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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 1956)
I Destiny Claims Don Larsen As It Has Claimed Only 9 Others SPORTS By FRED DOWN Unittd Prtit Spoils Writar Brooklyn U.PJ Destiny claimed Don Larsen today as it has claimed only nine other men in baseball history. Down through all the years it had come to only these few to possess what the New York Yankees' 27-year-old righthand er posseses today an achieve ment which sets him apart for all time. These are men who achieved Immortality in varying ways one with a stroke of his bat, an other with a stroke of luck and four others with the help of each other. And yet, they stand unique to be remembered for all time because each has stood in a situation in which none other can say he has. Larsen achieved that distinc tion Monday with the first per fect game in the 53-year history of World Series games. If he never retires another batter or throws another ball he always will be remembered "for his spe cial two hours and six minutes of consummate pitching ability. Such an hour came to Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants on Oct. 13, 1951 when he stroked a three-run homer off Ralph Branca with one out in the last half of the ninth inning to give his team a 5-4 victory in the final game of its three-game playoff for the flag with the Dodgers. It was and is the greatest "clutch hit" in the game's history. That same and yet distinct lightning of immortality struck for Cookie Lavagetto, Oct. 3, 1947 when his pinch-hit, two run double in the last of the ninth deprived Bill Bevens of the Yankees of a World Series no hitter and gave the Dodgers a 3-2 triumph. He is, forevermore, the greatest of World Series pinch hitters. It struck also for a 23-year-old rookie named Johnny Vander Meer in 1938. It lasted over a spread of five days June 11 and June 15 when the young Cincinnati Red leg pitcher hurled two consecutive no-hitters. He was never to be a great pitcher but he, too, stands unique in the game's annals with an incom parable accomplishment. For Bobo Holloman, it hap pened on May 6. 1953, the day n made his first start pitcher for the St. Louis Browns The result was a no-hitter, the only one pitched by a first-game starter in the game's history. It came to Bill Wambsganns of the Cleveland Indians in 1918 when a stroke of luck made him the only man ever to turn in an unassisted triple play in World Series competition. And it came to four other pitchers in varying degrees. To Fred Toney and Jim (Hip po) Vaui;han it came on May 17, 1916 when each pitched no-hit ball for nine full innings the. only double no-hitter in the game's history and to Leon Ca dore and Joe Oeschger it came on May 1, 1920 when they matched each other for 26 bril liant innings and a 1-1 tie. And. today, young Larsen joins them a man who -henceforth walks apart from his team mates and belongs only to the ages. NY Hurler Dreams of No-No Night Before Giles Praises Yankee Pitcher New York U.R) Presi dent Warren Giles of the Nation al league, an admitted "hard loser sent a telegram of con gratulations to Yankee pitcher Don Larsen on his perfect game against the Dodgers. "Congratulations on your mas- terfull performance," Giles stat ed. "Although we dislike very much to lose, your accomplish ment was one of the great ones in series history." Japan Gives Top Play to No-No Tokyo (U.R) Newspapers baseball-crazy Japan gave top play today to Don Larsen's de livery of a perfect game in the wona aeries. The Series is attracting more than usual attention because the Brooklyn Dodgers are scheduled to arrive here Oct. 18 for a 20 game series in Japan. PARK WITH r r a -i A'50VlI9 Value.... II art's Wfcof Wt 9 CAR CAR FrMt WkMil, laaaact LiaMMJ. 