May 7th, 1941

Mr. John Baun

Dean of Men

Stanford University
Stanford, California

Dear John:

I just received your good letter of the second instant and I assure you that
I regretted more than you know, missing you when you were in Lawrence about ten days ago.
I certainly would have enjoyed a "bull fest" with you and George.

Yes, I have taken on baseball because I was vain enough to listen to the
supplications of some orphan baseball players. Two years ago, Ralph Conger, freshman
coach of football, was asked to coach baseball. Conger had never played the game.

He left to coach Wentowrth Military Academy. Last year, Mike Getto was given the
baseball team to coach and he had never played the game. Mike left last year to
coach the ss Dodgers.

So, I was asked by the boys and Dean Stockton, member of the board, if i
would take over the baseball team. Three years ago, the Varsity boys came in to me and
asked me to coach the team. I told them that was up to the Director of Athletics.

Last year they again came to me and asked me to coach and I gave them the same answer
and told them if they wanted me to take the team the Director of Athletics should ask
Me

Gwinn came into my office and asked me if I would take the team, stating that
there was no additional money for coaching it and that he didn't want to ask me to assume
extra duties with no extra pay. He rather thought it would be asking too much of me.

But frankly, Johnnie, I felt sorry for the youngsters. The fact that most of the players
knew a lot more than the coach made a most embarrassing situation and the crewd would
sit and laugh at the antics of the ball.

— has not been ooo eee here for several years and as a consequence,
things have run "down at the heels" in this sport. You can appreciate this when I tell
you that my entire infield on the Varsity had never played a game of Varsity and Fresh-
man baseball for “ansas. You may not remember Johnny Krum, Virgil Wise, and Elmo “aiden,
but all these little fellows were in that peat eeh Junior League that you, Doctor Bice
and I coached.

Bobbie Allen has not played any baseball since he graduated from the Junior
League and has played very little Ban Johnson Ball, but we have him playing first base
and serving as relief pitcher. Bob has been very busy preparing for his entrance to the
Medical School at the University of Pennsylvania, and incidentally, winning a Phi Beta
Kappa key. So, he has not been out for baseball until this spring and that was after
a very strenuous basketball season.

We played some good games but we have had only eight days of practice. I

' have never seen such rainny weather. Oklahoma beat us two to one, at Norman. The
second game was rained out. Then, no practice until we went to Ames, beat Iowa State,
8 to 7. The next day we had a track meat, losing to Iowa State, 23 to 6. Yesterday,