On Page 1: Lady Ashley, On Verge of Breakdown, Files for Divorce From Clark Gable
All the News That Fits, We Print
The Baseball Once-Upon-A Times.
FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1951
FINAL EDITION Including final results of all ball games
FIVE CENTS
VOL. 1, No. 47
Dodgers Come Sniffing Around Montreal Farm, Seeking Pitching
MONTREAL Just when everything was looking rosy, an old bugaboo bore down Wednesday to keep Montreal baseball fans awake nights. It was the cry of the distressed, that blows down from the major leagues every baseball season and strikes horror in the hearts of fans in minor league cities everywhere. In this case, it came from the parent Brooklyn Dodgers who were seeking aid from their Montreal Royals of the Triple A International League. The Dodgers, long on hitting power, wanted some added pitching strength. Montrealers, looking over the Royals hustling mound staff, sadly admitted they had just what the Brooklyn doctors ordered. They also admitted, in no uncertain terms, that they werent especially anxious to part with any of it. It had looked like a pennant for Montreal until Wednesday. Manager Wally Alston had steered his Royals to a fast start in the International League campaign, and they were showing their spiked heels to the Rochester Red Wings. Pitching was the thing that got them there. They had a handy 10-man hurling staff that so far was handcuffing the opposition in the manner of the Mounted Police rounding up cattle rustlers on the old Alberta plains. The news leaked out, and a couple of investigators from Brooklyn drifted around to check the vital statistics of the clubs two aces. The two were Clary Podbielan and Bob Alexander, and the way the wind blew it looked like one of the two strong young righthanders would get a ticket to Flatbush very soon. Each had won six and lost two games to date, and the Brooklyn investigators, coach Clyde Sukeforth and scout Johnny (Red) Corriden, seemed to think they had major league stuff.
Major League Standings
AMERICAN Cleveland Boston Chicago Detroit Philadelphia New York Washington St. Louis W 24 23 21 19 19 19 16 9 L 14 14 14 18 19 20 20 31 PCT. .632 .622 .600 .514 .500 .487 .444 .225 GB -- 1 4 5 5 7 16 NATIONAL New York Philadelphia St. Louis Brooklyn Boston Chicago Pittsburgh Cincinnati W 29 25 22 19 19 17 14 12 L 13 16 17 20 21 19 24 27 PCT. .690 .579 .564 .487 .475 .472 .368 .308 GB --3 5 8 9 9 13 15
Thursdays American League Results
No games scheduled
Thursdays National League Results
Philadelphia 5, Brooklyn 4 (Only game scheduled)
Todays Probable Starting Pitchers
Washington (Moreno 2-1) at Cleveland (Wynn 4-3), 7:30 p.m. New York (Reynolds 3-3) at Detroit (Trucks 1-1), 8:30 p.m. Boston (McDermott 4-0) at St. Louis (Garver 3-4), 8:30 p.m. Philadelphia (Fowler 1-2) at Chicago (Dobson) 1-3), 8:30 p.m.
Todays Probable Starting Pitchers
St. Louis (Staley 2-5) at Philadelphia (Thompson 04), 7 p.m. Pittsburgh (Law 3-1) at New York (Maglie 6-2), 7:30 p.m. Cincinnati (Fox 2-4 or Ramsdell 1-4) at Brooklyn (King 3-2), 7:30 p.m. Chicago (Schultz 2-1) at Boston (Sain 4-2), 7:30 p.m.
Caballero Rides to Veeck Syndicate Buys Phils Rescue Again
Notes on the Scorecard
Browns, Cannon Says
NEW YORK (AP) Jimmy Cannon of the New York Post said Thursday that the St. Louis Browns have been sold to a syndicate headed by Bill Veeck, former part-owner of the Cleveland Indians. Browns president Bill DeWitt said theres no truth to it whatsoever. President Will Harridge of the American League and other officials could not be reached for comment. Cannon said the deal was completed last week and that it included the Browns San Antonio Texas League farm. He added the Veeck group intends to keep the club in St. Louis. The Yankees returned home from Boston on Thursday, with manager Casey Stengel debating whether to bench rookie Mickey Mantle. The 19-year-old Mickey has a sprained left hand and cannot swing properly, but still tops the world champions in the RBI department with 33, leads the majors with 15 homers and is hitting .320. The Yankees open a series tonight in Detroit. Willie Mays, who came up a week ago to the New York Giants from Minneapolis where he was hitting at a .477 clip, cant figure how he lost more than half his average. Hes hitting .208 for the Giants, with five safeties in 21 times at bat. I must be in a slump, Mays said thoughtfully. Theyre throwing me the same pitches I was hitting in Triple A, only Im not hitting em here. Not too many curves, either. It cant be that because Im getting all the fast balls I want. The possibility of a left-handed catcher for the Pirates ended when Dale Long was claimed by the St. Louis Browns on waivers. The 25-year-old Long was drafted by the Pirates from Kansas City last winter. Long, left -handed all the way, was a first baseman until this spring. Thats when Branch Rickey decided he would make a good catcher. But all thats left at Forbes Field from that experiment are three slightly used left-handed catchers mitts.
