WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 1945, THE MICHIGAN DAILY Gridders Don Regular Uniforms in Second Drill SPORTS NEWS +VIEWS+ COMMENT, By BILL MULLENDORE, Daily Sports Editor DETROIT TIGER FANS are certain that the return of big Hank Green- berg to the lineup will provide the necessary punch to insure a pennant for the Bengals come fall, and, after watching Greenberg's debut at Briggs Stadium last Sunday, we are rather inclined to agree. We watched the Tigers stumble through three games prior to Greenberg's first appearance in Detroit uniform since 1941 and con- cluded that only a miracle could keep them out in front in the Ameri- can League race. But apparently all that is needed is the big bat of the junior circuit's former home run king and runs-batted-in leader, together with his inspirational qualities. At any rate, Detroit looked like a different ball club as soon as Green- berg stepped into his familiar left field spot and took over the cleanup position in the batting order. "Homer Hank" himself lived up to his name by hitting for the circuit in the eighth inning for his first safe blow of the season. Greenberg's last hit before entering the Army back in 1941 was, incidentally, also a four-ply swat. fUT IT WASN'T so much Greenberg's hitting or his play in the field, which was also brilliant, that enabled the Tigers to overcome three- run deficits in both games of the doubleheader with Philadelphia and win both contests after long, uphill pulls. He was out of the lineup in the second contest, and the Tigers continued to play the same sort of spirited ball that Detroit fans have been hoping for, but not getting, all season. Perhaps it is going' too far to attribute to Greenberg the entire responsibility for the Tigers' sudden about-face from a dispirited, lifeless aggregation of players to a hustling, determined outfit. And perhaps the change was only temporary. But the fact remains that there was all the difference in the world between the Tigers of early last week and the Tigers of Sunday. They were fielding better, hitting oftener and harder, and, more important, had that confident, spirited, never-say- die attitude that wins ball games. Frankly, we believe that the change will be permanent and that the major part of the responsibility for it rests on Mr. Greenberg's ample shoulders. The Bronx Bomber, aside from the tr'emendous power in his big bat, has always been the type of inspirational ball player who pushes his teammates to peak performance. A tireless worker and a perfectionist, Greenberg has long been noted for his unfaltering team spirit and fine competitive attitude. Such a spirit is more than likely to become infec- tious. HERE ARE OTHER CAUSES for rejoicing in the Tiger camp. One is the return to front-line pitching duty of big Al Benton, another dischargee from the Armed Forces, who had gotten away to a fine start before stopping, a line drive off the bat of Bobby Estalella with his right leg several weeks ago. The mishap cost Benton a broken ankle and the Prigers the services of the most effective hurler in baseball at that time. With Benton back to relieve some of the pressure from Hal Newhouser and Dizzy Trout, who are already showing signs of overwork, the'Tiger pitching situation will have a much rosier hue. The other bit of good news is the possibility that Virgil (Fire) Trucks, sensational rookie hurler of three years ago, may receive a Navy discharge and rejoin the Tigers. Trucks' blazing fire-ball was being compared favorably with Bobby Feller's fast one when he left to join the Navy, but the young right-hander never had a chance to establish himself in the big time. While in service, Trucks did plenty of hurling for Great Lakes and other naval outfits and hung up a convincing string of triumphs. The added experience should serve him in good stead. With Benton back, and Trucks' return more than a mere hope, the Tigers may, before the end of the season, confront the rest of the league with a starting mound quartet composed of Newhouser, Trout, Benton, and Trucks. This formidable array would go a long way toward insuring a pennant for Detroit. Add to that the punch Greenberg is supplying, and will continue to supply, and you have a team entirely capable of walk- ing away from the field as the pennant chase moves along. Major League Standings AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAMS W L Pet. GB Brooklyn .........41 25 .261 . . Detroit ..........39 25 .609 .. St. Louis ........36 29 .554 42 New York ........36 28 .563 3 New York ........37 31 .544 5 Chicago .......... 35 31 .530 5 Chicago .. ........34 28 .548 5 Boston . ..........34 30 .531 5 Pittsburgh ........35 31 .530 6 Washington ......32 30 .516 6 Boston ...........32 32 .500 8 St. Louis ........29 32 .475 82 Cincinnati .......28 33 .459 10 Cleveland ........27 34 .443 102 Philadelphia......19 53 .264 25 Philadelphia......20 42.323 18 YESTERDAY'S RESULTS YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Chicago 24, Boston 2. BostonC4,cDetroit 0.lton32. Boston 4, Detroit 0 Pittsburgh 10, Philadelphia 3. New York at Cleveland, night. Cincinnati at Brooklyn, night. Washington at Chicago, night St. Louis at New York, night. Philadelphia at St. Louis, night TODAY'S GAMES TODAY'S GAMES Boston at Detroit (2). Chicago at Boston (2). New York at Cleveland (2). Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (2). Washington at Chicago (2). Cincinnati at Brooklyn (2). Philadelphia at St. Louis (2). St. Louis at New York (2). ~IIe WSHINGTON ERRY-GO- ROUND 'g The leaders and the peoples of the entire world today are watch. ing Washington. For what hap. pens there affects what happens everywhere. The unprecedented importance of Washington news and its bewildering mass make it of special value now to have, besides running Newhoueser s Victory String Ends at Sevenr Loses 4-0 as Tigers Fall Before Red Sox By FRANK KENESSON Associated Press Correspondent DETROIT, July 3 -UP)- Rookie Jim Wilson blanked the Detroit Tig- ers on five hits before a twilight crowd of 22,528 fans today as the Boston Red Sox hung a 4-0 defeat on Hal Newhouser, breaking his seven- game victory string. Wilson walked six Tiger batsmen and Detroit had the bases loaded twice but couldn't get the runners around. Altogether, 23 men were stranded by both clubs, Detroit leav- ing 13 on the base paths and Boston 10. Did you know?I By Herbert Ruskin . . . That in 1886, the Michigan baseball team defeated a team called Hiawatha by the terrific score of 75-10. In 1867, the Wclverine nine scored 70 runs to overpower a Uni- ver-ity of Detroit team that scored only 17 markers. . . That Michigan baseball teams have never gone through an unde- feated season. This year, however, the nine came the closest to that mark. If it had not been for a heartbreaking loss to Western Mich- igan in the opening game of the season, the team would have achieved the long-sought goal. . . . That the 1901 football sea- son was the best in the history of Gridders Meet Veteran Middie Squad Nov. 10 Hard Workouts Ordered In Pre-Season Training 1945 Bentz, Squad Watts, Elevens Rivalry Will Renew at Baltimore The Red Sox had eight hits in footllIatichigan. Tne team eight innings off Newhouser, scoring won all 11 of its games and was once in the first on Eddie Lake's unscored on throughout the entire walk, Skeeter Newsome's sacrifice year. and George Metkovich's single and . . . That the 1931-32 and the 1939- again in the eighth on successive 40 seasons were among the best years singles by Metkovich and Bob John- for the Michigan swimming squad. son and Tom McBride's force-out. In each of those years, the mermen Newhouser Out in Eighth won three championships. In 1931- Newhouser, who hadn't lost since 32 the tankers took the N.I.C.A.A., the Yankees beat hii 3-2 in New the Western Conference, and the York May 30, retired for a pinch- National A.A.U. diving titles. In 1939- hitter in the Tiger eighth and the 40, the squad walked away with first Red Sox counted twice on three honors at the Conference, the Na- walks and two hits off Walter Wil- tional Intercollegiate, and the Na- son. tional A.A.U. meets. Every Boston player but Newsome . . . That beginning with the hit safely at least once and Metko. 1932 season and continuing through vich had three singles and a double the 1936 competitive year, Wolver- f or five trips. ine golf squads placed first in Con.- Hank Greenberg went hitless bt ference standings. This represents drew two passes in five times at bat a string of five straight champion- Seventh Shutout ships. The shutout was the seventh suf- - . . That the record for major fered this season by the Tigers, who letters in one sport in Michigan ath- have blanked the opposition nine letics is held by an Ann Arbor resi- times. dent. The late h-orace Prettyman of Doe Cramer's single to left in the this city won seven letters in football fourth inning was thetTigers' first in the period from 1882 until 1890, hit off J. Wilson, who loaded the missing the years 1884 and 1887. bases in the fifth by walking New- Walter Booth of Grand Rapids comes houser and Eddie Mayo after Bob closest to equalling this mark. In the Swift had singled. Leon Culberson stretch from 1886 to 1891, he won six saved the game for Wilson at that letters in baseball. point by making a sparkling running . . . That the first competitive catch of Roy Cullenbine's liner to sport at the University was baseball. right center to retire the side. The first game in that sport took With men on first and second in place in 1886 when the Wolverines the sixth, Swift bounced to Newsome met and defeated Ann Arbor by the at second for the final out. In the score of 33-11. eighth, Greenberg walked, McBride . . . That in the six-year period dragged down Cramer's fly against ranging from 1926 to 1932 when the right field wall, Rudy York sin- Michigan competed in intercolle- gled to left and after Bob Maier giate Conference. gymnastic meets flied to center, Swift walked to fill the best the Wolverines could do the bases again. Jim Outlaw batted was to finish fourth in the last two for Newhouser and forced Swift to years. This seems to be the only kill the threat. field in which a Michigan squad Al Benton, making his first start has not won a Big Ten title. since breaking a bone in his ankle . . . That in the 1930's the Wolver- May 24, was