SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 1945 THE MICHIG~AN nATLY, M m SPORTS NEWS + VIEWS + COMMENT By BILL MULLENDOE, Sports Editor AMONG the many sports figures soon to be discharged from the Armed Forces is one Joseph Louis Barrow, the man who has ruled the heavy- weight boxing worldI since most of us can remember. Naturally, thoughts in fistic circles immediately turn to the possi- bility of a rematch between Louis, Detroit's own Brown Bomber, and a gent named Billy Conn, who hails from Pittsburgh and is also a fairly handy man with his dukes. The two met in the squared circle once before. Although Louis finally scored a knockout in the 13th round after a bitter battle, the Pittsburgh Kid came the closest of anyone to dethroning the champ. The return bout, from a financial point of view at least, is what the boys along Cauliflower Alley term a "natural." Students of the sour science, however, have raised some objections to the match, claiming that Louis is past his peak while Conn is just ap- proaching the climax of his ring craft. Louis is in his early thirties, they point out, heavier, slower, and possibly lacking the old savagery that made him a killer of the canvas. Conn, on the other hand, has put on enough poundage to lift him well up into the heavweight class, is more mature, and probably more ring-wise. Those who remember the first Louis-Conn duel may be inclined to agree with what the "smart boys" say. In that particular engagement, Conn used his superior speed and boxing skill to keep out of range of Louis' dynamite-laden fists, piling up points for what looked like a cinch decision. Dancing Billy made only one mistake in that bout, and that mistake cost him the title. He tried to mix it up with Joe in a slugging match, and the world knows that no one on earth can outslug Louis at close quarters. A flurry of punches, and Conn was carried to his corner feet first, just another thoroughly whipped challenger. It is entirely posisble that in another engagement, with Shufflin' Joe slowed down still more, Conn might be able to keep away for 15 rounds instead of 12. In that event, Billy the Kid might easily become king of the heavyweights. E ARE SURE of one thing, however. If Louis ever connects solidly with either hand, Conn, or anyone else on the receiving end is going to hit the canvass-and stay there. Back in the dim, dead days there may have been a pugilist capable of pulverizing his opponents with more dispatch than Louis, but we never heard of him. Even Jack Dempsey, the old Manassa Mauler, didn't pack the terrific one-punch wallop that Louis has. We remember three occasions in particular when the Bomber dem- onstrated for eternity that his good right (and left) arm make a favorable substitute for dynamite. One was when Louis tangled with a nonentity named Isadore Gastanaga, the Bounding Basque. Joe uncorked a terrific right to Izzy's face, splitting his cheek wide open and driving three teeth through the gash into the plain view of anyone who cared to look at the carnage. Then there was the sad case of Tony Galento. The two-ton Rubber 'Man committed the grievous sin of knocking Louis to the resin in the early rounds, which action disturbed Joe's normally phlegmatic soul and made him just a trifle peeved. Louis proceeded to carve up Tony's none too pleasant physiognomy in approved butcher's fashion, scattering gore on everything in sight and leaving Galento's noble features looking like nothing quite so much as raw hamburger, finely ground. Last but not least, was the second Schmeling encounter. Der Max made an even worse mistake than Galento's. He knocked Louis out in a previous bout.. The second contest can be described only as a slaughter with all the trimmings. In slightly over two minutes, Louis broke three of Schmelling's vertebrae, messed up the rest of him pretty thoroughly, and finally battered him into senselessness. The sight of the German superman reeling around the ring, his hands dangling helplessly at his sides, screaming the Teutonic equivalent of "Enough!" at the top of his voice, was not exactly pleasant. So, Conn would do well to watch out, when and if he encounters Louis in the ring again. If he can keep away from him, fine. If not, his handlers had better have an ambulance handy. Football Squad May Be THEY'RE STILL AROUND: Famous Grid Names Found On Conference Referee List Stoppage of Naval Programs Would Mean Loss of 13 Probable Starters V-12 Trainees Verges, Bahlow, Rehberger Watts, Elliot, and Seven Marines Affected By MARY LU HEATH Of the 38 Western Conference foot- ball officials this season, 12 will be stepping onto gridirons where they achieved success as players in past Big Ten campaigns. Wilson Names Officials On the list of officials recently an- nounced by Conference Commission- er Kenneth (Tug) Wilson are names like Herb Steger, captain of the 1924 Michigan eleven, Dallas Marvil, for- mer All-American tackle and cap- tain for Northwestern, and Rollie Barnum, Wisconsin halfback. To most of the men who officiate Big Ten games, their Saturday after- noon pastime is merely a hobby. In the business world, they serve as at- torneys, dentists, engineers and ex- ecutives. Graduates of 25 colleges and universities, they have perfected their officiating technique by care- ful study of Conference rules in spe- cial clinics and sectional meetings. New members of the officiating corps are taught by their veteran col- leagues. Physical Fitness Necessary Officiating in the Western Con- ferenceirequires more than study and a half-day of work, for officials must be physically fit to keep up with the plays they follow. Especial- ly with free forward passing now prevalent, top physical condition is a necessity. New dean of the Conference of- ficials is Bill Knight, a Dartmouth graduate who has been a Big Ten arbiter for 33 years. Knight, who succeeds James Masker, recently- chosen assistant to Wilson, is only three years ahead of H. G. (Cap) Hedges in point of service. Hedges is another Dartmouth graduate. Non-Conference Grads Ref Although the officiating staff in- cludes many men from Big Ten schools, the Conference