I DUCKTRACKS
By A1 Karr
I >ar_\ 1c Nelson, (Oregon s hard hitting second baseman who
won the Northern Division hatting title in J'JSOwith a .441 aver
age, is another in the long line of standout keystoners who have
played, for the Wchfoots.
Walt Kirsch, younger brother of baseball coach Don Kirsch,
*]>.irKic<i «u inr Keystone sack
just ;i few years ago, and Don
himself played for three North
ern Division Oregon champ
ionship learns in 1941-42-43,
winning division all-star honors
twice.
Undoubtedly the greatest
second baseman produced by'
the Webfonts was a player who
never played second base for
Oregon. He is Joe Gordon, who
played shortstop in 1935-36,
part of an excellent keystone
combination along with second
baseman Kay Koch.
Gordon, who excelled in base
ball, as a halfback in football,
Land in soccer and track at Jef
ferson High School in Port
land never turned out for foot
ball at Oregon. Nobody gives it
much thought, however, for he
starred in baseball and was
JOE GORDON
From short to fiecond
signed by the New York Yankees in 1936. reporting to Oakland
to the Pacific Coast League.
C ailed up to theauks in 10.37, Cordon was converted into a
second baseman by Joe McCarthy, who already had Frank Cro
sctti at shortstop. Joe was sent down to Newark that \ ear, and
played for a team that was to become the nucleus of futre great
Yank teams.
Major League Parks Just Like Howe Field
Cordon hit 26 home runs for Newark, while Charlie Keller,
known for his fence-busting, hit 13. The Yanks brought him up
in 1938, and it was to stay. Cordon soOn established himself as
one of the Mars of the game. In his first three big-league rears
he hit 25, 28, and 30 home runs. Always a power hitter, he hit
homers in a fashion reminiscent of the times that he used to
powder long drives over the bank at Howe Field at a pretty con
sistent rate.
Joe never has compiled a gaudy batting average, but his per
centages have been sound. Usually around a .280 hitter he has
been a terrific clutch hitter, batting in 97,111,103, 87, and 103 runs
in his first five major-league seasons. Gordon’s top batting aver
age was .322 in 1942, when he was voted the most valuable player
in the league. Strangely enough, he compiled his lowest World
Series average that year, .095 on 2 hits in 21 times at bat.
Cordon went into the army in 1944, and came out in the mid
dle of the 1946 season. In 112 games he hit only .210 and hit 11
home runs, lie had trouble with Yankee President Larrv Mc
Phail, and was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Allie Rey
nolds.
^ Joe might have been expected to feel pretty low, but actually
he was tickled to death to play for the Indians. He went on to
cra-di 29 home runs for Cleveland in 1947, only one short of his
personal record, and batted in 93 runs.
Broke His Personal Records in 1948
The next year Gordon had one of his greatest years, slamming
32 home runs on a .2X0 average and driving in 124 runs, while
helping lead the Indians to their first pennant since since t920.
Gordon started to slip somewhat in 1949, and in 1950 he had a
poor year, finally being replaced at second base by young Bobby
Avila. His average sank low and home runs didn’t come at as
heavy a rate. At the end of the season he asked for his release,
received it, and signed as player-manager of the Sacramento
Solons of the Pacific Coast League, the loop in which Gordon
broke into professional baseball.
Since the time he first played for the Webfoots Gordon has
been not only a home run hitter and a clutch batter, but an ex-|
ceptional fielder. His fielding prowess led to the nickname now as
common as petitions at the University of Oregon—"Plash."
’When he was demonstrating his exceptional ability to get the
jump on a batted ball for the Indians, the remark was made that
the trouble with his fielding was that there was a little section
in the left field corner that h'lash couldn't cover.
The 36-year old Gordon is going strong again for Sacramento.
‘He had a hatting average of .294 including Wednesday night's
game, had batted in 15 runs in 16 games (still the clutch hitter),
and hit three homers, two in one game. The Plash isn't through
yet.
Alpha Xi's State:
(Continued from f’nr/c one)
"W<! wlHh to clarify our position
regarding our political affiliation.
Our action of Monday has been1
taken to mean that vve life peti-1
Lioning AGS for membership. We j
wish make it clear that such
was not our intent. Our action wan
taken in accord with an agreement
among the Greek houses who arc
not members of AGS the purpose
of this agreement being to pro
tect all of us against just such sud
den action as our Monday vote has
been Interpreted to be. The agree
ment may be quoted as follows:
‘The undersigned fraternities and
sororities hereby pledge themselves
not be become affiliated with...
AGS until the following require
ments have been met:
“To notify the steering commit
tee of USA.
“To notify the other undersign
ed fraternities and sororities.
“To take no action until two
regular weekly house meetings
have been held subsequent to noti
fication.
“To take no final vote until the
second of the two house meetings.
“The purpose of waiting two
weeks is to permit all sides to be
heard; to give each of us time to
fully consider the matter; and to
prevent a hasty decision that
might be regretted later. We be
lieve that every girl in our group
is entitled to an independent opin
ion. When a majority of the girls
felt that our political position
should be re-evaluated, we notified
the proper people that such was1
our intent. We regret that we did 1
f
WSSF Auction Today
I ho World Student Service i
Fund'd "Friday the Thirteenth"
auotion will take place at 4 p.m.
today on Taylor's corner.
Four groups will be sold to the
highest bidding houses to serve
dinner tonight and to provide en-j
tertainment for the houses and
their high school guests. Bill De
Land .auction chairman, stated.
Bob Zwald will auction off the
groups highlighted by a trio of
faculty members. Included in tr.ls
group are R. A. Littman, assist
ant professor of psychology; R. R.
Bingham, instructor in history;
and K. C. Robbins, instructor in
economics.
A representative group of
Kwamas, sophomore women's ser
vice honorary members, will be
next on the auctioneer's block. A
quintet of campus beauty queens
composed of Nancy Chamberlain,
1950 Junior Weekend queen; Lyn
Hartley. Sweetheart of Sigma Chi;
Pat Foley, Moonlight Girl of Phi
Sigma Kappa; Lois Peterson,
Committee Needs Help
The All-Campus Sing committee
needs people to help decorate, ac
cording to Jeanne Hoffman, co
chairman.
Those interested in helping may
call Jean Burgess, 5-4301, before
4 p.m. Tuesday.
not make it clear to the Emerald
that our vote was not a vote to go
back to AGS, but a vote to recon
sider our position.”
Alpha Xi Delta
Betty Co-ed: and Charlene Hans< t,
Dream Girl of Pi Kappa Alpha,
will comprise the third group.
Ugly Man contest finalists will
be lined up toother and sold as a
group. These include Tom Barry,
Jack Faust, Gordon Howard, B >b
Peterson, Jim Loscutoff, and Ja k
Beyers.
AI! proceeds from the aucti n
will go to the WSSF drive.
WHO
Ava Gardner
WHERE
Student Union
Ballroom
WHEN
SUNDAY
Two Showing’s
:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.n
WHAT
"One Touch of
Venus"
also
Cartoon and
Selected Short Subject
750 Suiti
$50,000 WORTH OF MERCHANDISE
*
SIZE, MODEL
OR COLOR
• CHECK THESE FEATURES
• 34 SHORTS to 46 LONGS and MANY REGULARS
• VARIABLE CUT ON EITHER SINGLE OR
DOUBLE BREASTEDS
|
• PRICES—$28—$33—$38—$44—$48—$58
Buy that Qtadualien Sait
NOW!
FRIDAY 13th ii jBucky Sale jbay j
♦ 40400 'S 40 S00S4/4040 404 000440
804 WILLAMETTE'—PHONE 4-9143