NEW YORK For the past couple years, Ralph (Putsy) Caballero has worn uniform No. 3 for the Phillies. The one he had before that would be more appropriate: No. 9. Caballero weaved his ninth inning magic again Thursday night, cracking a tie-breaking three-run homer to help Philadelphia to a 5-4 victory over Brooklyn. The game was tied 2-2 when Caballero connected for his first career round-tripper off Dodgers reliever Carl Erskine. Though the Brooks rallied in the bottom of the frame against Milo Candini, they got no closer than 5-4 on Duke Sniders two-run home run. Caballero debuted with the Phillies as a 16-
year-old in 1944, and has been used mainly as a reserve during his six seasons with the team. He has batted .444 in 18 at-bats this year; hes a phenomenal 5-for-7 in the ninth inning, with his only homer and all seven of his RBI. On April 22, the slender infielders gametying single keyed a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth in a 5-4 win over Boston. On May 5, he dashed Red Mungers shutout bid in the bottom of the ninth with a gamewinning two-run single in a 2-1 win over St. Louis. He tormented the Dodgers on May 28, singling home the tying run in the bottom of the ninth moments before Richie Ashburn knocked home the winner in a 5-4 win. His heroics Thursday made a winner of Jim Konstanty (5-2), who turned in two shutout innings of relief. Erskine (2-5) took the loss.
Views
Of
Sport
By Red Smith
NEW YORK When Happy Chandler took office as baseball commissioner, the game had not been involved in a major law suit since the early 1930s, when the late Phil Ball, owner of the St. Louis Browns and a violent adversary of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, unsuccessfully challenged the commissioners authority to enforce the rules regarding the farming out of a player named Bennett. During Happys administration, baseball was almost continuously in court. And now, as he dawdles in the doorway to move beyond the reach of his swivel chair, the game is hips-deep in assorted legal actions. There are pending suits by ball players and club owners challenging the reserve clause under the anti-trust laws, and suits by clubs and radio stations attacking the territorial limitations on broadcasts. Inquiries into baseballs business methods have been scheduled by the Department of Justice and by Congressional investigators. It would be unfair and inaccurate to say that Happy got baseball caught in the tolls of the law. But it is self-evident fact that he did not keep the game out of courts, as Judge Landis did. The several bills which have been introduced in Congress and the investigations which are proposed do not deal exclusively with baseball. They are concerned with all professional sports. The popular impression is that whatever can be said of baseballs player contracts, can also be said of the agreements in professional football, that if baseballs reserve clause is illegal, footballs is too. This, it turns out, isnt necessarily so. Professional football has quietly undertaken to scrub up its business procedure. Every annual contract in professional baseball includes an option on the players services after expiration of the agreement. It binds the player for his whole professional life, for although he may sign a new contract every year, each new contract contains a new option. In the National Football League, the stanSMITH, Page 2
Major League Leaders
AMERICAN Doby, Cle. Valo, Phi. Minoso, Chi. Fain, Phi. Stephens, Bos.
Goodman, Bos.
G 37 33 28 38 29 35 37 31 37 28
AB 135 126 106 145 104 140 129 111 145 112
R 27 29 28 32 24 28 22 13 29 29
H 48 44 37 49 35 47 43 37 48 37
AVG. .356 .349 .349 .338 .337 .336 .333 .333 .331 .330
NATIONAL Jethroe, Bos. Musial, St.L Slaughter, St.L Furillo, Bro. Sisler, Phi.
