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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1946)
By FRED BECKWITH CO-SPORTS EDITOR Howard Hobson leads his gang of untested baseballers into action tomorrow afternoon against Pacific Univeristy in a doubleheader at Howe field. Coach Hobb\ has little know ledge of the prospective talent of his horschide ciew. hailing rain, however, the veteran mentor will have a few ideas at the conclusion of tomorrow's contest. In theii last diamond foiae, the Ducks (1943 vintage) split the Northern division title with Oregon State. Reports eminating from Corvallis indicate that the current Beavers are loaded with-talent and anxious to giab off the championship laurels. DODGER VETERAN Coach I-Iobson will be ably assisted by Barney Koch, who •will coach the freshman squad in addition to serving as assist ant varsity coach. Barney, a membei of the 1943 bunch at Oregon, did a brief stretch as mfielder with the Biookhn Dodgers of the National League not so long ago. Meanwhile, the diamond Ducks have been busy with batting and pitching practice capped by intersquad games. Latest major leaguer to desert the ranks of the national loops is Brooklyn Dodger backstop, Mickey Owen, just out of the service, has indicated that he will accept another one of those by-now-famous offers from the Mexican baseball league. forge Pasquel, prexy of tlie south-of-the-border-loop. has evidently shelled out another nice hunk of cabbage. The S',rat teen of todav are building plans for the future. 1 hey want the best cash deals obtainable on the market, and they apparently do not care whether they play for American or Mexican audi ences. After all, friends, the cost of living is going up, and the professional athletes can continue their sheer love of the game on Fancho Villa’s soil. Several things may happen out of this southern migration, however. Fig league owners may be forced to jump salary rates a few thousand smackers all the way up the line to match the Mexican competition. We understand that the Mexican representatives merely deposit the dough-ray-me (three years in advance) in banks in the United States. Some of the American boys are ev en grabbing off bonus in addition to their already fat salaries. < uys like Yern Stephens, Owen and others may get so fond of Mexican living that they will consider residence on a yearly I asis. ’ The value of an American dollar is a bit higher in Mexico we are informed by our economics experts. It may be a problem for immigration authorities to worry about. But think of the other possibilities. Baseball has evidently caught on in shawl land. Why not professional football and basketball, too? Mr. Jorge Pasquel, he of the bulging bankbooks, may well decide to "angel" a few other enterprises. The practice of “holding Oi.it” for more money may develop into open labor-strike action for national baseballers. “Pay us more money. Mister Bossman, or we’ll go down to Mexico and cash in!” TWIST TO THE DEAL Another amusing .twist to the whole situation is the fact that in the lean war rears, baseball outfits like the W ashing ton Senators were stocking- their rosters with Latin American t,.lent. The manpower shortage drained mail) of the loading figures in the national pasttime, and club owners, in despera tion, searched all available crannies for men. The answer came i unofficial lend-lease of Mexican and Cuban talent. So Mexico can now chant: “Senors. con took our players in the war rears, v. In do von complain because we har e hired your players in peace time?" Even some of baseball's “old men" are being lured south ward by the,scent of freshly-minted greenbacks. “Red" Ruffing, veteran right handed twirler for the 'New York Yankees has confirmed the report that he. too. has been approached by one o' Mr". i’asi|UcTs henchmen. "Red" has turned the ripe old age x 4b, but he is confident of maintaining two successful seasons I efore the old sohplnme gives arr ay. In all this melee of cash transactions, friend Turnbull and yours trully have only this to say: If so much money is being doled out to American baseball players in the Mexican league, surely the hacienda bigshots can afford to shell out a few pea ruts to a couple of broken-down sports editors. Nope, we’re rot asking for a raise. Even a germ couldn’t live on the salary v.e’re drawing down at the present time. WEBFOOT ENTERS NAVY Bill Anderson, 210 pound Webfoot center, is receiving con gratulations from Ch.MM. Leahy after signing up for a hitch in the navy at the Portland recruiting office. Elimination Tourney Sets Varsity Tennis Berths By Carl Clut'f Pointing for the opening tennis match of the season 'With Willam ette University April 18, Coach Paul R. Washke is staging a dou ble elimination tournament to de termine the top ten men for posi tions on the team. In the championship bracket the competition has been whittled down to the semi-final matches. Yesterday's results saw J. Zeiger take two straight sets from D. Brunton 6-2 arid 6-3, and C. Dela no cop two out of three sets from C. Stamper 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Zeiger and Delano will battle for the final position of the. upper bracket this afternoon. In the lower bracket V. Mc Bride advanced toward the covet ed title with 7-5 and 6-3 victories over W. Baird and N. Reed beat P. Forsythe 6-2 and 6-3. McBride will match shots with Reed this afternoon to see who will play the winner of the Zeiger-Delano bat tle for the number one spot on the team. Fighting it out for fifth place in the consolation bracket will he II. Chin and H. Angel, who both advanced to the semi-finals vifi default and in the lower division 1). Van Zandt defeated C. Clark 8-6 and 6-0 and E. Ugi'esich drop ped C. Wilbur 6-2, 6-4. WRITERS NECESSARY Once again the beginning of a term finds the sports staff of tlie Emerald under-manned. Men are needed to cover the varied fields of athletics here at the University. All men interested are urged to contact either Tommy Wright or Leo nard Turnbull or come to the sports room of the Journal ism building any evening after 7:80. SPOUTS STAFF THIS ISSUE Co-sports editors: Fred Beckwith Ltonard Turnbull Staff writers. '■'% Tommy Wright Carl Cluff Bernie Hammerbeck Orangemen Start Ball Sessions _ By Bernie Hammerbeck The promising Oregon State baseball nine opens its 1946 sea son this weekend with three tilts against the Salem Senators of the Western International league. Coach Ralph Coleman will exhibit his Beavers in a single game on Friday afternoon and again Sat urday as the Staters and Senators square off in a doubleheader. Cecil Returns Beaver supporters are much en couraged this week by the return of Don Cecil, recently discharged from the navy. Cecil was a main stay of the 1943 team which tied for the northern division cham pionship, winning four and losing one in conference competition that season. Also back this spring is Bill Frazer, another flinger from the 1943 team. Frazer will prob ably hurl the opener Friday. Only other returning letterman besides Cecil and Frazer is Don Bower, hard hitting second base man. Grant Swan track coach is none too happy over track prospects with the Oregon relay only ten days away. The 1946 OSC cinder team can boast only three letter men—Bob Steveps, Bob Reiman, and Bill Blackledge, all weight men. The Beaver trackmen are host to a three-way meet the week following the Oregon relays when they entertain Portland university and Willamette April 20. Tennis Team Coach Irwin Harris’s varsity tennis call resulted in thirty-three candidates for the 1946 net team. Ladder play for positions on the team is scheduled to start th!^-~ week. Showing promise in early season practice include Hugh Findlay and Gay Chin of Portland; Max Carter, Charles City, Iowa; Dick Atwood, Corvallis; and Ralph Theus, Milton Moss and Jack Wea ton, navy trainees. Coach Harris has no returning lettermen. The Beaver netters open their season April 17 against Willamette on the Corvallis courts. The Orange golf team opens against Willamette on the Corval lis links April 13/ Keh Roberts is the only returning letterman on the golf team, and Bill Webber and George Strong, both. of Portland, ■ (Please turn ter five) BASEBALL'S GREATEST FAMILY The three DiMaggio brothers will all be performing in the major leagues this year, Left^ to right in the above photo, Vince will perform in the outfield for the Philadelphia Phils; Joe will regain his old garden post for the new York Yankees, and Dominic returns to the outer pastures for the Boston Red Sox.