SUNDAY, JULY 15, 1945 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PACE TnUEE SUNDAY, JULY 15, 1945 PAGE THREE .......... ;. Detroit Drops Three - Game Series with Boston or =Y SPOUTS NEWS + VIEWS + COMMENT By BILL MULLENDORE, Daily Sports Editor EDITOR'S NOTE: This column was written by Mary Lu Heath, Sports Night Editor. WHILE FANDOM AWAITS the recovery of the luckless Brooklyn baseball spectator who was supposedly set upon by Dodger manager Leo Duro- cher and a ball park cop in payment of uncalled for insults during a recent game, we have been considering the question of the rights of both the fan and ball player in their relations with one another. Mr. Durocher's participation in the fracas is unfortunate in that it beclouds the issue. For an assault and battery charge, heaped on past escapades, is no surprise to the sports world in which "the Lip" has long been regarded as Peck's Bad Boy. If the manager involved had been mild Bill McKechnie of the Cincinnati Reds, or equally mild Joe McCarthy of the Yankees, the arguments on behalf of both combatants would have been less one-sided. A few years ago, we had occasion to talk with Mr. Durocher for an hour or so on umpires and Life in general. He is nobody's fool, and nowhere near the ruffian he is painted. Let it be known that he has been to college, that he can broaden his "a's" with the best of them, and that his manners are admirable. It is our opinion, then, that Mr. Durocher is something of a charlatan in $150 suits, a man of many personalities who has an eye for publicity-any kind of publicity, so long as there is lots of it. It is easy to see, consequently, why sportswriters and respectable citizens alike read of his implication in the legal mixup and rubbed their figurative hands together in glee. We do not mean to defend Mr. Durocher, or any ballplayer who loses his head over the abuse of a fan, but we would argue that the conduct of the. average baseball crowd is not above reproach. AFTER ALL, there is no justification for extreme insults aimed at a ball- player's character or his family. His personal life is his own; and the $1.10 or so paid by a fan does not give him the privilege of reviling it. Criticism of a player's ability on the field is a different matter altogether, and should be treated with less restraint by the spectator. For instance, if a Brooklyn fan chooses to call Luis Olmo or Dixie Walker or Goody Rosen a "Bum" (the present connotation of the term is "incompetent"), we are certain that the Senor and the Messrs. Olmo, Walker, and Rosen would be able to laugh it off. But we would not expect the worthy gentlemen to laugh it off if the fans chanced to call their families by scurrilous names. The. players are paid to play ball; the fans pay to see the players play ball and to criticize their playing; the players' responsibility to the fans and the fans' demands 'on the players should stop right there. In the past, the fans have been ugliest in the midst of a" pop bottle or ripe fruit epidemic.. Brooklyn moralist Walter Lanier (Red) Barber recently stated that there was "nothing lower than throwing a pop bottle-nossir, nothing lower!" Although we do not agree with every- THEY'RE IN EARNEST: ,d. List of Potential Starters Cut In Second Week of Drills With the opening game of the season against Great Lakes nine weeks away, Head. Coach "Fritz" Crisler has prescribed work and more work for his football charges since practice started. When the current five-week ses- sion began two weeks ago, Crisler an- nounced that conditioning drills would be the order of the day during the early weeks. These drills, how- ever, have turned into daily gruelling scrimmages. Throughout the first week of practice, the boys were run through conditioning drills, dummy work, and light contact drills. Offen- sive tactics were also stressed with the running off of basic line plays and passing plays. Blues vs. Whites As the second week rolled around, the drills became rougher and tough- er and scrimmages came into the pic- ture. Hard work is on tap for the team and rightly so, because Michi- gan's 1945 gridiron schedule is go- ing to be among the toughest in the school's history. The squad has been divided into a Blue team, which will probably comprise the varsity, and a White squad, which will-be the junior varsity under Coach Art Valpey. Crisler stated that no positions have been clinched yet, but that he has narrowed the list down to three or four men for each position and is devoting his time to these prospects. "This squad is big enough," he says, "but it's mostly green and inexperi- enced. Simulated game conditions seem the only way to incorporate needed experience within the funda- mentals we must teach before Great Lakes comes here to open our sched- ule on