. IKE TWO By DICK KRAUS Daily Sports Staff 'lo Ik I- BEFORE ,THIS season got under way, those pronosticators who didn't save the National League cel- lar slot for the Phillies out of sheer force of habit reserved it for a team without enough punch to worry a port sider with an amputated left arm, the Cincinnati Reds. Now as the mid-way mark is be- hind the teams, we find those sur- prising, but still punch-less Reds grimly holding a spot in the first division. The surprising thing about the situation is that you don't hear anyone asking "How are they do- ing it?" The answer is actually too obvious to require any questions. The answer is Bill McKechnie. Without any of Lippy Durocher's managerial pyro- technics and without any of Lip- py's power, Deacon Bill has, to date done the job of the year. McKechnie manages a ball club a lot like the way Charlie Gehringer used to play second base, doing the right thing at the right time with- out any fuss or flash. The Deacon camed Upwithra rookie third baseman named Grady Hat- ton, an elongated right hander with a whiplike delivery, Ewell Blackwell, and a new second sacker, Bobby Ad- ams. He started theseason with an outfield that had never been able to hit. Al Libke, a converted pitcher,. occasionally hits a long ball, so he was elected clean-up man. Speedy Dain Clay began the season in cen- ter, but his weak hitting made Mc- Kechnie convert infielder Lonnie Frey to take over Clay's slot. Rookies Usher and Lukon and Max West, purchased from Boston, have been al- ternating as the third outfielder. TjO OFFSET the lack of batting punch, McKechnie had Eddie Miller, one of the best defensive shortstops in the game,,and the best catching staff in the League with H ighlights fomth from the Sports World By The- Associated Press Dodgers Nip Cards 'ROOKLYN, July 30 -Brooklyn stretched its National League lead to 31/2 games over the challeng- ing St. Louis CardinaIs tonight as Rube Meton spun a four-hit 2-1 victory over the Red Birds for his first victory of the season. When Melton wavered in the ninth, Manager Le.o Durocher called in Hank Behrman who put out the blaze with the help of a brilliant play by Eddie Stanky who gobbled up Harry Walk- er's roller on the short stop side of second -base and backhanded to Pee Wee Reese in time to make a vital force on Whitey Kurowski. Major League Standings NATIONAL LEAGUE Ray Mueller and Ray Lamanno. The pitching was of the question mark variety. The season has gone along just as expected. The Reds are just about the weakest hitting team in either league, and they get just enough to win ball games. At the beginning of the season, Blackwell and Joe Beggs came through to spark the pitching staff. When they faded, old Bucky Walters and Johnny Vander Meer hitched up six game winning streaks to keep the Reds going. The other day they dropped a double header to the Giants and a few interested people began mut- tering something about "there go the Reds." The next day Cincinnati came back and took two from the same Giants to boost their fourth place margin to two full games over Boston. If Buck McCormack's big bat was still in Cincinnati, the Reds might be right in the pennant scrap, but the Deacon believed that the big first baseman would do better away from Redland where McCormack was getting the "Wakefield treat- ment" from the fans. The McKechnie magic that made twenty game winners out of Lou Fet- te and Jim Turner, a pair of 30- year-old rookies, and enabled a med- iocre Boston team finish in the first division a few years ago, has never been more in evidence than during this current campaign. The sight of Deacon Bill and his hitless wonders clinging tenaciously to the first di- vision must make such power laden clubs as Pittsburgh and New York wonder if some kind of saliva test for the McKechnie men might not be in order. There will be a meeting of all softball managers of Fraternity and Residence Hall teams tonight in Room 301 in the Michigan Union. The purpose is to select the members for the all-star team. Trucks Beats New York in Thriller, 6-5' DETROIT, July 30-(AP)-The De- troit Tigers climbed within a single game of second place in the Ameri- can League by squeezing out a 6 to 5 drama-packed victory over the New York Yankees today as Virgil (Fire) Trucks struck out 13 Yankee bats- men. Yankee homers by Tommy Henrich, Charley Keller and Aaron Robinson produced four runs for the Bronx Bombers off Trucks' fast one. Henrich's home run, his 10th of the season, was his third off Trucks, who now has been tagged for 10 homers by the Yanks alone. Keller's last came after Stirnweiss had walked in the sixth and Robin- son's clout, also in the sixth, was New York's 15th circuit swat in Briggs Stadium this season. Virgil's total of 13 strikeouts gave him a total of 129 for the 22 games in which he has worked and the single game effort equalled Hal New- houser's best strikeout day this sea- son, when he also fanned 13 men against Washington. With Hal Newhouser on the shelf temporarily with an ailing left el- bow, Al Benton drew the Detroit pitching assignment against New Yorks tomorrow, opposing Marius Rus- so. Arm Injury To Sideline Newhouser for Week DETROIT, July 30-- (A)- Hal Newhouser, the Detroit Tigers' 20-game' winner, discovered to- day that a nerve injury in the elbow of his pitching arm will keep him out of action for about a week. Trainer Jack Homel of the Tig- ers said the ace left-hander would miss his regular pitching