I i . i , , ... I WT UjUfM-Jl
WOOD
ROTTING?
SPORTS
HOYT
WILHELM:
from skids to stardom
JV) fir
The job is easy with -
the one and only
Plastic Wood. Can be
sanded and painted.
For awMt result always use GENUINE
PLASTIC WOOD
Handles like putty-hardens into wood I
Si 2
CWTOWELSiJta.
Nf W Uawovmi, frauad CoNon and Rayon
UnrvtoucAfci Photo "our so TowU for ft .00 Offtr
Astonishing- but EVERY WORD GUAR
ANTEED TRUE! World's greatest towel
offer bar none 50, yea 50, marvelous,
large, brand new (not seconds) in beautiful
colors and white . . . only $1.00 (plus 26c for
postage and hdlir.) or $1.5 in all I We sell
at stainrerinir low price because we buy huge .
quantities direct from MILLS more than
3,660,000 Towels since 19631 If you're not
thrilled and delighted, return Towels keep
10 Free for your trouble and we'll cheer
fully refund purchase price. Order NOW
before ofTor is cancelled. No C. O. D.'s.
S0-TOWEL CO., Diet. A- I3t, lit Ml, It Uah, Mi.
1 .r
I
It was back to the bush
leagues for this aging
veteran until a canny
manager and a fearless
catcher revived his magic
by BOB DRISCOLL
W (30,
LIU
and Whiter, Brighter,Tbo !
Hi
7
U : Pf S 1 1 : V
I , X. -;---.fT
1 j m- :sm
aim Zss:.?s
MM II1WK M M-M K
Yes, every FAB wash is clean clear through and whiter, brighter, too . . .
thanks to miracle Duratex-! While some other washday products may get
your clothes surface dean, New FAB gets out the deep-down dirt that
grays your clothes, even after repeated washings! New FAB gives you far
more than merely bleached-white or blued-white washings FAB gives you
a really clean wash . . . fresh and sweet-smelling! . . . clean clear through
whiter, brighter, too! Yes, that's a FAB wash . . . clean clear through and
whiter, brighter, too!
These pictures show shirt fabric magnified 100 times:
It if -.l-V
lh hidden dirt Uft In thla fabric
washed by Mm ordinary product?
Dirt build up dingln - lv cloth
looking gray and llfl.
Thank, to .maalng Now Ourt. found
In PAB aloiM. whit eloth whB"
-color brighter. . . elan lr thrlg
and whHor, brighter, tool
FAB with miracle Duratex Is the hard-working,
heavy-duty detergent In the Gold-Foil Box I
Daul Richards, the fiery manager of the Baltimore Orioles,
is recognized as a miracle worker when it comes to sal
vaging major-league flotsam." Under his careful guidance
"misfits" who have drifted aimlessly in baseball suddenly
have put Baltimore in contention for the first division.
Far and away, his prize-reclamation project is James
Hoyt Wilhelm, a balding, 36-year-old knuckle-ball pitcher
who was traded as "useless" three times in the past two
years.
For the soft-spoken North Carolinian it looked as if
Baltimore might be his last stop before going back to the
minor leagues where he had toiled between 1942 and 1952.
After early big-league success as a relief specialist with
the New York Giants, Hoyt's career took a disastrous dip,
and it looked as if he'd never right himself. He couldn't
win for the St. Louis Cardinals after the Giants traded
him, and when the Cardinals dealt him out of the National
League to the Cleveland Indians, the best he could manage
was a dismal 2-7 record.
So when Paul Richards decided to take a chance on him
for the minimum $20,000 major-league sale price, most
experts believed this would be only a temporary reprieve
for Wilhelm. Hoyt did, too.
But Richards had a special scheme hatching. Wilhelm
had always been thought of as a relief specialist. He had
appeared in 319 games with -the Giants between 1952 and
1956, racking up an impressive 41-25 record, all in rescue
efforts. In his freshman year, he toiled in 71 games, a club
record for activity; characteristically he was the only
player who didn't complain of overwork.
. In 1956 he lost his effectiveness, which in a pitcher with
a sound arm often is synonymous with a downbeat mental
outlook. The confidence a relief pitcher needs in tense
situations with runners on base suddenly vanished.
It appeared to be coincidental that at the time Hoyt
was plagued by bad luck, Wes Westrum, the magnificent
defensive catcher of the Giants who had handled Hoyt's
darting knuckler exclusively, was fading badly. Some per
ceptive fans, noted that no one else could handle "the
craziest knuckle-ball in baseball," as Hoyt's bread-and-butter
pitch has been described.
