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University Daily Kansan Tuesday. March 31, 1953
Centerfield Only Wide-Open Slot On1953 Jayhawker Baseball Team
By ED HOWARD
Kansan Sports Writer
Centerfield is the only wide-open slot on Coach Hub Ulrich's Jayhawker baseball team, although other spots are in line for possible changes if Ulrich finds a better combination.
Leading candidates for the middle gardener position are Bob Toalson, Bill Heitholt, and Bill Todd. Heitholt was a reserve on the Big Seven championship basketball team.
Ulrich said the lineup probably would not be completely set until the first conference game April 20 against Nebraska here. The Kansas team opens the season April 6 and 7 against Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, and follows with two games against Golden Hurricanes of the Tahoe April 14 and 11 to stay in Oklahoma during Easter vacation to get as much outdoor work as possible during the time when Kansas is usually rainy.
Like most clubs, Kansas' chances depend on a lot of "ifs." If John Konek, present rightfielder, has no more trouble with a knee injury suffered in football, if Harold Patterson, football and basketball star, comes through at shortstop, and if the pitching holds up, are only several problems which Ulrich must find an answer for if the Jayhawkers are to make a serious bid for the Big 7 championship.
Ulrich said a team of sophomores can take a league title because, unlike basketball or football, players usually are well-schooled in their playing before they reach college.
The coach made no predictions about his club, but said Nebraska has the most lettermen and has its entire pitching staff returning from last year. Missouri, NCAA runner-up last year, can not be counted out, nor can Oklahoma, which got the jump on all other clubs in outdoor practices, he pointed out.
John Brose, veteran left-hander,
suffered a back injury and has been
throwing for only three weeks, while
other pitchers have been working
out for five weeks. Big Jack Stone-
street, letterman right-hander,
promises to be the backbone of the
bracketball team at the street
was good last year and should
be about as good, if not better, this
season.
Rounding out the staff is Wayne Tiemier, a southpaw who earned his letter mainly in relief last year, and Frank Hamilton, a southpaw transfer from Stanford university. Hamilton suffered from a sore arm last year, but has not been bothered by the flapper this year.
The catching position is solid with Galen Fiss, football star, and Dean Smith, basketball reserve, back for another season.
The tentative lineup has Fiss or Smith at catcher, John Trombold first base, Bill Pulliam second base, Patterson shortstop, Frank Wolf left field, Joe Hearse left field Konek right, and center field still being fought for.
Nine lettermen are included in the 28-man squad. They are: Fiss, education senior; Smith, education senior; Trombold and Pulliam, college sophomores; Perry, college junior; meering junior; Stonestreet, formalism senior, and Wayne Teimeier, college sophomore.
Kansas compiled an 11-6 season's record and an 8-6 conference record, to finish third in the Big Seven race last year.
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DOUBLE TROUBLE—These two Jayhawker pitchers should give Big Seven batters plenty of headaches this season. John Brose, (left) a junior, has been throwing for only three weeks because of a back injury but should be tough when he rounds back into shape. He was impressive as a sophomore last year. Stonestreet, (right) was one of the leading pitchers in the Big Seven in 1952 and is expected to be the mainstay for the 1953 Kansas squad. He has a good fast ball and curve.
Red Manager Predicts Team Will Surprise This Season
(This is another in a series on prospects of major league baseball teams).
Tampa, Fla.—(U.P.)-Rogers Hornsby, whose baseball creed is to shoot for a first place, is enthusiastic about the Cincinnati Reds this year and predicts they "will surprise a lot of clubs."
But unless there are a lot of changes made, the Reds do not stack up as a championship club. It is a stronger team than last year, but it still lacks power and may be short on pitching.
Hornsby, however, doesn't think so.
"All we have to do is to come up with a sleeper or two and we could go all the way," he contended.
He believes he has one of those sleepers in big Jim Greengrass, who hit .309 after joining the Reds late last season and batted in 24 runs in 18 games.
"I know he can't keep up that pace, but he has looked great all spring and he's going to give us a lot of power."
With big Ted Kluszewski, Willard Marshall, Gus Bell, and Andy Seminick to help Greengrass in the power department, Hornsby feels that his pitchers should have easier sailing "for we'll get them a lot of runs."
"And more important, our defense will be a lot better. Last year when I took over the club we had the worst outfield in the league. But with Greengrass, Marshall, and Bell out there, things will be different."
The fixtures are Kluszewski at first, Roy McMillan at short, and Bobby Adams at third. There is a three-way battle for the second base spot between Grady Hatton, who played his job last season, rookie John Temple hit '306 at Tulsa, and Rocky Bridges, the fighting ex-Dodger.
Hornsby calls his infield "one of the best in the league. No matter who plays second base."