turns Wednesday against the New York Yankees and Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. Homel said the injury had noth- ing to do with bone chips located earlier this year in Newhouser's left elbow. Flam Advances In NetTourney KALAMAZOO, Mich., July 30- ()-Herbie Flam, 17-year-old Bever- ly Hills, Calif., schoolboy, shooting for his second straight National Jun- ior Tennis Championship, over- powered Bob Alexander of Waco, Texas, 6-1, 6-2, today to pace the parade of favorites into third round singles matches at Kalamazoo Col- lege. Len Steiner from Brooklyn, N.Y., seeded No. 7, dropped the first set but rallied to whip Charles Schaaf of Highland Park, Ill., 4-6, 6-2, 6-0. Louis-Mauriello Fight May Be Held in Detroit By The Associated Press NEW YORK, July 30-Promoter Mike Jacobs disclosed tonight that he was considering the possibility of shifting the heavyweight champion- ship fight between Joe Louis and Ta- mi Mauriello from New York's Yan- kee Stadium to Detroit, the Champ- ion's home town. Jacobs said he had conferred with Michigan Boxing Commissioner John Hettche by telephone today and that the latter asked him if it would be possible to take the fight to Detroit, whose fans want to see Louis in ac- tion again. The promoter said he told Hettche he would see what could be done and that if he could make suitable ar- rangements he might stage the bout in the Motor City instead of the Yan- kee Ball Park, where it is now sched- uled for Sept. 18. * * * DETROIT, July 30-(R')-Plans for holding the Joe Louis-Tami Mauriel- lo fight here received a setback al- most immediately when George M. Trautmann, General Manager of the Detroit Tigers, said Briggs Stadium would not be made available for such a fight. Trautmann said the current policy of the Tigers is to use the Stadium for baseball, football and civic events. Hot Weather Gridiron Session Endyn Western Conference By ALYS GEORGE trainees stationed on campus. For the first time in three sum- students the gridders had to ta mers Michigan's football forces are part in the FEM program anywa taking life easy, and both Coach and their time could best be spe H. 0. "Fritz" Crsler and his players in learning the fundamentals of tl welcome the change with open arms. Crisler system. Although stating that the sum- Practice Started Earlier mer practice sessions during the war In 1944 and 1945 summer footb years were valuable in conditioning Ina1944e n dthe4BiguT e r was b g freshmen to take the place of more practice in the Big Ten was begr experienced players, Crisler believes even earlier. Coaches could never that under normal conditions it is sure of their player material fro too hot in July and August for the one day to the next and more ti gridders to get enough benefit out of was needed to develop their team summer football practice It is to which had to be formed around be presumed that the men agree small nucleus of returning lette Rules Relaxed' men. Before the war Big Ten rules limit- With the end of the war-ti ed grid practice to three weeks before emergency and the return to a reg the season's opener, thus all teams lar two semester school year, t started off on an equal footing. But Western Conference has begun with the uncertainty of player ma- reinstate its athletic rules. Althou terial and the introduction of a freshmen are still eligible to roa regular summer term, the Conference the gridiron this fall, the return rules were relaxed; and in 1943 a so many veterans to school will ma four-week summer practice session it difficult for 17 and 18 year olds was allowed, limited to only one week break into the line-up. of contact work. Therefore, the powers that be This extra time alloted for football the Big Ten have cut out summ practice was needed to condition the football practice entirely and ha 17 and 18 year old freshmen, upon limited pre-season workouts to f whom many schools depended to car- weeks. This year the Michigan gri ry on their gridiron campaigns. ders will report for practice Augi Many football candidates were al- 26, which gives them a month to g so drawn from the Navy and Marine the feel of a pigskin once more. r JL . ''ii'''i I' The 1946 I N 1 / / / f NtS J ANG W Brooklyn .......59 St. Louis....... 55 Chicago .......51 Cincinnati . ... 45 Boston ........ 44 New York......43 Philadelphia .. 40 Pittsburgh .... 37 YESTERDAY'S L Pct. GB 36 .621.. 39 .585 3 / 43 .543 7 48 .484 13 49 .473 14 53 .448 16 51 .440 17 55 .402 21 RESULTS 'v)Qr ED- ESDAY, JUL 31 TH RSDj New York 3, Chicago 2 Brooklyn 2, St. Louis 1 PhiladelphiOi. 8, Cincinnati 4 Pittsburgh at Boston, postponed AMERICAN LEAGUE 1y, GUST 1 W Boston........70 New York...... 57 Detroit ........ 55 Washington ..50 Cleveland ......46 St. Louis .......41 Chicago........38 Philadelphia ... 28+ YESTERDAY'S L Pct. GB 28 .714 . 40, .588 12/ 40 .579 131/ 46 .521 19 52 .469 24 54 .432 271 58 .396 31 67 .295 402 RESULTS Detroit 6, New York 5 Boston 4, Cleveland 0 Philadelphia 9, Chicago 2 St. Louis 6, Washington 3 KEEP COOL! Our scalp treatments, facials, and hair styles are comforting -cooling - refreshing. Plenty of barbers. Air-cooled. THE DASCOLA BARBERS Between Michigan & State Theaters GET IT ON- THE MAN IN THE STREET PROGRAM Daily 12:45-1:00 1 I 10:30 A.M. to 12 NOON and 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. There will be no further Ensian Distribution until October. PLEASE BRING YOUR RECEIPTS STUDEl PUBLIC, TIO S BLDG DANCING at the Famous . .