With someone other than Westrum catching, there was
always a nagging doubt that spelled the difference in
Hoyt's performance. Baseball has been referred to as a
game of inches, and for Hoyt, Wes had been that inch in
the right direction.
The problem was the same everywhere. St. Louis Car
dinal backstops had no more success than the Giants', and
the Indian catcher, J. W. Porter, tied an American League
record by allowing four knuckle-balls to skitter past him
in one game.
Before the Indians gave up on him, manager Bobby
Bragan did one thing that was to make the difference for
Hoyt: he gave him a starting assignment and Hoyt re
sponded by pitching 12 innings, although in a losing cause.
That effort found its place in Paul Richard's storehouse
of significant facts and led to his scheme.
When Hoyt arrived in Baltimore, Richards told, him:
"You're a starting pitcher for me; no more relief except
in spots."
Hoyt inherited brawny Gus Triandos as a battery-mate
at Baltimore. To say the combination was successful would
be an understatement. Gus is the
type of man who exudes quiet
confidence. Hoyt felt it and
showed it.
"The knuckler is Hoyt's best
pitch and I call it 80-90 percent
of the time' Gus says. "I know
I don't look good pawing and
lunging for it, dropping third
strikes and having runners trot
down to second for a stolen
base while I'm wrestling with
the ball, but I can take it if
Wilhelm can. He's the toughest
pitcher I ever caught, but it's a
privilege to be on the same side.
There's nobody just like Hoyt."
AT an age, when most pitchers are worried about banish
ment to the bullpen, Wilhelm has "arrived" as the most
dreaded starting pitcher in the American League. "He's
the best in the majors," Richards boasts.
Last Sept. 20, shortly after coming to the Orioles, Wil
helm pitched a no-hitter against the Yankees. Triandos
not only gave him defensive and moral support but blasted
a home run to win it, 1-0. This season the rejuvenated
Wilhelm picked up where he left off last year and won nine
straight, including three shutouts, one of them a one-hit
effort against the Yankees. A hot Detroit 4eam finally
pinned a 6-4 loss on him June 14.
While Hoyt was winning those games, Gus was hammer
ing five of his 13 home runs to that date. He shrugs off
the uncanny rapport that seems to exist between them,
"I just happen to hit better when Hoyt is pitching. There's
nothing more to it. I don't hit for psychological reasons
to make up for dropping pitches as some people say."
Off the field the winning tandem aren't particular bud
dies. Hoyt is shy and retiring. He's one of 11 children and,
as a youngster on a North Carolina farm, had to wait to
say his piece, then say it carefully. The habit has never
worn off. "Tilt," as his teammates call him because his
head is always cocked at a slight angle, is one of the most
popular men in the clubhouse although he's content to sit
by his locker while the dressing room reverberates with
horseplay. On the other hand, Gus is outgoing. He's an
accomplished after-dinner speaker and won't hesitate to
give his views on any subject, especially Hoyt.
"The fellow who said Hoyt's knuckler is 'the next best
thing to an invisible pitch' wasn't far off," he says. "Re
member Mantle? Hoyt had his number so good, Mantle
tried hitting against him righthanded one game. I asked
him if his old shoulder injury stopped him from swinging
southpaw. 'Heck, no. It's just as easy to take my cuts
righty. I'd try a tennis racket if they'd let me.' "
Hoyt doesn't search for reasons for his new-found suc
cess. "I'm glad of it, but there's nothing to explain."
Hoyt, his wife and their three children have taken a
house in Baltimore, and it looks as if they'll be settled
there for a while. The jinx that dogged him appears to be
behind now, thanks to Hoyt Wilhelm's own determination
and two gentlemen named Richards and Triandos who
had faith in him when everyone else didn't.
HAWAIIAN FRUIT
HAWAIIAN TREAT
((
Young ladies love the fun of
Hawaiian Punch. The circus-red
color, (he candy-and-ice-cream taste:
They call it their "Let's-Have-A-Party"
drink. And they like to have
a "party" every day. Particular
parents appreciate the fruit of
Hawaiian Punch. The 5 tropical,
fruit juices, brimming with sunshine.
A ready-made, real-fruit punch.
Encourage your youngsters to
choose Hawaiian Punch next time
they help you shop. After that,
they'll do the encouraging! Now on
your favorite grocer's shelf and in
his FREEZER, tOO.
01959 HAWAIIAN PUNCH, INC., HILO, HAWAII
DON'T TAKE
A CHANCE
-
TAKE YOUR
POLIO SHOTS!
Family Weekly, August 30, 1959
7