2 Claaa mmd l,.lk hwt Wkwl lai, .rt Brake i mmt. 4 Cbacfc wmi AM Iraki rWL 5 Mfaat Irak Sfcaaa. CaraMtjr Tact Irakaa. KWE HAVE IT I Hew Tirefon & II VETLESS IRAKE LINING: 14t-91 CAM STORES 214 S. Riversidt Ave. Br MILTON RICHMAN United Preis Sports Writer Brooklyn (U.R) No one can be perfect but Don Larsen came mighty close by "calling" his no- hitter 24 hours in advance. There was one hitch in his pre diction, though he didn t say he would pitch a perfect game All this came about Sunday night on the eve of the fifth game of the World Series whici the big, easy-going Yankee right hander knew he was going to hurl against the Dodgers. "I got one of those crazy feel ings I'm gonna pitch a no-hitter tomorrow," he said, driving bac to the Bronx hotel where he stays. World of Offers Today, 24 hours after makin good his prediction, Larsen wok up in a brand new world of endorsement offers. TV con tracts and what have you. Through all the hoopla an holler, though, the 27-year-old Larsen is doing his best to keep his feet on the ground. "Before yesterday no one knew I was alive," he reflected "Today everyone is telling me they went to school with me. Larsen's chief claim to fame before his historic performance was that he had wrapped h black and convertible around telephone pole at 5 o'clock the morning one day in St Petersburg, Fla., last spring. All that did was demolish his car and put fresh polish on his repu tation for being what the ball players call "a night leaguer. Most Effective Even so, big Don proved th Yankees' most effective pitcher during the spring but he hit snag in May and became so dis- Montana Faces Parks in Ring At Grants Pass Grants Pass The Toledo Ter ror. Bull Montana, will headline Wednesday's wrestling car at the Josephine C o u n t y -Fair- ffronnds Arena against the young star, Reggie Parks. Montana will be remembered for his bloody and brutal match- S HOY HEFFERNAN On GP Mat Card es here last winter when he cut wide swath through all North west opposition. He will meet Parks in the first big test for the up and coming youngster. Parks has defeated both Herb Lenz and Regie Siki in his only two local matches. He is dangerous with the giant swing which he which renders his opponent even more dizzy than an air plane spin. He will match this maneuver against the deadly and effective piledriver of Mon tana's. Real Test Most of the fans who have watched Parks in action think that he will be a real test for the ape man. Montana said that he wanted to come back out to Oregon where the fans like him better than they do in Chicago. The equally attractive first ainer will mark the return of popular Billy Fletcher and he will tackle a big one in Roy Heffernan. the undefeated Heavyweight Champion of Aus tralia. Heffernan once wrestled in Indian before 100.000 fans. He wears a cocky Anzac hat into the ring and is an agile, strong ynamo in the ring who has re cently wrestled on top in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Extra seats will be set up to take care of the expected crowd. Busted that he said at one point, "The hell with it, if things don't get any better for me soon I think I'll join the navy." With some players that would qualify as an idle remark, with with the unpredictable Larsen. though, it easily might have led to a recruiting office. But things picked up quickly and he wound up the year in high style winning 11 games and dropping only 5. "Give the credit to Casey Stengel,' he says, "he stuck with me when others didn't." To which Casey adds: "Oh yeah, I was a genius yes terday. I didn't take Larsen out." Batter Says Last Pitch Was a Ball New York (U.R) Dale Mitchell doesn't begrudge Don Larsen anything, but he'll be convinced to his dying day that the third strike that ended Lar sen's no-hitter should have bee a ball. ' It was high and outside," in sisted Mitchell, who was called out on strikes to end the game. Umpire Babe Pinelli, who had the only opinion that counted, said, "it was a fat pitch." No-No Hurler Takes All Signs New York (U.R) Don Larsen didn't shake off a single sign for a pitch throughout his no hitter, catcher Yogi Berra dis closed. ' He shook his head a couple of times," said Berra, "but that was in answer to a sign to do that. It makes the hitter think he's shaking off a sign and makes them start guessing." As if the Dodgers didn't have enough trouble. The Belgian Congo is the world's principal producers ol diamonds which are used for in dustrial purposes. Tuesday. October S, 1956 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE NINE GANGING UP Giving it the high-low tackle on University of Pittsburgh halfback Dick Bowen (35) are University of Cal ifornia's John