University Daily Kansan Tuesday, March 30, 1954
Gavarretta Is Fired Hack Is Club's Manager
Phoenix, Ariz. — (U.P.)—Chicago Cub owner Phil Wrigley said he removed Phil Cavarretta as manager when he learned Cavarretta appeared to "dread" the coming season and apparently had little hope for the Cubs' 1954 prospects.
Cavarretta was fired last night and replaced by Manager Stan Hack of the Los Angeles Angels.
Wrigley said he "was very disappointed" over the seventh place finish of the Cubs last year.
"We may not have the best club in baseball." Wrigley said, "but I don't think we have the worst. Hack apparently thinks the ball club is better than it appears to Carvarretta." He added that following an exhibition game with the Giants, he realized Phil was not optimistic about the Cubs prospects.
Wrigley said he offered Cavarretta the chance to switch jobs with Hack and take over the Angels, but Phil refused. He added that personally he was "very fond" of Cavaretta and would be happy if he wished to stay with the Cub organization.
"Phil was a great team man, but was withdrawn and kept things built up inside him," the Chicago owner said.
When asked what salary Hack would get, Wrigley declined to name a figure.
Hack was promoted from the Cubs' Los Angeles farm club in the Pacific Coast league in the major leagues' first spring training managerial switch.
"I am disappointed and surprised." Cavarretta said when personnel director Wid Matthews announced last night that he would be given his unconditional release, when he refused to trade places with Hack at Los Angeles.
"I'ta a big opportunity, and I'm going to do the best I can to give the Chicago fans a good, hustling ball club," Hack said in California. He refused to predict how he thought the Cubs would place.
I don't think I had it coming. I did a lot of damage at hand, Caravanna said.
The Cubs' manager since 1951, when he succeeded Frank Frisch in mid-season, Cavarretta never played with any other team. He came to the Cubs directly from Lane Technical high school in Chicago, where he had been an infielder and pitcher.
The Cubs finished last in 1951, moved up to fifth in 1952, but slumped to seventh last year when the team was hit by injuries.
Hack was bought by the Cubs in 1932 from Sacramento of the PCL, but played only briefly in 1933 before being optioned to Albany. He returned to Chicago in 1934, and remained with Carragetta until 1947, when to his death DuMonie, Iowa, in 1948, where he won the Western league pennant.
Hack went to Springfield in the International league in 1950, and then to Los Angeles in 1951, where he has been since.
Cavarretta told newsmen he wanted to stay in the major leagues as either a coach or part-time play. He was in both the Cub infield and outfield.
Now a resident of Dallas, he said he talked over the offer by Cub owner P. K. Wrigley, with his wife, and they decided he should not go to Los Angeles.
Blair Wins by TKO Bout Halted in 8th
Matthews said the Cubs would pay Caravretta's salary in full this year, unless he gets another job in the majors, in which case the Cubs will only make up the difference. He has been working under one year agreements, and no salary has been revealed.
Providence, R.I. (U.P.)—I r is h Jackie Blair, 1311, of Los Angeles, flailing away with both fists after a cut over his right eye was opened, won a technical knockout victory last night over Guillermo Roberts, 1322, of Havana before 802 Arcadia fans.
Blair floored the Cuban for an eight count in the sixth after landing a flurry of rights and lefts to Robert's chin. Seemingly infuriated by the gash opened by Roberts in the eighth, Blair flailed away, flooring Roberts again. The referee stopped the bout without a count.
Hack's successor at Los Angeles was not revealed by Matthews.
Morgan Goes To Phillies
Clearwater, Fla. —(U.P.)—Owner Bob Carpenter hailed newly-acquired Bobby Morgan as “the best spare infielder in baseball” today and Manager O'Neill said the blond slugger “may lift the Philadelphia Philies two notches in the National league standings.”
The 27-year-old Morgan, who averaged 67 games a season for three years as understudy to Peewee Reese and Billy Cox, was acquired from the Brooklyn Dodgers yesterday for an estimated $50,000 and two players.