does not ex- clude graduates of other colleges. In fact, the seven new members of this year's corps include only two officials from schools in the local circuit. The five other arbiters hail from Coe College, Heidelberg, Ohio University, Boston College and North Central. Big Ten officials are not excluded from officiating extra-Conference games, either. They are in such de- mand on the nation's gridirons that they work the Army-Notre Dame and Navy-Notre Dame games on al- ternate years. By HANK KEISER In the event that the college Naval training programs are discontinued this fall, Michigan's 1945 football squad will be sorely crippled. The Wolverines have six Navy men on tap, each one of which is sure to be a member of the squad, and seven Marine trainees, all potential start- ers. Yerges Leads List Howard Yerges heads the list of V-12 gridders. Yerges was under- study to Joe Ponsetto at the quarter- back slot last year, and was just Members of the squad in the Mar- ine training program who may be affected are backs Jim Foltz. Leon- ard Dovalovsky and Tom Imfield, and linemen Ed Trill, Jim Rigoni, George Babe and John Weyers. Foltz May Play Fullback Foltz is one of the three stalwarts who are fighting it out for the full- back assignment, while Dovalovsky is earmarked as a promising right- halfback. Lineman Trill is one of the six candidates for a first-string guard berth, and John Weyers, who earned a letter last year, is also aiming for "guard duty." As yet, nothing definite has come out of Washington in regard to the training programs. Capt. Woodson V. Michaux, commandant of the campus Naval unit, voiced the un- official opinion that he "expected the 9 I Senators Down Tigers, 11-5, To Slash Lead to 11/2 Games ARE BIRTHDAYS A DETROIT, Aug. 18 - (P) - The Washington Senators trimmed De- troit's American League lead to a game and a half today by whipping the Tigers for the third time in four days, 11 to 5, behind knuckle-baller Roger Wolff. Singles by George Myatt, George Binks and Hillis Layne, combined with a pass to Joe Kuhel and errors by Ed Borom and Skeeter Webb putj Washington in a 3-0 first inning lead' but the Tigers came right back to tie in their half on Webb's single, Hank Greenberg's first of three singles and Roy Cullenbine's 10th homer of the year. Burt Stodden Killed in Action Second Lt. Burt Stodden, 25, for- mer Michigan hockey player, report- ed missing in action over Austria since June 26, 1944, was killed when his B-24 crashed near the village of Strassburg, his co-pilot, who survived the crash and was in a German prison camp for one year, revealed. Stodden played with the Wolverine ice crew during the 1939-41 campaigns and was a member of both Sphinx and Druids. He was a pilot in the Army Air Force and received the Air Medal and two oak-leaf clusters, and was posthumously awarded the Benton gave only one hit in the next four innings and Wolff permit- ted only two Detroit singles in the next five, but the Senators made it 4-3 in the fifth with Mike Kreevich's walk, Rudy York's error on Myatt's grounder, Buddy Lewis' sacrifice and Kuhel's long fly. Rick Ferrell walked with one out in the Washington sixth, scoring on Gil Torres' long triple to right center. Torres also came home when Wolff singled to right and Benton was yank- ed when Kreevich singled to center. Caster forced Myatt to pop and when Wolff tried to score from second on Lewis' hit to right Cullenbine cut him down at the plate. Washington .......300 012 230-11 Detroit.............300 000 011- 5 Holsinger on Road To Fast Recovery HAROLD WATTS . . , will he go? commended by Coach H. O. "Fritz" Crisler as being the "most improved man on the squad." Harold Watts, who shared the cen- ter berth with John LintoMn '44 and is expected to start there this season, is another prospective casualty. New- comers Pete Elliot, leading candidate for starting left-halfback, and Ed Bahlow, almost certain to receive one of the end assignments, accord- ing to Coach Bennie Oosterbaan, are also V-12 students. Johnson, Rehberger Affected The contingent is completed by tackle aspirants George Johnson and J ! i Rehberger. Johnson played one year of collegiate ball for Central Michigan, while Rehberger, who stands six feet, three inches tall and weighs in at 218, has showed up ex- ceedingly well in practice. Did you forget to send a card in time? Your problem is sol.ved by Francisco-Boyce. In your leisure time pick out a few greeting cards; then mark on your calendar the date to send each. P Major League Standings BUY MORE BONDS i i You'll need a good supply of handy sweaters and blouses for school wear. Another must on your shopping list for school is an all-purpose raincoat. AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAMS W Detroit ..,......62 Washington .......61 Chicago ..........58 Cleveland.... ...57 St. Louis ...........55 New York ........52 Boston ...........52 Philadelphia ......34 L 46 48 51 51 52 53 59 71 Pct. .574 .560 .532 .528 .514 .495 .468 .324 GB 1 4 5 61 81/z 112 21%/ YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Washington 11, Detroit 5. St. Louis 3, New York 1. Chicago 16, Boston 1. Cleveland 7, Philadelphia 4. TODAY'S GAMES Philadelphia at Detroit, 2. Washington at Cleveland, 2. New York at Chicago, 2. Boston at St. Louis, 2. NATIONAL LEAGUE W Chicago .........72 St. Louis .........67 Brooklyn .........62 New York ........62 Pittsburgh ........59 Boston ...........53 Cincinnati ........45 Philadelphia ......31 L 38 46 49 52 57 63 65 81 Pet. GB .655 . .593 6 2 .559 102 .544 12 .509 16 .457 22 .409 27 .277 42 G ROUN WOg O BE 9 BROWNREB 6.... .: . I St Y} . a se h m They're smartly s ld ad d s'g ed ofey all gwh o ete w.. and ee em their shape 'tl the end! a shipment of sheer 45 and 51 gage hose. Raincoats $8.95 I YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Chicago 7, Brooklyn 2. Boston 13, Cincinnati 10. New York 6, Pittsburgh 0. Only games scheduled. TODAY'S GAMES Chicago at New York, 2. St. Louis at Boston, 2. Pittsburgh at Brooklyn, 2. Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 2. TYPEWRITERS Office and Portable Models of all makes III I I