slated to hurl one of the ine baseball squad played 14 games! games in tomorrow's twin bill against with Japanese teams. winning 13 of Boston, with Paul (Dizzy) Trout go- those tilts. The only loss occurred in ing for Detroit in the other. a game with Waseda. Michigan will meet Navy on the gridiron for the first time in 17 years, Nov. 10, at Baltimore in the fifth renewal.of the series between the two squads. The Wolverines hold a two-to-one advantage in the four games played to date, with the remaining contest resulting in a tie. Word from the Naval Academy in- dicates that the midshipmen will start practice for the 1945 season August 20. The event will mark the beginning of Navy's 54th year of in- tercollegiate football competition. Cmdr. Oscar E. Hagberg, Navy's head coach, expects exactly half of the 50 squad members which made up last year's second-ranking na- tional eleven to return. Of the 25 players lost, 14 were lettermen. Midshipman Richard Duden, cap- tain of the '44 squad, heads the list of seasoned players who will serve as a nucleus around which the team will be built. Other top returning veterans include Bob Jenkins and Clyde Scott, backs; Ed Deramee and Jim Carrington, guards; and Leon Bramlett, end. Facing the coaching staff will be the problem of installing the newly- adopted "T" formatio'n. The problem is complicated by the fact that the Middies will have only 30 days to change from their old style of play. Coach Hagberg and his aides also must replace tackles and ends lost by graduation. Solution of these problems rests with the 120 varsity candidates ex- pected to report for practice. This squad will be augmented by plebe players who prove outstanding dur- ing workouts between Aug. 8 and Aug. 20. Detroit Race Track To Reopen Saturday DETROIT, July 3-(P)-The De- troit Race Track, closed for two days, will resume its 85-day summer meet- ing Saturday under an agreement reached today whereby the State Racing Commission guarantees, in effect, that henceforth there will be ample entries to run the program. For various reasons, owners of 800 horses stabled at the Fair Grounds Track had held back entries since the start of the meeting June 16. One day's program was called off and then last Saturday the Detroit Racing Association cancelled the entire pro- gram, scheduled to run until Sept. 22. Differences were patched up to- day. As Michigan's third wartime summer football practice session rolled into its second day, the Wolverine grid tryouts donned full uniforms for the first time this year. After running through physical conditioning drills in trunks Monday, the 96 charges were started on elementary signal practice and body- contact line exercises as Head Coach Herbert O "Fritz" Crisler launched into an "all-out" early season training program. Preparing for one of the roughest schedules in Michigan's history, including such top elevens as Army, Navy, Great Lakes and Ohio State, the prospective gridders are scheduled to work out straight through to August 10. Following a short lay-off, prac- tice will be resumed around August counted on to whip both the veter- 27, according to Line Coach Clarence ans and former high school stars into "Biggie" Munn. a cohesive fighting unit for the open- Ponsetto Returns ing clash September 15. Asked to comment on the fresh- Captain Joe Ponsetto, only re- man candidates, Munn said, "It will turning member of 1944's starting not be possible to make any definite crew, is expected to take over his statement on the merits of the try- old quarterback berth. In addition, outs until we have a chance to ob- the Maize and Blue coaching staff serve them in intra-squad scrim- will be working with a nucleus of mages." seven other award winners. Navy trainees Howard Yerges, sec- ond string quarterback on last year's squad; Warren Bentz, halfback; and Harry Watts and John Lintol, cen- ters, have all turned up for the pre-season drills. The Marines are represented by John Weyers, who earned a minor letter for his play at the guard position. Weisenburger Versatile The roster of returning lettermen is rounded off by civilians Cecil Frei- hofer, end, and Jack Weisenberger. Weisenberger, a first semester soph- omore, distinguished himself at the halfback slot in the closing games of the '44 schedule. A versatile ath- lete, he also started at short for the Wolverines' championship baseball team this spring.T - Although pre-season dopesters de- cline to comment on the prospectiveM GAZ I NE merits of the 1945 Maize and Blue squad, they agree that the Wolver- ines' excellent coaching staff, recog- nized as one of the best in the con try, has never failed to produce s.p c hard-hitting, well-coordinated ele- ven. Student Rate Veteran Staff Led by Crisler, Michigan's nation- ally-known athletic director, whose 2.7for 8 M nth aides include Munn; Bennie Ooster- ., baan, end coach; and Earl Martin- eau, backfield mentor, the staff is Oosterbaan To Represent Michigan at GCage Meeting Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan's head basketball coach, will represent the University coaching staff at a meeting. of the Western Conference basketball coaches Sunday morning in Chicago. L I