field. In a step which he had been con- sidering for some time, Fisher decid- ed to move Walt Kell, who had been playing second in this season's prac- tice workouts, back to the old third base berth which he occupied during part of last spring. Tomasi Grabs Second The vacancy at second will be filled by Dominic Tomasi, a newcomer who is just 17 years old. Tomasi was late in reporting to Fisher this seas- on, but has been working out in the infield for the second-stringers. The Flint lad played ball for his local high school and American Legion clubs. The shift in the infield was made 4 News From the Sporting World in the first place, Fisher sta cause none of his third basem ed good, and secondly becaus asi at second was better that one other than Kell at thir switch was, he added, made on the basis of fielding. First Is Question Mark With second and third tak of and Jack Weisenburger re at short, only the first base remains unsolved. Tom 1 Jack Hackstadt, and Joe P who has filled in at third pr are now the leading candid the spot. Ponsetto, whose fi similar to that of the othe pects, will probably outhit th cording to Coach Fisher. The lineup for the outfi catching positions remains tl with Bill Gregor in left fie Lund in center, Bill Nelsoni and Bob Stevenson behind tI Games Are Scarce Fisher's attempt to sched eral tilts before the games wit ern has failed. The vetera tried for a doubleheader with varsity of Detroit or Waynec weekend, but both teams were ing to play the Wolverines, as of them had had enough practice for a contest with a fit. William Con Killed on 1W News that Marine Lieutena liam Combs, varsity Michigaj ler from 1939 to 1940, wasI action in the Iwo Jima invas 19 was received py the W coaching staff today. Combs, who starred as a in the 155-pound weight brac killed in the first day's assa had participated in five maj paigns in the Pacific and Presidential Citation for outt service at Guadalcanal. He was awarded a Purpl for wounds suffered July2 while fighting on Guam. Sinkwich Receives Joe F. Carr Trophy CHICAGO, April 2-(A)-Fire- ball Frankie Sinkwich, bruising De- troit Lions' quarterback, today was adjudged the National Football League's most valuable player in 1944 to win the Joe F. Carr tro- phy. Sinkwich shaded Don Hutson, veteran Green Bay end and win- ner of the Carr award in 1941 and 1942, by two points in the ballot- ing of 17 sports writers in the 10 league cities to succeed quarter- back Sid Luckman of the Chicago Bears as the trophy winner. Hutson and Sinkwich split 12 first-place votes, but the former Georgia star picked up four second place ballots, while the Packer pass- grabber received only three. * *. * Nakama Will Spark Ohio State in AMJ COLUMBUS, O., April 2-(/P)-Lit- tle Mike Peppe, the mighty mite of a coach who wouldn't give up in the National Collegiate Swimming meet last week even when he had lost his G. 1. HAIRCUTS are a specialty with us. THE DASCOLA BARBERS Liberty off Mtate ace, has his eyes set on new world's 'No Baseball Judge to conquer. Mike's seven-man Ohio State Uni- For Me,' Says Byrnes versity team will leave Wednesday for New York to seek a sixth na- WAShINGTON, April 2-(/P)- tional AAU swim title but it will be Sports people dallied with the idea considerably stronger than when it that maybe Jimmy Byrnes might won the NCAA crown last week at Ann become baseball's new high com- Arbor by a nine-point margin over missioner, but Jimmy nixed it. Michigan.-I Nearly everybody said he had Keo Nakama, the tiny Hawaiian the qualifications for the job, but who is just about Peppe's size, will Byrnes, who resigned today as War be eligible to compete in the AAU Mobilizer, made it plain that he event. He was ruled out of the NCAA is not interested. because he is a post-graduate stu- An aide said Byrnes "Had not dent. Keo is the National Outdoors been offered the post, and even if 1,500, 800 and 400 meters champion. it was offered, he would not accept * * .'~ ,, GEORGE BURG which finished second in the Western Conference. The returning men are George Burg, Harold. Watts, John Lintol, Jerry Brielmaier, and Cecil Freihofer, all linemen. Burg played through the 1944 season as a first string guard, while Watts and Lintol alternated at center. Brielmaier and Freihofer were reserves at tackle and end, respectively. Two members of the Junior Var- n coach the Uni- over the unwill- neither outdoor ny out- a bs c) ant Wil- n wrest- killed in ion Feb. 'olverine wrestler ket, was cult. He or cam- held a standing e Heart 27, 1944 College Rules Group Revamps Football Statutes for '45 Season NEW YORK, April 2.-(1P)-- For- ward passing will be permitted any- where behind the line of scrimmage and a second successive out-of- bounds kick-off will be put in play by the receiving team on the kicking eleven's 40 yard line, the National Collegiate Football Rules Committee decided today. In addition, the college gridiron rule makers decided that in future a substitute may report to any official on the field; made the elbow-block definitely illegal and revised the cen- ter's stance so that none of his body extends beyond the forward point of the ball. Col. Bingham Presides It was the first meeting of the group since shortly after Pearl Har- bor and the first under the chair- manship of Col. William Bingham, Harvard athletic director 'on military leave. All members of the rule-making group except A. A. Stagg, who could not get a reservation from his Stock- ton, Calif., home, and H. 0. (Fritz) Crisler of Michigan, now on an Army special service tour, attended. To insure proper control of the kick-off, the new rules permit the ball to be elevated an inch from the ground but does not specify the con- struction, size or composition of the tee. Collegians Copy Pros In adopting the unrestricted for- ward pass, the collegians will follow the style of the pros. Until now, a college passer had to be five yards behind the line of scrimmage. The revamped substitution rule costs the field captain his right to reject the substitute. The coach as- sumes all responsibility for the legal- ity of the change. The elbow-block, which came into prominence with the T-formation, was eliminated by changing the rule so that a player must have his hands and aris pressedagainst his own body when blocking. Yankees TopGiants 5- 2 oEven Series- ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., April 2- ()-Don Savage helped the New York Yankees even their spring exhibition series with the New York Giants today by belting a three- run homer in the eighth inning and driving in four of the American Leaguers' runs in their 5-2 vic- tory. Walt Dubiel held Mel Ott's men scoreless in a six inning stretch but rookie Bill Dekoning's triple and Buddy Kerr's single off Bill Zuber in the ninth broke the shut- out. George Tirnweiss stole his first base of the training season in the first and scored on Johnny Lin- dell's single off Van Mungo. Ray Harrell yielded the second Yank tally in the sixth. it under any conmditons. Meanwhile Byrnes, according to his aide, had "Absolutely no plans" after taking a rest at his home at Spartanburg, S. C. Senators Outclass Fort Story Nine 19-3 BUY WAR BONDS FORT STORY, Va., April 2-(A)- The Washington Senators rang up a 19-3 victory over an outclassed Fort Story baseball team today. But the big news for 2,000 convalsecent sol- dier fans was Bert Shepard. Shepard, an Air Forces Lieutenant who lost part of his right leg when shot down over Germany, pitched the last two innings for the Senators. He allowed a run in the eighth, then - settled down and fanned the side in the ninth. The Senators got four funs, enough to win the game, the first time they batted. 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