-DUCK T
By ERLING ERLANDSON
The Spotlight is on Tennis
Quiet, please. The house lights are dimmed, the curtain
parts, and . . .
Oregon s 1942 tennis team steps in front of the footlighis
this afternoon for the season’s opening matches against the
Irvington club.
Coach Russ Cutler has no net sensation this year. Last
year it was Leri Clark who blazed the glory trail. So today lie’ll
semi in a team of mildly-mannered, good, blit not spectacular
players.
There'll be Olympia’s Frankie Baker, Xo. 1. Baker is a
steady player with a bullet-like mid-court smash. There'll he
Johnny Williams, potentially a top-flight aee. in X'o. 2. There 'll
be Jim Ricksecker plugging XTo. 3. and small but hard-playing
Joe Rooney has the XTo. 4 post. In the X’o. 5 hole we ll see Allen
Card, a Eugene boy.
The conference race gets under way April IS when Oregon
trades blows with University of Washington at Seattle.
Looking over the Loop
And now for a look at the other division teams. Loth
Washington and Washington State should do well. Washington,
defending champions, has powerhouse Bob Odman, somewhat
slow but nonetheless a star, in the Xo. 1 ranking. Then there’s
the Eden twins and Lefever to round out the favorites.
Washington State college has the best individual player in
the loop in Merlin Miller, the California boy. Xo. 2 for tlie
Cougars is Bob Guiteau, another top net performer.
Idaho and Oregon State College are not expected to show
much.
Black fate stabbed the tennis teams in the back when John
MeCliment, the rampaging racket man who rose to the X’o. I
role, was declared ineligible because of scholarship. XTot only
MeCliment but also first and third-ranking freshmen, Fred
Howard and Ken Hamilton, must also step out of the picture.
Not only MeCliment, Howard, and Hamilton . . . hut also
“Smokey” Stover and Loyd Manning.
Gad, what a nightmare to turn into a reality!
* =* *
^ So, come out, sunshine . . . ’cause it’s tennis time.
ft ft
Of Athletics and Athletes
“Whitey” Lokan, on the mound for the frosli against
Franklin high school yesterday, looked strictly high class.
‘‘Whitey,” although he doesn't mix his pitches much, has a
pretty good high-speed curve, a hard straight one, and good
control . . . Drama hit .yesterday's Hayward Relays when at
least twice the anchor man crumpled to the cinder path after
breaking the tape in the marathon dashes . . . Young Pesky,
the University of Portland's sophomore hurler of the baseball
Peskys, deserves honorable mention for his 6-4 cleaning of our
^yebfoots . . .
But the 21-gun salute for the week’s sports effort goes to
Colonel Bill Hayward, originator, and Fritz Kramer, coach of
Eugene high, who was in charge, for yesterday's extremely
worthwhile and highly-organized Hayward Relays.
Parade rest!
By FRED TREADGGLD
Apologies are in order to Coach Hobby Hobson. When we
told of Hobby’s great pitching feat Thursday where he tamed
his slugging first stringers by a 6 to 5 count, carelessly (and
purely accidentally) we forgot to make mention of a slashing
three base blow which the Duck boss powered out. It was a
Herculean smash which went winging out between left and
center fields, and if Hobby had been in base-running form, he
would surely have completed the circuit with plenty to spare.
-> Like most pitchers, Hobby was mighty proud of that swat,
and rightly so, and henceforth. Mr. Hobson, we assure you that
we will not slip up again when you bang out your next triple.
Just to prove that his twirling performance was no quirk
of fate. Hobby announced this week that he would again as
sume the mound duties against the Duck varsity. Monday he
will sling the liorsehide in his repeat performance in for the
Oregon freshmen at the Webfoots and he promises to “clip
them again.”
4T
Banter From
Vince Pesky held up to his name and really proved him
self “pesky” yesterday when the Ducks hit a snag for the first
time this year, going down before the Pilots. Like Brother
Joe, who has proven a boon to the Boston Red Sox with his
scintillating fielding and hitting. Vince was really in Pitcher
Bob Rieder's hair when it came to “offensive attitudes.” The
Younger Pesky poked out three hits in four trials, scored
two times.
Dick Burns, who opened in right field in place of Ilank
Burns, no relation, made a very successful debut. Just a
sophomore, the lithe lefthander picked up a pair of blows, driv
ing across two Oregon runners.
LES STEERS . . .
. . . it wlil be a long time before Coach Haywaril finds another like
him. Steers is seen here clearing the bar at 6 feet 10 and 25-32 inches.
TRACK
Preppers Run
Salem, Molalla, and Vernonia
high schools captured first places
in the three classes entered in yes
terday afternoon's sixth annual
Hayward Relays which saw six
meet records broken.
Salem’s track and field team,
in Class A competition, turned on
the power to roll up 26 points.
Grants Pass was second with 15
and Eugene high school finished
third with 13 points.
