Tuesday, March 15, 1960 University Daily Kansan
Page 5
University Daily Kansan SPORTS
Baseball Faces Blackest Year Since Mighty Casey Fanned
Baseball appears to be headed for a black season. It may rank with the tragic year of the Black Sox scandal. Or it may even rank with what is probably the blackest moment in baseball, the time Mighty Casey struck out.
Thus far the year has been full of black clouds. First they tear down Ebbets field. Then Mantle refuses to sign. Ted's neck is bothering him and he may retire. And now Joe Cronin, president of the American League, demolishes another diamond institution by encouraging umpires to appear on radio and television.
This could be the end of baseball as we know it.
"Iimagine what kind of calls we'll be getting now that they'll be worrying chiefly about their profiles."
After all, umpires are people, even if their actions on the diamond often lead one to other conclusions as to their origin. But if to err is human, then the umpire is about as human as they come.
Another human frailty is vanity and hand in hand with vanity comes the show boat.
Many of the major league hurlers seem to feel that the men in blue have been hamming it up ever since the game started being televised.
The cameras in most ball parks are located behind the plate so as to better follow the pitch and initiation of a play. This put the home plate arbitrator closer to the camera. As a result from now on the home plate umpire will be the most dramatic and will possibly be considered for an oscar for his best performance.
As it was without this new rule one of the World Series umpires did a great Shakespearean job during the late demise of the White Sox by setting himself behind the catcher with the fervor of one of the world famous Canadian ballet dancers learning to be a bull fighter.
His pirouettes and veronicas were superb. He got more camera mileage than Larry Sherry and if baseball gave an oscar for a dramatic performance, which it may do this year, he would have won hands down even over the Dodgers.
For years they have been yelling about the length of the contest and now they have left themselves open. Until now the umpires were merely background for the epic at hand. But suddenly the way has been cleared for the spear carrier to upstage Othello and push him into the wings. By the time he gets back to
Rare Find Label On A's Klimchock
WEST PALM BEACH — (UPI)— The Kansas City Athletics are convinced they have a rare find in 20-year-old Lou Klimchock if only they can find a proper spot to play him.
Manager Bob Elliott says he's sure of one thing—Klimchock certainly can hit.
"We're not sure where his best position is yet, though," said the Kansas City Skipper. "He played second base for this club part of last season but I think he's better suited for third base. That's where we're playing him now and we'd like to see him make it."
he broke in with Grand Island of the Nebraska State League in 1957 and batted .273 as a 17-year-old, moving up to Pocatello of the Pioneer League the following year, he hit .89 while driving in 112 runs and slamming 25 homers.
The A's were so impressed they brought him up late that season and played him in two games. Klimchock hit a homer in one of them.
Lou spent most of last season with Shreveport of the Southern Association where he knocked in 85 runs, belted 19 homers and batted .315. Called up by the A's again, he finished out the season with a .273 average, 13 RBI's and four homers in 17 games.
finish the Hari Kari (as in the case of a Senator-Athletic contest) the plot probably will have perished before the home plate histiromics.
As Broadway comes to baseball it must be admitted that the men in the blue serge suits have a whole new world open to them.
No longer must schools for umpires be hidden in some pineshrouded Florida as if they were training sites for pickpockets and second story men. The Fearless Fellow School for acting and incidental umpiring, scorning optometrists, will have a staff dedicated to the arts.
Hoping for Cronin's sanction, the faculty will include Gene Kelly as professor of terpsichore, Helen Hayes for dramatic art, Pere Westmore for makeup and Rex Harrison teaching elocution.
Can't you just hear the valedictorian summoning the warriors to combat in the opening game of the season?
Drawing himself up in regal manner, best profile to the camera and his blue serge livened with sparkles, our number one graduate will proclaim:
A. L. Votes in Curfew Rule
ORLANDO, Fla. — (UPI)— The American League has adopted a suspended game rule that conforms closely to the National League rule.
President Joe Cronin announced that games terminated at any time after $4\frac{1}{2}$ innings by curfews, time limits, light failures and darkness during second games of double headers no longer will be replayed from the start. Instead they will be resumed from the point at which they were terminated.
"Such games will be known as suspended games," said Cronin. "However, extra-inning games which are completed and still tied, will be legally tied games just as before."
Weather will take precedence in determining whether a called game will be a suspended game. A game halted by weather, and then a subsequent light failure, thus would be a completed game.
Cronin also told his umpires that he wanted them to take a more active role in public relations. A. L. umpires were encouraged to appear on radio and television shows and to cooperate with the press.
The announcement followed a two-day session during which Cronin and the umpires engaged in a thorough study of the rule book.
Baltimore 9 Cincinnati 4
Washington 7 Los Angeles 4
Kansas City 7 Milwaukee 5
Philadelphia 4 Pittsburgh 1
Chicago (A) 8 St. Louis 4
Detroit 4 New York 2
Pittsburgh "R" 7 Milwaukee "F"
Exhibition Baseball
Late Starting
ATHENS, Greece — (UPI) — The first modern Olympic games, held here in 1896, included only track and field events. The winter Olympic games were officially added to the program in 1924, with the first contest staged at Chamonix, France.
Pittsburgh "B" 7 Milwaukee "B" 2
West Coast Rock 'n Roll with the SAVATARS Wed., 8:00 p.m. — Fri., 9:00 p.m. WHITE HOUSE
St. Bonaventure (20-3) puts its 17-game winning streak on the line as a one-point favorite over fourth-seeded St. John's, the defending champions whom the Bonnies trounced, 95-78, during last December's holiday festival tourney on the same court.
Bradley (24-2) was listed a fourpoint choice in the night's first game over Dayton (21-6), the N. I. T. "bridesmaid" which has lost in the final round five times.
NEW YORK —(UPI)— Top-seeded Bradley and streaking St. Bonaventure are favored to win quarter-final games in the National Invitational Basketball Tournament tonight before an expected capacity crowd of 18,000 at Madison Square Garden.
Tonight's winners will collide in a semi-final game Thursday night, when Providence and second-seeded Utah State clash in the other.
Bradley, St. Bonaventure Favored To Take Quarter-Finals of N.I.T.
Bradley coach, Chuck Orsborne, brings back virtually the same team that went to the finals last year before losing to St. John's in overtime. St. John's, on the other hand, has only "most valuable player" Tony Jackson returning from the 1959 champions—and therin lies the difference in the odds.
Orsborne, who fears "big, strong, aggressive" Dayton as a result of the Flyers' surprising 72-51 rout of Temple in the first round, has sophomore star Chet Walker and his 22-points per game average to replace Bobby Joe Mason, who starred on last year's team but ran out of eligibility at mid-season. The Braves' Ed Wodka is a doubtful starter with a turned ankle.
Dayton coach, Tom Blackburn.
also has a soph star, Garry Roggenburk, who had 13 points and 19 rebounds against Temple. The Flyers will have a height edge, but Bradley outbounded taller foes in 11 of 14 Missouri Valley Conference games this year.
Blackburn pointed out that he is a member of the UPI board of
coaches "and I voted Bradley right up there all season." He also reminded that "they beat Cincinnati and the big O (Oscar Robertson) and when you do that, you've got it."
It's common for men to give pretended reasons instead of one real one. — Benj. Franklin.
Look your best in Arrow's Tabber
A popular choice with the college man is this smart new collar style. Note the tab fastening under collar that guarantees lasting good looks. See us soon for your choice of collar styles, fine fabrics. Arrow shirts, $5.00.
All silk repp ties, $2.50.