September

Almost everybody has been conceding the flag to the Yankees for quite a spell. But the Yanks have shown a tendency to stumble and, after the Indians scalped them in three straight last week, some folks, including Manager*Casey Stengel, foresaw trouble. It was generally conceded that nothing-short of a sensational winning streak would bring the Indians eyen close.

He has led in most earned runs yielded over a season, bases on balls and hits allowed. On the other hand he has pitched (and lost) a no-hitter, led in complete games, won 13 in arow and equaled a record by fanning six consecutive Yankees. WHEN 8080 WAS ONLY 24 he already had two trials with the Dodgers and one with the Cubs, without winning a game. When the Cubs wanted to send him to Los Angeles in 1933, after Newsom had won only four and lost 12 for Albany, he balked. “You can have California,” he said. Then he got to thinking how nice it was playing in the majors and he reported, after all, and won 30 games. His reward was purchase by the St. Louis Browns. That was Bobo’s pattern throughout his career. While he never could be accused of laying down on the job, it was an acknowledged fact that when he really drew a bead on some goal he usually achieved it by extra effort.

Could be the selectors again will lead toward a pitcher. They could do worse. The White Sox have a pair of eligibles in Billy Pierce and Virgil Trucks. Bob Porterfield rates a salute for his 18 victories and seven shutouts. Splitting ’em in the National League is going to be at least as difficult. Red Schoendienst of the Cards, leading the hitters, has a claim. So have Roy Campanella, Duke Snider and Carl Erskine of the Dodgers, plus Roberts, Warren Spahn of the Braves and, probably with the strongest recommendation of all, Ed Mathews, also of Milwaukee. This young man already has hit seven more homers than Sauer did last season and with 21 games left, has driven in 122 runs, one more than Hank’s 1952 total. AH, YES THE YANKEES!

The 68-year-old former National League infielder was admitted to the hospital last January with advanced tubercu losis. Herzog’s colorful 30-year career in the major leagues included tours as player or manager with the New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds. The long-time resident of Baltimore had been found sick and penniless in the lobby of a small hotel here and was taken to the hospital with what doc tors said was an extremely advanced stage of tuberculosis.

The Sporting News’ copyrighted story to the effect that Los Angeles eventually is destined to become a National League city is not news to Frank Lane, general manager of the White Sox. A live wire among the American League’s reactionaries, Lane has been trying to warn his colleagues that much significance lay behind the National League’s 1947 decision to revise its constitution to permit embracing two more cities. With a minimum of legislative action the Nauonal could take Los Angeles and San Francisco or Mon treal into its fold, whereas the American’s constitution still provides for only eight clubs. The Nats start bringing up farmhands this week, includ ing an outfielder from Scranton of the Eastern League with the picturesque handle of Elder Haapala.

The big outfielder drove in a run and scored twice with a double and single in the first game and accounted for two runs with a triple in the second. Cleveland shaved New York’s American League lead to nine games, winning a pair from the Browns while the Yankees were held to a split at Boston. Home runs by A1 Rosen, Larry Doby and Dale Mitchell gave the In dians a 10-7 victory after Bob Lemon had blanked the Browns, 3-0. in the opener. Rosen’s homer enabled him to retain the league lead over Phil adelphia's Gus Zernial, 39 to'3B Lemon hurled a six-hitter for his 19th victory. Williams Beats Yankees.

Last year 37 was tops. Ralph Kiner and Hank Sauer, swinging from their heels all season, were restrained at this point. In the American League the high was Larry Doby’s 32. Rosen and Zernial already have 39 and 38, respectively, so far. SPALDING PEOPLE PROTEST charges that a livelier ball is being wound. There is some other reason, they say, for the orgy of home runs, which may reach record proportions and surpass the distance clouting of the Ruth, Foxx, Hack Wilson, Chuck Klein, Greenberg and Ott days. If the pitchers are reluctant to accept the word of the ball manufacturers it is understandable. In their minds the evidence that they are throwing a needled ball is pretty conclu sive. By September 1 hitters in both majors had poled 1,983 homers. Two clubs, Brooklyn and Cincinnati, blasted 66 in their first 20 games against each other.

LaFond is now in Germany and will return to CU September 20. Baseball (Continued From Page C-l.) thrown out of the game for the seventh time this year for arguing over a decision in the fifth. It was his fifth expulsion from a game with the Yankees. Brooklyn’s slugging crew slammed two more home runs, Nos. 193 and 194, tying the club record set in 1950. Peewee Reese hit a grand slammer and Duke Snider cracked 4iis 38th. Bob Milliken, replacing the injured Johnny Podres with two out and two on in the first, pitched hitless ball for BV 3 innings to gain his seventh victory. The rookie right hander walked one batter and he retired 25 of the 26 men he faced.

In the only other National League game yesterday the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Giants, 7-6. Meanwhile, the Yankees moved closer to the American League title with a 1-0 triumph over Chi cago and Cleveland bowed to Boston, 14-4 in the only other action. Homer for Williams. Eddie Lopat outduelled Sandy Consuegra for the Yankee vic tory. with the winning run coming on Gene Woodling's second inning home run into the lower left field stands at Yankee Sta dium. Lopat scattered four hits in winning his 15th game, his fourth over the White Sox and his third shutout. Chico Car rasquel got three of the four Chi cago safeties.

Giants. The lowly Browns stopped Boston, 2-0. Ted Gray pitched and batted the Tigers to victory over the Yankees. He scattered six hits and scored the winning run in the 10th when he tripled and rode home on a long fly by Harvey Kuenn. Yogi Berra and Joe Collins homered for the Yankee runs. Duane Pillette blanked the Red Sox on three singles and held Ted Williams hitless for only the second time since the slugger returned to the regular lineup. Trucks Wins No. 19. Virgil Trucks of the White Sox I hung up his 19th victory and aided his own cause at Phila delphia by driving in three runs, two of them on a home run.