"He's a winner, a hustler who can
Bridges is Hornsby's type of a ball player.
take charge of a club." Hornsby explained. "Maybe he can light a fire under fellows like Kluszewski and Hatton. Not that either one of them loaf, for they don't, but a little more spirit wouldn't hurt them either."
Ken Raffensberger (17-13), Harry Perkowski (12-10), Hermi Wehmeier (9-11), Bubba Church (5-9), and Bud Podbielan (4-5), will be startling pitchers, with Ed Erault, who won 21 at Kansas City last season, making a strong bid to get in the regular rotation. Should he make it, Frank Smith (12-11) may be saved solely for relief.
The Reds have two promising young catchers—Ed Bailey, just out of service, and Hobie Landrith, who hit .358 at Tulsa. They will understudy Seminick.
Pacific Coast Loop Starts Play Today
San Francisco—(U.P.)-The Pacific Coast league brings America's organized baseball out of its winter hibernation today with 40,000 fans expected to be on hand in four California parks.
It marks the start or a crucial season for the embattled PCL, which is beginning its second year under an open classification and the first in which the revolutionary "no opener" clause is in effect. That clause prevents league teams from sending players out to the coast on a recall basis.
Gov. Earl Warren is scheduled to throw out the first ball at the San Francisco-Sacramento opener in Sacramento this afternoon.
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Cubs Lose Slugging Sauer Since Bum Finger Won't Heal
Bv UNITED PRESS
Hank Sauer, the National League's most valuable player in 1952,
was definitely lost to the Chicago Cubs until early May today and
manager Phil Cavaretta sadly conceded "We can't make a run for it
without him."
Cavarretta named Gene Herman ski to take Sauer's place in the outfield alongside Frankie Baum holtz and Preston Ward but mad it plain that he understood 'wha life was going to be like without Sauer's long range punch.
The crestfallen Sauer learned the bad news yesterday when x-rays revealed that the broken little finger of his right hand has failed to heal as expected. Sauer, who suffered the injury sliding into first base in an exhibition game two weeks ago, has been running and working out at third base but is unable to grip a bat or throw properly.
"He's our whole attack," he said. "We just can't afford to have him sidelined."
Standout pitching, meanwhile, encouraged the Athletics, Phillies, Braves, and Dodgers as the big league teams prepared to break camp and begin their long barnstorming trips north.
Jim Konstanty, 36-year-old "comeback kid" of the Phillies went nine for the second time this spring, scattering nine hits to beat the Cardinals, 8-1. Konstanty, who shut out the Tigers, 7-0, in his previous route-going performance, had a string of 19 scoreless innings snapped when the Cardinals scored in the ninth inning.
Little Bobby Shantz, who failed in his first try, pitched nine innings as the Athletics defeated the Reds, 4-3, and now seems certain to draw manager Jimmy Dykes' opening day assignment against the Yankees on April 14.
The Braves finally received a nine-inning performance from one of their pitchers when 31-year-old Jim Wilson, 12-14 last season, turned the trick against their Toleda farm club of the American Association. The Braves, who break camp this morning, plan to send 14-game winner Warren Spahn the distance today and then join the Dodgers for their trip north.
As for those dear old Dodgers—they're still in their own little dream world, luxuriating in the most spectacular pitching any team has received this spring. They made it five shutouts in eight games yesterday when Billy Loes and Glen
Mickens combined to beat the Red Sox, 5-9.
Mickens, on leave from the Army, expects to be discharged in early May and certainly will be brought up to the Dodgers. In the meantime Brooklyn fans eagerly awaited the arrival of the team to determine for themselves whether Joe Black is going to be expendable this year.
Jim Rivera increased his batting average to 350 and stole his eighth base as the White Sox routed El Paso, 13-1. The reeling Giants bowed for the 11th time in 13 games when the Indians scored a 13-6 victory.
Phi Gams Win IM'A' Pennant
Phi Gamma Delta out-fought a tall Phi Delta Theta team to win the intramural Fraternity "A" volleyball championship last night. The scores of the hour and 15-minute struggle were 15-5, 4-15, 15-13.
The last of the three matches which lasted 35 minutes saw the cool-headed play of Wally Beck and Gil Reich pull the title out of the fire for Phi Gam. The Phi Delt big men, B. H. Born and Hugh Buchanan, tried vainly for the losers, but the last shot by Dean Smith fell amid Phil Delt to ice the win.
The Set Ups whipped Liahona in two quick games to cop the Independent "A" crown to earn the right to meet Phi Gam at 8 p.m. tonight for the Hill championship. The scores were 15-9 and 15-6.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, with big Jerry Robertson providing the spiking punch, downed Delta Upsilon 15-6 and 15-13 for the Fraternity "B" title. AFROTC fell behind early but came back strong to whip the team in the second round. "B" championship contest 8-15, 15-12, 15-9. Delta Tau Delta copped the Fraternity "C" crown by defeating Beta 15-7, 15-10.