The record-breaking program
saw the Salem winners shatter
the old meet time to 13 minutes
51.7 seconds when they galloped
the three-mile distance in the dis
tance medley relay. Cottage
Grove's Class B distanct medley
relay team chopped nine seconds
off the meet’s record when they
finished in 14 minutes 36.8 sec
onds. Broken also were the Class
B 440 and relay by Vernonia; the
Class B sprint medley by West
Linn; the Class C distance med
ley by Willamina; and the Class
B 440-yard medley relay by Bea
verton.
Thirty Teams Enter
Entered in the Relays, orig
inated by Colonel Hayward in
1937, were some 30 schools and
300 athletes from throughout the
state. This year, for the first
time, the meet was sponsored by
the Oregon High School Athletic
association and Vancouver, Wash
ington, last year’s Class A win
ner, was not allowed to compete.
‘'Fritz" Kramer, Eugene high
school coach, was in charge of
the meet and University ath
letes served as officials.
Next year, because of a. recent
state board ruling, the Hayward
Relays will be held at Corvallis,
alternating from now on between
the University and the state col
lege.
TfiincSads Clash
For the first time since the
Portland-Oregon track duals be
gan in 193S, the Duck thinclads
are rated underdogs. When the
two forces meet this afternoon at
two o'clock on Hayward field, it
will be the opener for both
squads.
The Duck mentor is faced with
the situation of finding a track
team from three returning letter
men, a few veterans who failed
to make their letters last season,
and a flock of sophomores. Hay
ward remarked Friday that he
was like all other track coaches,
when he has a poor team, ha tries
to build character.
On the other hand, Pilot Coach
George Philbrook is graced with
the return of five lettermen, and
Uhle Fielding
Fielding standout for the contest was Pilot Third Backer
Flile, who was all over the left side of the infield, spearing
drives left and right, turning “sure hits'’ into outs. Donnie
Kirseh. the pounding Duek second, sucker who is leading the
Webfoot sluggers with an average well over .400. was de
prived of a base blow in the first inning by the agile Fhle.
Kirseh met the sphere squarely, sending it scampering down
the third base line with plenty of steam. The wiry Fhle came
over fast, making a wild stab at the fleeting pellet. It was a
beautiful “get-’ and a quick relay to first to mercilessly cut
Kirseh off from a hit.
It looks like the umpiring situation around Eugene is defi
nitely on the upswing. Summers and Husband, two newcomers
to collegiate ball, turned in good jobs and as long as they
d°uiregress to a “Speck Burke complex” they will be able
to keep the games well under control.
SOFTBALL
S.R. Rides Highi
Intcrdonn
Sherry Ros3
Alpha Hall .
Gamma Hall
Omega Hall
Sigma Hall
Sta ruling's
W. L. Pet.
-1 1 >00
3 2 ,o00
3 3 .300
2 3 400
1 4 .200
League
Sherry Ross kept high atop of
the interdorm league leadership
by bombasting an inept Sigma
team into submission, 22 to 0.
Sigma fell apart in the Held
after their spectacular 2 to 1 vic
tory over Gamma the day before.
Today Alpha meets Gamma and
Sherry Ross and Omega tangle
in morning games.
Bobby Blair was on, the mound
for the Rossmen. and. went the
route, although he ran into a
last-ditch Sigma uprising in the
final frame. Thompson stuck out
the full distance for Sigma, al
though he was battered from pil
lar to post by the slugging Sher
ry boys.
Sigma was hampered by the
loss of “Lippy" Lipke and were
ineffective in the field and at the
bat. Dick Bennett made five
beautiful running catches in left
field and Johnny Crawford and
Dick Rogers drove in the Sigma
runs, but it was all a Sherry
Ross runaway.
Coach Comments
“This really opens the kids’
eyes to what real competition s.”
“X thought it was an excep
tionally good meet. There’s 'Jots
of interest in it. I'm sorry to see
it go to Corvallis.”
“It was a very well-conducted
meet. A tribute to Bill Hayward.”
Here are some of the comments
made by the competing high,
school coaches on the 1942 Bay
ward relays:
“It was one of the best meets
we've ever had.”
has an all-around well-balanced
squad.
Homer Thomas, one of the
three returning lettermen, should
place well in the pole vault. Ze
r.as Butler, another lettermac. is
a capable hurdler, and is also en
tered in the broad jump. The oth
er letter winner, Francis Ti.ck
vviler, has shifted from the (car
ter mile to the half mile. He will
face Leslie Peake, one of the
state's best high school half-mi'lcrs
last season.
Harvard university will re
ceive $750,000 from the estat- of
an attorney-philanthropist who
died recently for "training yoc.ng
men for the federal service of the
government of the United Stales.”
SENIORS
Caps,.Crowns, and
(-ommeneement
Announcements
should be ordered at
the 'Co-op*
AT ONCE
All Orders Must
Be in by April 18