Hemus, St.L
G 37 37 29 38 40 29 39 27 36 42
AB 146 147 109 153 157 108 146 106 136 156
R 41 37 22 25 27 15 23 19 29 29
H 60 60 38 50 51 35 47 33 42 48
AVG. .411 .408 .349 .327 .325 .324 .322 .311 .309 .308
Lipon, Det. Avila, Cle. Williams, Bos. Dropo, Bos.
Gordon, Bos. Fondy, Chi. Jones, Phi. Irvin, N.Y.
HR: Mantle (N.Y.) 15; Doby (Cle.) 10; Robinson (Chi.) 9; Dropo (Bos.) 9; Stephens (Bos.) 8. RBI: Robinson (Chi.) 37; Williams (Bos.) 36; Zarilla (Chi.) 34; Mantle (N.Y.) 33; Doby (Cle.) 31. Wins: Pierce (Chi.) 6-2; Feller (Cle.) 5-1; Trout (Det.) 5-2; Raschi (N.Y.) 5-2; Scheib (Phi.) 5-3. Strikeouts: Raschi (N.Y.) 49; Gray (Det.) 37; Trout (Det.) 37; McDermott (Bos.) 34; Reynolds (N.Y.) 33; Feller (Cle.) 33 . ERA: Wight (Bos.) 1.60; Cain (Det.) 1.85; Lopat (N.Y.) 2.13; Kucab (Phi.) 2.13; Feller (Cle.) 2.24.
HR: Thomson (N.Y.) 13; Sauer (Chi.) 12; Pafko (Chi.) 11; Jethroe (Bos.) 10; Musial (St.L) 10. RBI: Sauer (Chi.) 39; Musial (St.L) 38; Thomson (N.Y.) 38; Gordon (Bos.) 36; Pafko (Chi.) 34. Wins: Hearn (N.Y.) 7-1; Maglie (N.Y.) 6-2; Jansen (N.Y.) 6-3; Roe (Bro.) 5-1; Konstanty (Phi.) 5-2. Strikeouts: Queen (Pit.) 46; Blackwell (Cin.) 45; Jansen (N.Y.) 37; Newcombe (Bro.) 37; Rush (Chi.) 35. ERA: Jansen (N.Y.) 1.48; Roe (Bro.) 2.31; Rush (Chi.) 2.63; Newcombe (Bro.) 2.65; Meyer (Phi.) 2.93.
FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1951
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SMITH
From Page 1
dard contract commits the player to a club for one season and gives the club an option on his services for the following season. But it is specifically provided that there shall be no further option. From then on, player and club work on a year-to-year basis. It is up to the owner to satisfy the player each year in order to retain his services. A football player can become a free agent by the simple method of giving his employer notice and declining a new contact. For example, at the end of his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, George Savitsky, of Penn, advised the club that he intended to play out one more season under his option. Thereafter his obligations would be discharged and he would be free to retire or go elsewhere, as he saw fit. There was nothing the Eagles could do about this. The National Football League has no black list and no list of suspended players. Professional football feels it can operate successfully under this arrangement because the average playing career is relatively short. Over a period of four or five years, the player and the club can agree on a fair estimate of his value. During the time covered by the contract and option, the salary cant be cut; there is no provision in the contract for the 25 percent reduction allowed in the baseball agreement. Perhaps this would not be a practicable arrangement in baseball. A football player comes to the big league directly from college. His development up to that point has cost the club nothing. There is no expensive chain of minor
league farms, supported for the sole purpose of cultivating material for the parent club. The rookie doesnt represent, as the baseball newcomer often does, a large investment of cash and time and effort which must be protected. As in any other business, the pro football contact may be drawn for more than one year. If a player has exceptional value, his employer may sign him for three or five years. The Eagles, for instance, gave their agile halfback, Steve Van Buren, a three-year contract. Although there is not a list of suspended players no retaliatory measures have been taken against players who quit the National League to play in Canada the contact gives Bert Bell, the commissioner, disciplinary authority. He can suspend or expel individuals for conduct detrimental to the game. The football people have looked into the matter of federal regulations regarding broadcasting and telecasting games. They have been advised that if only two interested parties are involved that is, if Jack Mara, of the New York Giants, and George Preston Marshall, of the Washington Redskins, agree on radio and television terms for a game between their teams thats strictly kosher. But if a third party like the Yankees Ted Collins, for example, has a voice in the agreement, then it may become a conspiracy. In short, the football people seem to have foreseen the possibility of legal complications and to have taken steps to avoid them. If odious comparisons are in order, they shall not be made here.
National League Boxscores