Morgan was regarded in many quarters as a threat to oust Willie Jones as the Phillies' regular third baseman, but O'Neill insisted that Jones still held the job "because he has been looking good down here so far." Jones batted only 225 for the Phillies last season and was criticized by O'Neill for "over-swinging in an attempt to hit home runs."
Morgan hit .337 for the Montreal Royals and won the International league's "most valuable player" award in 1949, but failed to win a regular job with the Dodgers because of the presence of Reese at shortstop and Cox at third base.
Employed as a utility infielder and pinch-hitter, Morgan never hit consistently for the Dodgers but demonstrated his ability to hit the "long ball." He hit seven home runs in each of his three seasons with Brooklyn although his career average is only 241.
COACH BILL EASTON
Easton Referee Of Drake Relays
Kansas university track Coach M. E. "Bill" Easton has been named referee of the 45th Drake Relies to be held in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 23-24.
While at Drake he turned out three consecutive NCAA cross country team champions in 1944-45-46. He added another NCAA cross country championship last fall when KU won the event.
Coach Easton, who coached at Drake before coming to Kansas in the fall of 1947, will serve as the referee of the university division of the meet.
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His 1945 Drake team won the Central Collegiate conference championship, and his 1947 Drake four mile relay team scored a grand slam with victories at the Texas, Kansas, and Drake Relays. This feat has also been duplicated by Coach Easton's KU teams.
Since coming to KU the Jayhawkers have dominated the conference in track.
4-Minute Mile Will Be Run'
The world champion New York Yankees will have 34-year old southpaw Ed Lopat on the mound when they open against the Washington Senators while Manager Walt Alston of the National League champion Brooklyn Dodgers is expected to name Don Newcombe to start the campaign against the New York Giants. Seven of this year's opening day hurlers also opened the 1953 season and four started their teams off with victories.
15 Major League Managers Name Opening Day Pitchers
Okahoma City — (U.P.)— Glennn Cunningham, the fabulous miler who still holds the indoor record, says the four-minute mile can be run by a runner who thinks he can do it.
"Athletes get it in their heads that it can't be done, that it's too hard, so they don't do it," Cunningham said. "There are and will be and have been a lot of boys who can run a mile in four minutes if they get to thinking they will."
"The limitations are psychological."
For more than a year he couldn't use his legs. At the height of his fame as a runner his legs gave him constant trouble, as they still do.
Mays to Spark Giants Bid for Pennant
Cunningham, 44, raced to fame in the 1930s by breaking a record almost as often as he ran, even though he was badly burned in a gasoline fire at his home in Elkhart, Kan., when he was seven years old.
The former University of Kansass ace scouted at the idea the runner who will race a mile in four minutes must put forth super-human effort or adopt new training methods.
Phoenix, Ariz. — (U.P.)—Willie Mays, a key performer in the "little miracle of 1951," provides the spark for the New York Giants "to bounce back" into the thick of the National league pennant race, Manager Leo Durocher declared today.
Add pitchers Johnny Antonelli, Don Liddle, and Marv Grissom to Mays, and Durocher believes he's assembled a team that will make Polo Grounds fans forget the Giants' drab fifth-place finish of 1953. The Giants collapsed in August and September and finished 14 games under .500 and 35 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers
"Willie has made a terrific difference in the team," the effervescent Durocher claimed. "Willie's enthusiasm is contagious—he's put 'bounce' into the whole team."
Mays, whose spectacular fielding feats and 274-bat helped the Giants to their spectacular pennant victory in 1951, will play center field between Monte Irvin and Don Mueller. Irwin, the team's most dangerous hitter, is said to be fully recovered from the broken ankle sustained two years while Mueller, although a singles-hitter, is regarded as a solid performer on the basis of his 333 average last year.