September 15." The quarterback post is ably filled by Capt. Joe Ponsetto, letterman. Howard Yerges, Russ Reader, and Bill Redmond. Letterman Warren Bentz, varsity pole vaulter, sprinter Henry Fonde, Walt Taninga, and Pete Elliot have been sharing the halfback duties while fullback pros- pects include Jim Foltz, George Chi-, ames, and Dan Dworsky. Field Narrows In the forward wall, holdover Har- old Watts has been holding down the center spot, letterman John Lintol has been shifted from the pivot post to tackle. End candidates are Bob Mann, Ed Bahlow, Don Hershberger, Ed McNeil, and Al Wahl. Dom To- masi, the Michigan nine's regular second baseman, Bob Callahan, for- mer Missouri center, and Stu Wil- kins are aspirants to guard berths while other leading tackle prospects are Gene Hinton and George John- son. ail -I Major League StandingsI 1 _1 AMERICAN LEAGUE Did you know? By Herbert Ruskin That in only seven of 48 years of Big Ten football has the cham- pionship squad failed to win without losing a game. The lowest winning percentages occurred ins1928 and 1938. In 1928, Illinois won four and lost one, while in 1938, Minne- sota had the same record. That since it entered into the Western Conference, Michigan's foot- ball teams have won 14 titles in the 37 years it has been a member. . . . That, although Ken Doherty, Michigan track coach, failed to win a track letter in high school, he came within nine points of setting a world's record in the Olympic Games Decathlon events in the 1928 games, which were held in Amsterdam, Holland. He attended what is now Wayne University in Detroit, where he competed in the shot put, discus, javelin, high jump, broad jump, hurdles, and pole vault. . That Herbert O. "Fritz" Crisler, head Michigan football coach, once held a similar position at Minnesota. After Minnesota, he went to Prince- ton, where he stayed until 1937, leav- ing with a record of 35 won and nine lost. Beginning with the 1938 seas- on, Crisler assumed his present posi- tion with the Maize and Blue. That the ost Field House, dedicated in 1923, is one of the largest buildings in the nation de- voted exclusively to intercollegiate athletics. It contains, among other things, a complete laundry, a shoe repair shop, and an equipment room that bears a strong resem- blance to a sporting goods store. Pavot Wayr behind In Aqueduct Upset NEW YORK, July 14-UP)-In one of the biggest turf upsets of the year, Wildlife won the $50,000-added Dwy- er stakes at Aqueduct today as Pavot, the 4 to 5 favorite, finished last, nearly 30 lengths behind the winner. A crowd of 38,964 saw J. M. Roeb- ling's three-year-old, winner of the Shevlin on Tuesday, get up in the final stride to beat W. L. Brann's Gallorette by a head and William Ziegler's Esteem by half a length in a photo finish. Ten lengths behind, in fourth and fifth places, came William Helis' en- try of Rick's Raft and Pindus. Mueller Relieved in Seventh Frame By The Associated Press BOSTON, July 14-The Boston Red Sox swept their three-game series with the League leaders today, taking the Detroit Tigers, 7 to 1, as pitcher Emmett O'Neil allowed but three hits. It was a strange game that O'Neil pitched. He allowed but one hit in the first seven innings, but he walked ten men and was in trouble much of the time. The Tigers' only run was in the ninth. Jimmy Outlaw walked, Ted Maier doubled and Bob Swift walk- ed; then Outlaw scored when Hub Walker grounded out to Skeeter New- some. The Sox' first run was in the first inning with two out when George Metkovich walked and came home on Bob Johnson's double. Johnson's 11th homer of the seas- on started off a three-run fourth in- Bomber Comes Home DETROIT, July 13-(AP)-Sgt. Joe Louis, home on a 20-day furlough, spiked rumors today that an Army discharge was imminent. The heavyweight boxing champion said he would return to Camp Shanks, N. Y., after his furlough was over. He said he also planned to at- tend the Tam O'Shanter golf tourna- ment July 23 at Chicago. ning. Then Dolph Camilli walked and after Johnny Lazor and New- some went out, Bob Garbark was hit by a pitched ball. Camilli and Gar- bark scored on Eddie Lake's single. After the Sox brought in a run in the seventh Les Mueller left the game and in the eighth the Sox col- lected two runs off Walter Wilson. In the eighth Garbark walked, O'Neil singled and Lake beat *out a bunt. Garbark scdred on Tobin's fly and O'Neil came in on Metko- vich's fly., Detroit ...........000 000 001-1 Boston . ............100 300 12x-7 Byrd, TNelson t Play in PGA Finals Today DAYTON, O., July 14-(/P)-Sam Byrd, the baseball man from Geor- gia, and Byron Nelson of Toledo, who has shaved 31 strokes off par in 171 holes this week, will do the shooting tomorrow at the Moraine Country Club for golf's biggest