Tonight's Hill championship games will find Phi Gam playing the Set Ups at 8 p.m. for the "A" title, and SAE meeting AFROTC at 7 p.m. for the "B" crown.
Phi Gams Cop IM Swimming Title
Gene Buchanan of SAE also tied the 77.8 record in the 60-yard individual medley, composed of the breaststroke, backstroke, and free style. No other times came close to existing marks.
ATO got the most firsts, three, but Phi Gam's depth in most of the eight events pulled them through to the crown. The ATO 120-yard medley relay team established a new mark of 1:11.5 to break the old record of 1:14.7 set last year by Phi Gam.
Phi Gamma Delta made it six championships in a row by winning the intramural swimming title last night. Phi Gam had 43 points and Phi Psi 34. ATO was third with 32; SAE fourth with 29, and Sigma Chi fifth with 28.
Scoring was 6-4-3-2 in the individual events with one point given to the first eight qualifiers in Saturday's preliminary round. Relays were scored 8-6-4-2.
The results:
60-yd. breaststroke: 1. Bishop, Phi Psi
2. Gamey, Sigma Chi; 3. Hocker, ATO;
4. Gamlin, Phil Psi. Time: 44.7.
2. Groger, Phi Gam; 3. Gibbs, Sigma Chi; 4. Enfield, Phi Psi. Time: 1.053. 100-yd, backstroke: 1. Thompson, ATO; 2. Buchanan, SAE; 3. Jackson, Sigma Chi; 4. Gelvin, Phi Gam. Time: 1.142. 40 gam; 4. Bunten, Phi Gam; 3. Gibbs, Sigma Chi; 4. Nardyz, Phi Gam. Time: 223.
60-yd. individual medley; 1. Buchanan,
SAE, 2. Tucker, PkI psl; 3. Bunten, Phl
thidrew; 4. Idhreew, thidrew, no
points given. Time: 37.8. (as record
set by Efin, ChiMg. Sigma Chl. 151)
160-yd. freestyle relay: 1. Phi Gam (Michigan); Bunten Groger) 2. SAE; 3. Phi H. Fitzpatrick) 4. 120-yard; medley relay: 1. ATO (Thompson, Hocker, Brown); 2. Sigma (Bruno, Phi Gam). Time: 1:11.5. (Breaks old record of 1:14.7 set by Phi Gam in 1951).
Diving: 1. Kendall, ATO; 2. Klobassa,
3. Happes, ATO; 4. Fiss, Phi Gam.
Columbia, Mo.-Inability to master the mechanics of college baseball, commonly referred to as "greenness," was the Missouri baseball team's primary problem as Coach John Simmons' club entered the final week of preseason practice.
Despite lots of experimentation and numerous drills on fundamentals, the Tigers still lack the "know-how" to compare with the 1952 nine team as the nation's second-ranking team as the nation's second problem. Simmons put it this way:
Schoonie, the Bengals' always-willing first sacker, appears to be set for another big season. As a sophomore, he batted 333 out of the clean-up spot and played near-perfect ball in the field.
"They just don't have a lot of
The drawing head man may have been apologizing in a sense, but there was no need for excuses when the conversation switched from troubles to Bob Schoonmaker.
Greenness Primary Problem for Missouri Baseball Squad
ed in infield starting berths. Tom Hoelscher and Ed Velten apparently have the inside track at second and third base, respectively, although newcomer Buddy Cox is pressing for recognition.
Schoonnaker and lettered short-
stop Dick Dickinson are entrench-
baseball saavv."
The unsettled outfield picture was further clouded during the past week when Vic Swenholt, the only returning lettermen in the “garden,” reinjured an already-weak “football” knee. With Swenholt's status uncertain, left fielder Jim Doerr, center fielder Jim Shepherd, and right fielder Jerry Schoonmaker
Herb Gellman, bulky Maplewood senior and only returning "M" man in the catching ranks, is a near certainty as the Tigers' No. 1 backstop. Two untested "rookies," Don Olds and Lloyd Elmore, are contending for the second spot.
The pitching staff, anchored by all-American Don Boenker, has
have moved to the fore as probable starters. Long-ball hitting Larry Soffer, whose regular position is first base, is also a possibility in the outfield.
jelled quicker than the remainder of the team. Boenker is set as one of Simmons' starters with John Willingham and John Jenkins vying for the No. 2 position. Two lettermen, Bert Beckman and Floyd Eberhard, complete the pitching staff's frontline five.
Simmons has indicated that hell carry 22 men on next week's southern trip. The Tigers open the 1953 season in fire-fire order, catching Tula in a double header, April 3-4, and Arkansas in another twin bill, April 6-7.