EXPERT WATCH REPAIR
Bill Taylor, who placed for Nashville last season, and Jim (Dusty) Rhodes are pressing Mueller on the basis of superior power but still
Electronically Timed
Guaranteed Satisfaction
1 Week or Less Service
Fifteen of the 16 pitchers who will be honored with opening day assignments two weeks hence were just about set today with only Manager Birdie Tebbetts of the Cincinnati Redlegs in a bit of a quounday.
WOLFSON'S 743 Massachusetts
are regarded as reserves available for pinch-hitting chores.
Durocher plans to start the new campaign with his 1952 infield of Whitey Lockman at first, Davey Williams at second, Alvin Dark at shortstop, and Henry Thompson at third but expects rookie Rake Matt to take over catcher Wes Westrum's job.
Williams is the key man of the infield because his chronic back ailments upset the delicate balance of the double play. In view of Williams' unpredictable health, Durocher is taking a "long look" at Bob Hofman and rookies Foster Castleman and Ron Samford. One must be picked as Williams' emergency replacement.
Katt, 26, hit 326 for Minneapolis last year and appears to be a faster rookie and more dependable hitter than Westrum. The rookie's ability to keep enemy base runners under attack is undecided, however, and probably will remain that way until the Dodgers had a crack at him.
Duvocher singled out Antonelli,
Sal Maglie, Jim Hearn, and Ruben
Gomez as the team's four regular starting pitchers with Liddle, Grissom, Larry Jansen, Al Corwin, and Hoyt Wilhelm also sure of jobs. It was a collapse in pitching which doomed the 1953 Giants but Durocher doesn't think it will happen again.
"Magile is throwing better than at any time last year and I've got confidence in the other three, too," Durocher said. "It's a sound pitching staff with good depth."
Leo's four starters, however, to-tallled 42 victories and 44 losses last season with Gomez' 13-11 mark the only better-than-.500 performance. Antonelli was 12-12, Maglie 8-9, and Hearn 9-12.
Durocher's optimism has proved contagious and the team has been playing good ball during the exhibition games. Its play has brought praise from such neutral observers as Cleveland Manager Al Lopez, Bill Veeck, and former Cub star Stan Hack.
So, it may be that the rosy picture painted by Durocher is not just a sample of Leo's familiar optimism every spring.
Tebbett said he would open "with a veteran pitcher other than Fred Baczewski" who has been selected to work the second game of the season against the Chicago Cubs, but Bud Podbielan is the favorite.
Boston (Mel Parnell 21-8) at Philadelphia (Alex Kellner 11-12).
American League
The probable opening day pitching lineup as learned via a survey of the 16 managers: (1953 record are in parentheses):
New York (Ed Lopat 16-4) at
Washington (Bob Porterfield 22-10).
Baltimore (Bob Turley 2-6) at Detroit (Steve Gromek 7-9).
Cleveland (Bob Lemon 21-15) at Chicago, (Billy, Pierce, 18-12).
National League
Brooklyn (Don Newcombe 0-0)
at New York (Sal Magle 8-9).
Philadelphia (Robin Roberts 23-
16) at Pittsburgh (Bob Friend 8-11),
or Max Surkont 11-5).
Chicago (Bob Rrush 9-14) at St. Louis (Harvey Haddix 20-9).
Milwaukee (Warren Spahn 23-7)
at Cincinnati (Bud Podblumen 1-6).
Rush, rapidly rounding into peak form for his assignment, turned in six shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles yesterday but Lemon, the only other opening-day pitcher to work, was a disappointment against the New York Giants.
Rush's fine pitching was wasted however, when the Orioles hopped on Howie Pollet for three runs in the ninth inning to score a 4-3 victory and score their 15th victory in 21 Grapefruit league games. Clint Courtney drove in the winning run for the Orioles with a single.
Lemon, however, was tagged for seven hits and two runs in four innings as the Giants downed Cleveland, 4-1, and opened up an 8-2 bulge in their 23-game spring series with the Indians. Larry Jansen and Marion Picone limited the Indians to six hits.
It was a great day for Eddie Yost, who hammered out three home runs to lead the Washington Senators to a 12-8 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
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