Assistant Sports Editor
Take Me Out to the Bail Game ...
. . . a first-run play starring the University of Washington
Huskies and the University of Oregon Webfoot baseball team.
^The time: Today at 3 p,m.
The setting: Howe field.
The scene opens with the Purple and Gold of Seattle com
ing to bat. Washington leads the loop with four wins. In their
opening game the Huskies turned down Idaho 4-1. Then Mos
cow fell again, 2-0. Last weekend Washington State was
mutilated in two contests, 9-0 and 12-3.
TubbyGraves has a powerful mound corps. That big 6 foot
4 inch 111 pounder Doug Ford, sophomore righthander, who
unleashes a varied assortment of pitches, including floaters,
curves, and hard ones. The Washingtonians also have Bob
Cummins, chunky fireball hurler. Then there’s Laurie Heath,
brother of Cleveland’s Jeff, who stopped Idaho with two
blows. Dick Hazel, curve ball manufacturer, does the relief
Notching. Don’t let it worry you, but these pitchers gave up
only four runs in four, games and limited the limited opposi
tion to a quite limited number of hits.
Percentage sluggers for the Graves outfit are Bill Gissberg
at the first sack and Merlin “Boody” Gilbertson, cleanup hit
tei and shortstop. Oh yes, Doug Ford is also a powerhouse at
the plate when not on mound duty.
-So much for the background dope on the Husky charac
ter . . . now let’s have the opening scene of this new play.
Batter up!
Complaint Department
Old Mother Nature or whoever is responsible for the weath
er here must really be an anti-athletic being. For our base
ball has been stalled by rain and hail and all sports programs
handicapped by cold temperatures and darkened skies.
Surely she knows that it’s hard on the pitcher to throw
a wet-weighted ball with a cold arm. Surely she knows that
ground balls don’t act naturally on mud. Surely she knows
it’s hard to bat or to haul in flies when the skies are downcast.
Surely she knows the runners can’t run, the jumpers can’t
jump, the tennis team can’t play, the golfers can’t golf . . .
when the rain is whipping into the earth.
So ... ah hates Old Mother Nature.
A Big Guy With a Big Job
-'Commissioner Edwin Atherton is still visiting Oregon on
his routine check-up stay. So far no checks.
Many persons associate Mr. Atherton only with headline
cases of ineligibility rulings and picture him as a crime-bust
ing, heavy-artillery policeman. But he is far more truly the
business man type and his work less sensational.
It’s up to the somewhat heavyset deliberate speaking ex
G-man to interpret and administer the rules made by the con
ference directors. His work involves endless hours of minute
checking of the conference recruiting, grants-in-aid, work as
signments, and rules-of eligibility.
Bill Sewell, WSC’s pass-flipping halfback, was the first
case this year. Sewell was called out just before he was set
for mound play against the Ducks here and after the commis
sioner had a chance to talk with him. Atherton believes the
aerial ace had been wrongly informed when he was allowed
to' play- with an independent basketball team in the Kansas
City tournament last winter, so he called for a conference
vote by mail. The results are not known yet.
On the whole or in part, Atherton’s presence in the Coast
conference picture lias resulted in better football and, now
that the rules are more conscious to all concerned, ineligibility
rulings have been cut to a low.
Of Athletics and Athletes
Speaking- of statistics and their interpretation, did you
know that our Joe Gordon was the lowest fielding second base
man in the American circuit last season and yet with a .270
hit average received ten times as many votes for the 1941 ma
jor league all-star team than did any other candidate for that
post ! . . . The papers say no more night baseball in New York.
Poor Oregon Joe—he was the league's leading hitter under
the lights with a .408 clip.
Johnny Bubalo rates on top as a no-strikeout hitter . . .
Sere’s a vote for Dick Whitman as the Duck with the best
hitting form. Watch the bat cock into action position as the
ball rolls off the hurler’s fingertips . . . And how about those
almost fantastic outs that “Cap” Carney in left field gath
ers up?
jbiamostd 2>ape cut . . ^ed Pilip,
The flip of a coin—in fact, four
flips—decided where Ted Pilip,
peppery little Duck catcher,
would conclude his college career.
The time was 1940. Young Pil
ip, after finishing two years of
engineering at Portland U, was
in a quandary as to where he
would transfer to complete his
education. The choice lay be
tween those time-worn rivals,
Oregon and Oregon State.
OSC Had Engineering
The Corvallis institution had
an engineering school at which
Pilip could continue his engi->
neering major and graduate with
a degree. Offsetting this was the
University at Eugene which of
fered an architectural course
which also appealed to Ted. This
constructing idea sort of runs in
the Pilip family as his dad is a
contractor in Portland.
So Ted figured that the only
way to decide things fairly was
the old tried method of coin
flipping. First toss came up
“Oregon State.’’ Not so good, so
he tried it again. Still “Oregon
State!’’ Again the flip and again
“Oregon State.” Undaunted, Pil
ip tossed once more. The law of
averages didn’t fail this time and
the fourth flip of the coin said
“Oregon.”
And that’s the story of how
Ted Pilip, number one Duek
backstop, came to Oregon.
The rest of the story since he
has been here, can be related to
you by any ardent Oregon sports
fan who has followed the for
tunes of the Ducks this season.