Milwaukee 91 $7 The pennant was the eighth won by the Dodgers since 1900 Brooklyn clinched the flag ear lier than any other league team in history. The Dodgers had to come from behind to win this vital game, as Carl Erskine notched his 19th victory of the year The Braves drew first blood in the second inning when they push ed over a single run. Catcher Walker Cooper was safe on an error by Dodger infielder Billy Cox. Cooper scored the run following singles by Joe Adcock and Johnny Dittmer. But Brooklyn came back fighting in the first of the fourth inning with a two-run outburst. Pee Wee Reese was safe on an error by Braves infielder Johnny Logan.

In other American League games. Detroit solidified its hold on sixth place, sweeping a dou ble-header with Washington, 10-4 and 6-4, while the Browns and Athletics divided their dou ble-header. The Browns spoiled Rookie Bob Trice’s major league debut, defeating the Philadel phia Negro, 5-2, In the opener. The A’s won the second, 2-0, as Harry Byrd ended a personal nine-game losing streak with a five-hitter. The seventh-place Cubs extended their winning streak to nine, defeating the Dodgers, 3-2 in 10 innings.

Among Six Leaders in Earned-Run Marks By th« Associated Press NEW YORK. Sept. 15.—The Yankees, pennant winners once usain. boast three pitchers among ♦he first six in the competition for American League earned-run honors. Figures compiled by the Associated Press show Eddie Lopat leads the circuit with a 2.52 average. The 35-year-old veteran has given up 47 earned runs in 168 innings. He has won 15 games and lost only three. Whitey Ford, another Yankee left-hander, is second with a 2.61 laverage, Johnny Sain, cred ited with the Yankees’ clincher yesterday, is sixth with a 3.05 mark. In the National League.

The Reds now are in sixth place, two games behind the fifth-place Giants and three ahead of the Cubs. Baczewski Wins 10th. They beat the Giants, 4-3, last night and get a chance to shave off another game today. Four singles and a walk produced four Cincinnati runs in the second inning. Rookie Fred Baszewski scattered eight New York hits for his 10th victory against three losses. In other National League games yesterday the Phillies broke Chicago’s 10-game winning streak with a 4-2 decision, Brook lyn edged St. Louis, 4-3, on Duke Snider’s two-run pinch homer in the ninth inning and Pittsburgh defeated Milwaukee, 7-5.

For Nats'Best Mark Since '33 Seeks 21st Victory Against Pierce in Next-to-Last Start By Burton Hawkins Bob Porterfield tonight will attempt to become the first Washington pitcher in 20 years to win more than 20 games when he tackles the White Sox and their accomplished left-hander, Billy Pierce, at Griffith Stadium. The game will be televised by WTTG. Seeking his fifth victory over Chicago. Porterfield will try to join a select group of five Washington pitchers who have won more than 20 games.

His column will resume on his return. funny situation. A beat-up major league ball club is sitting dearily in the cellar until some of the players start taking the advice of the bat boy. The Bisons immediately start playing pennant winning ball, knocking off the Yankees as if the Yankees were the browns, and the kid is officially named manager of the club. Producer Leonard Goldstein and Director Harmon Jones undoubtedly thought this a bright bit of fantasy. There is more to it, however, and no fantasy is allowed to rear its head around this ball park.

TheArit cost J Robin Roberts his 15th dffeat. Russ Meyer, former Phil now pitching for tile National League champions, opened the fifth with a single down the first base line. Junior Gilliam doubled and the pitcher went to third. After Peewee Reese popped out to Richie Ashburn, Duke Snider was walked to fill the bases. Then Robinson connected. Eddie Lopat, injured Yankee pitcher, and Jim Turner, Yankee pitching coach, watched the game in which Meyer earned a series starting job. The Dodgers belted Roberts for two runs in the first on Reese’s hit and home run over the rightfield screen.

The only second-place club ever to attract more than the current Braves were the 1950 Tigers, who drew 1,951,474. Briggs Stadium seats 52,954. The Braves team drew 281,- 278 in Boston last year, an attendance just about duplicated by the ’53 Browns in St. Louis. Trucks Gets His 20th. With the pennant races de cided, attention was focused on individual performances yester day. Virgil Trucks became the fourth American League pitcher to win 20 games this year when he hurled a 5-2 victory as the White Sox swept a double header from the Browns.

Smith, former Tech High and Clemson star, caught the pass with two defenders hanging on. Bob (Shoo-Shoo) Shemonski, formerly of Maryland, was responsible for setting up the score. He returned John Todd’s punt 28 yards to the Haner carried to the 10 and Hank Lauricella swept to the 6. Kent scored early in the third period, marching 70 yards. Mike Norcia went the final 13 yards to score but Belvoir’s Bob Langas blocked Tony Rocco’s point try. Five years ago—The Braves won the National League flag by defeating the Giants, 3-2.

COLUSA, Calif., Sept. 26 William Aloysius Cunningham, 58-year-old former New York Giants outefielder who played in three World Series, died here today of a heart attack. Cunningham was with the Giants in 1921, 1922, and 1923 when they played the Yankees in the World Series, the Giants winning the first two years and the Yankees the third. He also played with the Boston Braves in 1924. Cunningham started his baseball career with Portland and joined the Giants in 1921. Later he was a coach for the White Sox and retired last year as baseball coach of the University of San Francisco. THE SUNDAY STAR, Washington, D. C. SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 37.