pro- fessional prize-the PGA champion- ship. Byrd, who quit playing baseball in 1936 to become a golf pro and now operates out of Redford, Mich., carv- ed out his second straight seven and six victory as he blasted dark horse Clarence Doser of Hartside, N. Y., out of competition in today's 36 hole semi-finals. O'Neil Twirls 7-1 Win; Allows OnlyThree Hits TEAMS Detroit ... Washingto New York Boston .. Chicago Cleveland St. Louis. Philadelph NAT TEAMS Chicago St. Louis Brooklyn New York Pittsburgh Boston .. Cincinnati Philadelph W L Pet. .........43 31 .581 . ......40 32 .556 ........40 35 .533 .........40 35 .533 .........39 38 .506 ........35 38 .479 .........35 38 .479 .a ......25 50 .333 PIONAL LEAGUE W L Pct. .........45 29 .608 .........44 32 .579 .........44 33 .571 .........42 38 .525 . ..... :39 37 .513 .........37 39 .487 i. .........35 38 .479 ia . ... 21 61 .225 GB 2 31/ 3V2 51/ 7'/ 71/2 18 GB 2 2z 6 7 9 9 28 lh thing the sage of Flatbush says, we "KEEP A-HEAD OF YOUR HAIR" We specialize in "Personality" and crew hair styles, scalp treat- ments and facials. We welcome your Tonsorial Queries!!, THE DASCOLA BARBERS 4 Between State and Michigan Theatres are inclined to concur here. Not only is the pastime ethically ques- tionable, but it is also dangerous to the player. .Injuries are not un- likely, and. we, shudder to think of the consequences that would re- sult if anyone should invent a sup- er duper robot-bottle. The mutual regard of fans and players, in short, would be strength- ened immeasurably if they were to exercise more discrimination in the field of ball park etiquette. IT WASN'T EASY; Pete Gray Wins Major League Assignient After Uphill Fight JEWELED BADGES .. for all mouses RINGS IN SOLID GOLD . for all Colleges BURR PATTERSON & AULD COMPANY Fraternity Jewelers at Michigan 1209 SOUTH UNIVERSITY RUTH ANN OAKES, Mgr. Summer Store Hours: 10 to 5 Monday thru Friday III I I By SY LICHTER Baseball history is being made to- day, and the man who is doing it is St. Louis's one armed outfielder, Pete Gray. Gray was like any other kid back in his home town of Nanticoke, Pen- nsylvania until he decided to steal a ride on the side of a car that was going past his home. There was a lurch, and he reached out to support himself with the spinning spokes of the car wheel. In a matter of hours his mangled right arm was ampu- tated. With the little spending money he got, he hired two boys to go out and collect sacks of stones for him so he could practice throwing with his left hand. In a matter of weeks, he could throw better than any kid in his town. Then le went out for the "Hanover Pitt" team, later to become its most valuable player. He sent Mel Ott, a big league man- ager, a letter asking for a tryout, and Ott replied that if he was ever in Florida he should look him up. Gray did this, but when Ott saw him he said that it was hard enough for a player with two arms to make good in the big leagues. One day, unknown to Gray, a scout saw him play. This scout wired the manager of the Three Rivers club in Canada about the slim left hander, and the manager invited him to play for his team. When he arrived, the very surprised manager was about to send him back, but one of his out- fielders took sick, so he started that afternoon. With the bases loaded he came to bat and hit the ball prac- tically half way across Canada. His next stop was with the Southern Association's Memphis team. He led the league with 68 stolen bases. He hit five home runs. His fielding was practically flawless. He was easily the spark that sent the Memphis team to the first half championship, and kept them in the running for the second half. And he was voted the most valuable player in the league. Pete Gray's refusal to accept what appeared to be certain defeat in a popular game shows just one exam- ple of the stamina that makes him the miracle man in baseball. Even though he is one-armed, his playing in the Southern Association was one of the outstanding events of minor league baseball in 1944. It brought him a contract with the major leagues-and today he is playing in a St. Louis Brown uniform. i r J UJ A AS /7~ F9 BLACK CALF Good walking-good looking. A high-throated slip-on with the flattering dare of an open back. In smooth calf--with ONaturalizer's famous fit.L. VACATION SPECIALS! Take two weeks for fun -two weeks to loaf and play, or see a little of the nearby world. If you can arrange the time and place, we can help you with the clothes. And you can be sure we'll see to it that the prices don't spoil any of your fun. I I : r> ....,. I ) You'll love our selection of two-piece Jersey or Cotton prints - Sizes 12-18. ='" _:- r t: . F. . ^y=-:: Sports Shop $ 11.95 to $16.95 DAILY STORRE Havxs 9:30 A. M. to 6 P.m. I DAILY STORE HOURS: 930 A.M. to 6 ThM.