Young Mr. Pilip fitted right
into Howard. Hobson’s catching
slot, which Bill Calvert vacated
this year, lending steadiness to
the club which only an experi
enced hand can. Not only that,
but the diminutive Pole from
Portland has developed into one
of the club’s most dependable
sluggers. A .357 clouting mark
plus the highest runs-batted-in
average for the team attests to
Pilip’s prowess. In the second Ida
ho game, the little slugger batted
in three runs with a single and
triple, with two men on.
Catching 10 Years
For over ten years Pilip has
been encasing himself in the
bulky catcher’s dress. He got Ids
start when he was but twelve,
in a youngsters’ league in Port
land, and has done nothing but
catch ever since.
Upon entering prep school
age he turned to Roosevelt high
where he played in his favorite
catching spot and held down
fullbaek on the football eleven,
being chief alternate for Chet
Haliski, ex-Duck quarterback,
while a junior.
From Roosevelt high to Port
land U went diminutive Mr. Pil
ip for two years of backstopping
on the Pilot diamond crew. His
two-year hitting average was
safely leveled around the .350
mark.
Last summer Alaska's “wil
derness” called Pilip, who
“roughed it" in Anchorage for
four months, helping paint a post
office. “Too many mosquitoes
and too much cold” were the
chief complaints that Pilip had
of the frozen land to the north.
He played no ball last summer—
the first time in years, as he an
nually participated in semi-pro
ball in Portland.
He says he has no professional
baseball ambitions but plans on
going into the architectural busi
ness with his father on comple
tion of school this June. Unlike
many athletes, Pilip still finds
time to “hit the books” and has
accumulated a GPA of better
than three-point.
Strong Husky Track
Squad Faces Ducks
By BILL STRATTON
Oregon’s varsity trackmen
face one of their strongest rivals
this Saturday when they meet
the , Washington Huskies in the
first conference dual meet of the
1942 season. With Bill Hayward
trying to shape a team out of
the weakest material he has had
in his 40 years of coaching at
the University, and the Huskies a
strong contender for the northern
division flag this season, it ap
pears that the Oregons will have
a tough time whipping the high
stepping Washington men.
" Washington seems to be strong
est in the distance events, where
Oregon is somewhat weak. Hus
ky Roy Anderson has been
clocked at 4:25 in the mile thus
far in the season, while Oregon’s
crack miler, Don Wilson, ran his
best time at 4:29 in the time trials
before the Portland meet. He has
failed to touch this mark since
that time.
Swanzey Dashes Fast
The Huskies also seem to be
strong in the half mile event with
Gene Swanzey, who has record
ed 1:55 in the 880 thus far in the
season. This event should go to
Washington, but the Ducks will
probably be strong contenders.
The Webfoot thinclads can
be expected to put up a stiff
battle in the high and low hur
dles, with Zenas Butler, Owen
Day, Ralph Kramer, and Bob
Simpson; but they will face
such Washington speedsters as
Lyle Clark, Bill Bannick, and
Fred Faber. Oregon appears
strong in this event, and the
participants are also entered in
the sprints.
All in all, however, this will
probably be the toughest meet
on/ the Oregon schedule. All
available dope rates the Huskies
high and puts them in line for the
crown, even licking Washington
State, always favorites. The
Ducks are faced with a lack of
man power this season that will
probably spell victory for the
Huskies unless a fleet of speed
sters is unleashed before Satur
day. A£
EX-WEBFOOT . . .
. . . Bill Gissberg, now holding
down first for Huskies.
GAME CALLED
The Oregon State-Idaho game
at Corvallis yesterday was post
poned due to adverse weather
conditions.
Colonel Bill has been working
hard with the squad all week, but
has had no time trials. There was
no organized workout Thursday
because of a high school track
meet.
Trip Cancelled
There will be no irip to the
Inland Empire this weekend
for the Webfoot golf team.
Oregon’s defending champi
ons were scheduled to play the
Washington State links team
at Pullman this afternoon and
the Idaho club tomorrow at
Moscow, hut the matches
were called off because of
transportation difficulties.
The next matches for the
varsity will he with Oregon
State at Corvallis next week
end.
Warren Sends
Duck Eleven
Thru Paces
In the mud and rain Oregon
Grid Squad' & Co. rolled through
another vigorous drill under
Head Coach Warren and his sen
ior lettermen cohorts yesterday.
The length of the practice had
no reflection on the nature of
events. Warren is tying the loose
ends of Tex Oliver’s reign sure
ly and firmly, sparing no one or
time in the process.
Huge Ed Moshofsky has taken
over the tackles, Floyd Rhea is
helping the new guards on their
weak points, while “Honest John”
spends the majority of his time
on the centers and backs. The
pivot spot is the weakest point of
the team as there are no returning
lettermen at that particular po
sition.
Backfield OK
The backfield is in good shape
at the present time and should
prove to be as powerful as any
on the coast providing the losses
to the Army do not reach too
high a number. The newest addi
tion to the backs is Val Culwell,
a two-year letterman as a rough
and ready guard. Coach Warren
is in need of a blocking back and
Culwell appears to be the man
for the job. Speed, weight, and
ruggedness are the former
guard’s assets, experience being
his only offset and something he
will pick up rapidly.
There will be no more practices
till next Monday when the squad
resumes drill on new plays.
Tuesday will be a review of plays
and Wednesday spring practice
will draw to a finish with a heavy
scrimmage under game condi
tions.