Stewart (13) and end Norm Becker (83) as the Panther returned a Cal kickoff back to his own 37 yard lin? in the 'third quarter at Berkeley, Calif. Cal upset the favored Pittsburgh, 14-0. ARMY AFTER TROPHY New York (U.PJ Army, vic tor over Penn State last Satur day, moved from third to first today in the race for the Lam bert Trophy, emblematic of Eastern college football suprem acy. Defending champion Pitts burgh, which lost to California, dropped to second and Syracuse remained in third. The VODKA of VODKAS There's a difference in vodkas and it's a difference worth knowing. It leaves you breathless! Qmimoff - THE GREATEST NAME IN VODKA A 10 PROOF. DISTILLED FROM GRAIN S T E . PIERRE SMIRNOFF FIS. (DIVISION OF HEUBIEIN). HARTFORD. CONN.. U.S. A- FRANCE. ENGLAND. MEXICO This is where Tomorrow starts ! 4 The New Ford Station Wagons. This famous line of champions has been redesigned fiom name plaie to tailgate. These five spacious glamour wagons are lower, longer, livelier than ever before. Jul y.uri ic .uci, .uugci, utcuci nidii e peiore. x - ,.-- The New Fairlane 500 Series. Less than 5 feet high, over 17 fret long, largest car ever offered in the low-price field, ilh the look of tomonow in its flighl-hraited lines, this Club Sedan (above) tvpifies the beauty oC all five Fan lane 5U0 models. After today, American cars will never be the same again. For the Big Npw Kind of Ford is a brilliant neie automotive package the one fine car in the low-price field! te've unwrapped the 1957 Fords! These are the best Fords of our lives. The whole package is new. It's the prestige car in its field. The power is new with Silver Anniversary V-8's to fit every horsepower neett The atyle is new a revolutionary, sharp, bril liant, clear-cut design that will stand out in traffic. The comfort is new a rotk-solid velvct-road ride that makes every mile a pleasure. The braking is positive silky smooth when your toe says "whoa." The bodies are braced and beefed as never before. The steering is feather light yet firm. This is a great automobile, from the large honest dial faces on the instrument panel to the eff ortless loafing way it cruises. At high speeds this new Ford has none of the struggling, humping, stretch-out feeling you sometimes get in some other cars. The new Ford begins with the "Inner Ford." lis new elegance comes from within, from the way its automotive muscles are put together. There are a thousand-and-one automotive lessons built into this New Kind of Ford. All of the changes are toward more rugged endurance, toward increased power, toward smoother operation. These are the bases for its "Mark of Tomorrow" elegance. Tiis is the one fine car in the low-price field. There are actually 19 different new kinds of Ford the new Custom 300 and Custom Series on a 1 16-inch wheelbase, the new Fairlane 500 and Fairlane Series on a 118-inch wheelbase, and the famous five Ford Station Wagons, the champions of glamour cruisers. And no matter which new kind of Ford you happen to choose, it's yours at low Ford prices. How does it look? It's only fourteen hands high as tall as a child's pony. Vou can stand be side it and lean your elbows on its roof. And it's over seventeen feet long ... 21 inches wider than it is highl This big new kind of Ford looks like the fun on a travel poster. It's the kind of car that looks sunshiny in the rain. It looks as fresh as morning. It looks like tomorrow like-the first thing to come out of Detroit that symbolizes the new Age of Movement. See it at your Ford Dealer's. Give it your own Action Test. But you'd better leave a deposit ... for you won't want to bring it back. The Big TSTew KincL of Ford. Comes In 19 Models Fairlan In all modeli you have your choice of engines, either the great Mileage MaLer Six, famous for its economy, or one of the new Silver Anniversary Ford V-8'. YouU have no trouble choosing Ford but you'll have trouble choosing which Ford! Six or V-8, the going is greatl A special 270-hp Thunderbird 512 Super V-8 ertine m'aibble at extra rmt. Also, extra-high-performance Thunderbird 312 Super V-8 delivering up to 285 hp. See the new hind of Ford for 957 9 at your Ford Dealers today!. . . CRATER LAKE MOTORS 7 Eord MAIN AND FIR STREETS PHONE 3-4547
