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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 1949)
(DUCK TRACKS By Tom King Emerald Sports Editor The weazened little guy with th.e trim black goatee approach ed us rather apologetically the other day, and between his com ing and his going, he went about putting a damper on things concerning athletics in general and Oregon in particular. While thoughtfully stroking his bristling patch of tuft, name ly, the goatee, the weazened little guy commenced his usual line of chatter concerning the growing pains presently afflicting the fastly growing proselyting business. But Mr. W. L. G. W. T. B. G., having once collared us, dared not let us get away without playing a trump card that left a large lump in our already well-lumped throat. "You fellows at Oregon think you are going to get this Bill Fell to do a bit of halfbacking for you next fall, don't you,” he commented in a rather off-hand manner. Deal With Bill Fell May Fall Right Through r t.n . i in a. i sprinter wno sent the Junior College ranks reel ing on its collective posteriors last year? Sure, Oregon will get him. He’s all sacked up. Why, Fell even flew up to the campus more than once, and has himself told several folks that he’ll do his mobiiing in a Duck uniform in ’49.” We told him this flatly, truthfully. “Don’t bank on it, buddy,” the weazened little guy shot back. “From the Southland I received a little friendly advice, substance of which was that Fell has ex perienced a prerogative which I previously had thought belonged only to young nouse pets ana wo men—he’s changed his mind. Fell intends to plane out to the Uni versity of Michigan shortly, and my informant says that he might well plan to say there. “Whatever the case, Fell is giv ing the matter a mental going over. From what I gather, he won’t matriculate at Oregon. “And just to spice things, I hear that Jack Gibilisco, his hard-run ning teammate, has had a change of heart and may not make resi dence in Oregon, either. My source, you understand, is a reli able one, Art Rosenblum of Fris co. Would Follow in Footsteps of Finney, Matson We shrugged and said something, also truthfully, about the fact that "Oregon will get along all right any way.” The weazened little guy with the trim black goatee nodded in approval, but added that “a quail in the hand is worth two in the bush.” He obviously was referring to Oregon’s prior experi ences of the “now-we-got-’em, now-we-ain’t” sort. Both John Finney and Ollie Matson were said to have been lassoed by the Ducks, but both had ideas of their own,, and different .ones at that. “While on the subject of football,” the weazened little guy hastened on, “I’ve uncovered a couple of items right in your own back yard. Oregon will use a rather novel signal calling system next autumn. The quarterback will call the plays in the huddle— fine and dandy. But once the team gets up to the scrimmage line, the Experienced George Bell, a halfback, will have the license to change signals if he thinks it necessary. “And what with the rapidly switching defenses used in pres ent day football, this little arrangement could have quite a bear ing on things. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Bowerman's Showinq Best Since That of McLarney “Too, I thought perhaps you’d like to know that Jim Calder wood completed nine passes ou of an equal number of tries the other afternoon. “As for track, maybe you didn’t realize that if Bill Bower man brings his Ducks in second in the Northern Division cham pionships Saturday it will consti tute the biggest show of improve ment by a ND outfit since Art McLarney put a super-charge in to a previously inert Washington basketball squad two years ago. Of course, Sir Arthur M. started coasting back downhill last sea son. Digging a tooth-pick into his teeth—those that remained, the weazened little guy leaned back in his chair as if he were going to tell us a story now. He did. “Back in the days when dads grew handle-bar mustaches and the ladies wore hoop skirts, tone Ralph “Coley” Coleman was do ing a spot of pitching for Ore gon State. “One tense afternoon, Ralph got hooked up in a breathless mound duel. The score was tied in the ninth, there were two out, a man on third and Coleman pit ching—the situation perfecto. Ralph Listened, But Neither Stopped nor Looked “Suddenly the third-base coach for the team at bat had an in spiration—much to Coleman’s subsequent regret. Cupping his hands, he shouted, so that all could hear, “Throw the ball to me, Coley.” “And Ralph, just in the process of beginning his windup, quickly, without giving matters a second thought, wheeled around and fired the ball toward third. What he hoped would re sult in catching the man on third off base really enabled that same youth to jog home with the winning run—and the ball con tinued on its course out toward left field. The weazened little guy looked up, reflectively. “I still see a few oldtimers these days egging Coleman about that incident— and with bare mention of it the Oregon State coach turns a deep red. I’ve even known youngsters to pick up the cry of “throw the ball to me, Coley” when he goes out on the coaching lines. Our story-teller winked significantly and quietly slipped away. Throw the ball to me, Coley. Sports Sketch' Cohen--Where Twin Kills Start and Grounders End Detonator for Oregon’s record shattering double play combina :ion is Shortstop A1 Cohen, veter in member of the Cohen to Kirsch ;o Bartle twin kill corporation. The 21-year-old Portland senior vas named all-Northern Division shortstop last year, and is present y team captain of the Webfoots. In line for his fourth varsity etter, A1 attended Lincoln -high, n Portland, where he graduated in 1945 after lettering three times n baseball and once in basketball. He was selected all-state short stop all three years he played high school ball. A1 played Amercan Legion ball :rom 1943 to 1945, where he picked ip some pointers from the famed sVade Williams. He was also a nember of the Gilbert furniture outfit that copped the state semi iro title and traveled back to sVichita, Kans., for national com petition. “The Oregon baseball fans are the best in the Northern Division —toward our own ballplayers and to visiting squads,” A1 commented. TEAMMATE Walt Kirsch and the Rook are the only four year lettermen on the current Duck nine, and both have served as team :aptain. With his batting average nudg ing the .400 mark, and a total of 20 runs batter in to top the confer ence, A1 still is behind the eight ball when he gets to Moscow. Divoteers Leave For ND Finals With five Webfoot linksmen in tow, Coach Sid Milligan left Eu gene Thursday for Moscow, Idaho, where the 36-hole Northern Divi sion golf tourney will be played Saturday. Practice rounds are slated to get underway this morn ing. In order of their squad rank, the golfers are John Eckstrom, Dom Provost, John Prince, and Jim Donahue, with Red Omlid serving as an alternate. All are capable of sub-par golf, as evi denced by their 5-win, 2-loss rec ord this spring. Milligan reported that Donahue has the best point-scoring mark in conference play to date, winning 161/2 out of a possible 22 /2 points. Prince and Provost are next with lSy4 points, followed by Eckstrom, Omlid, Fred Zolessi, and Bob Se ilerstrom. The ND championship is deter mined on the aggregate low scores of all four men for 38 holes, close after the horse went out for a. smoke. The Rook spent last summer powdering baseballs for the Miller Lumber company nine of the Cas cade league. DURING THE winter off-season A1 likes to stretch two pieces of tape on the floor, as far apart as his normal batting stance, then stand on the tape and swing a Louisville Slugger for 15 or 20 minutes. Through this indoor phenomena, A1 developed a new “open batting stance” which has paid off in base hits this spring. I, f«ONE OF THE YEAR'S 10 BEST*—nx timis TECHNICOLOR I Now Playing McDonald Theatre TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Mat. 2:30—$1.20, $1.50, $1.80. Eve. 8:30—$1.20, $1.80, $2.40. COLLEGE STUDENTS $1.00 ALL PERFORMANCES! “BOOKS” To add importance to your current reading, try THE PHILOSOPHY OF PEACE by John Somerville ($3.00) ... a scholar's answers to the ques tions we all are asking. Or get the inside story of Democra cy's battle in Europe first-hand from Quentin Reynolds in his new book LEAVE IT TO THE PEOPLE ($3.50). 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