Department of Physical Education
University of Kansas

February 21, 1941

Dear Varsity Baseball Aspirant:

Only three veteran lettermen of last year's team returned for this
year's wars; namely, "Knute" Kresie, John Burge and "Rudy" Beimse

Kansas has never in its long history of baseball competition faced
such a poverty of seasonal veterans returning. For years Kansas had won the
Missouri Valley and the Bigs-Six Championships in Baseballs

Baseball's greats of yesteryears included such luminaries as Dale Gear,
Walter Frantz, Adrian Sherman, Archie Hoag, Wade Moore, Bennie Owens, Pete Allen,
Tommy Johnson, Lefty Sproul, Lloyd Bishop, George Stukev, John "Sweede" Carlson,
John DeLongey, Pete Wandell, John Smee, Adrian Lindsay, Stem Eoster, Joe Boyd,
Dutch Uhrlaub, Merle Price, Dutch Lonborg, Kelly Swenson, “hee-Rody, Eddie Halpin,
Joe Bloomer, Lefty 'Hook" Fisher, Te. Bishop, | Chs irles "Slick" Blacks

hk

Now, this is your chance to earn a Varsity Baseball Ke Report to
Ralph "Red" Dugan in the Freshman Basketball Dressing Quarters and he will check
out to you a pair of old basketball shoes and some other paraphernalia so that
you can work out in here in the gymnasium and get in tip-top physical conditions
Jim Raport tells me that he will teach you to punch the bag. We will have handball
so you can work out in the handball court, either indoors or out, These various
exercises should toughen you up enough so that your muscles will not go lame on
you when you start to throw a baseball. Physical fitness is one of the first
Lesses of a game competitor and we want you in shape.

Starting Monday afternoon Red Dugan will be down in the dressing quarte
ers to check out equipment for you. There will be no baseballs checked out, but
there will be a record kept of the days that you fellows report and Red fuesn,
Frank Bukaty and I will do all in our power to get you in shape. There will be
a list of exercises on the bulletin board in the freshman dressing room for you to
follow.

We could go into longer detail but this is a start. Start early and be
regular and be one of those baseball battlers who will put the outdoor game back
on its feet with a decided bange Be a competitor and start training now. AS
Churchill said, we promise you nothing but sweat, blood and dritt+<; We will leave
out the blood but we will emphasize the other tWOo Lach

Sincerely yours,

ia ms aa ALE

 

FCA :lg ~ Varsity Baseball pion