—

Bert Whyte's

SPORTLIGHT

OB Feller of Cleveland set
a modern record when he
notched his third no-hitter in
Fe was making his-
efore then. In 1946
two years later
strikeouts in 46
hurling for Cleveland against
Detroit, he established the most
nine-inning

1951.

strikeouts for a

R
me — 16

When Bob Feller talks about

baseball, you’re listening to an
authority. That’s why it’s so re-
freshing to read his comments
in Larry O’Malley’s story on
this pa Bob throws some
fast ones ,at the _ baseball
moguls, and sets another re-
ord.

Unlike some ball stars, Fel-
ler isn’t afraid of anti-trust
laws being applied to baseball.
It will help the ordinary play-
ers “who otherwise could be
covered up for years before

being open. to the draft,’ he

Baseball players, like hockey
players, are modern slaves.
Feller is doing his bit to un-
shackle the chains.

me ok ee

Biggest sports event of 1957
is the Third International
Youth Games organized by the
USSR Olympic Committee.
They will be held in Moscow
from July 29 to August 10.

Athletes from scores of
countries ‘will compete, but
Canada is making no move to
be represented. It seems a
shame.

The program, which I have
at hand, lists 24 sports for
men and 15 for women, includ-
ing sports which are not culti-
vated in the USSR, such as
rugby and archery.

5 a it

“Properly rationed, boxing
helps boys to become men.
Too much boxing can make
boys old: before their time.”

Sa writes George Whiting of
the London Evening Standard,
and I agree with him.

Far too often young ama-
teurs are pushed along by an
ambitious parent or trainer,
and forced to fight week in
and week out.

From 10 to 20 bouts a year
are enough for any growing
boy. Amateur rules should be
amended to cover this situa-
tion

I do not agree with those
people who think boxing
should be banned. But. there
is a great deab about the sport
that needs to be cleaned up.

“It’s up to Ford Frick to put into action a workable plan
that will induce more capable boys to consider baseball as
a career,” says Bob Feller, one of the greatest hurlers of all times

Quality of playliners coming into organized baseball is on down grade.

Bob Feller takes a big windup,

By LARRY O’MALLEY

hurls fast ball at diamond brass

Just as what happens to a blade of grass begins at the roots, so it goes in sports.
There’s a solid reason why many thousands of Americans have turned their faces
away from baseball in recent years.

The major leagues, with a smug attitude and a viewpoint limited to their own
self-importance, haven't even come close to diagnosing a case which is becoming more

serious each year. They’ve
squandered a lot of money for
New York’s type of publicity
and public relations; they’ve
offered give-away silk stock-
ings to the ladies and a num-
ber of other corny gimmicks
in a desperate effort to lure
eash customers *within the
gates, but they haven’t yet
discovered a broken leg can’t
be cured by taking pills.

In any sport, the quality
of performance determines the
ultimate result — and the
quality of players coming into
organized baseball in the last
10 years has been on a steady
downgrade.

Why? For one thing, base-
ball has stood still while many
new types of lucrative fields
have opened up to attract
young men who are unable to
break themselves of the habit
of eating. For another, base-
ball has become a minor sport
in most large schools and non-
existent in hundreds of oth-
ers. Today a youngster who
can play football, basketball
or turn in a good performance
on the track or field is sought
after by colleges. Whoever
heard of a school offering the
time of day to a prospective
baseball player?

And it’s right here, in the
opinions of such _ sages as
Frankie Frisch, Bob Feller and
others, that organized base-
ball should begin its spade
work.

“Merely talking about it, or
making a few speeches at
schools won’t accomplish any-
thing,” said Feller, who play-
ed a major role in setting up

the major league players’
pension plan before retiring
from baseball to enter busin-
ess. “It’s up to Ford Frick to
put into action a workable
plan that will induce more
capable boys to consider base-
ball as a career.

Baseball simply must change
some of its ways according to
Feller. Under the current draft
system it’s possible for a play-
er to flounder around in the
minors until he’s worthless
to everybody, including him-
self, just. because one team
owns him and won't let him
go.

The No. 1 present-day farce,
he says, is the bonus which
the big Jeagues insist on re-
taining. Everybody, including
club owners, must know how
capable non-bonus players
feel about a bonus baby sit-
ting on the bench drawing a
high salary and contributing
nothing toward winning
games, Feller contends.

“Let’s be honest about it.
Basebali has a mighty big pub-
lic relations job to do and the
zero hour is at hand. When
a young baseball player comes
out of college he has his choice
of going into business and
spending the evenings with
his family , watching ball
games on television, or knock-
ing around by bus and stop-
ping at third-rate hotels in the
minors. The only thing that
keeps a minor league young-
ster in the game is the hope
that some day he’ll hit the big
time. For too many — far too
many — this dream is never
realized,” Feller warns.

Most club owners today, he
says are so bound by tradition
that they aren’t interested in
new ideas. “The man whom
I think might do the most for
the game is a newcomer, Ar
nold Johnson, president of the
Kansas City Athletics, who's
a business man and who has
not ‘been in baseball long
enough to be warped by 11s
outmoded traditions.”

Why not establish a pro-
gram in schools that will ope?
the door to the majors? Then
there are hundreds of indus-
trial teams, who play on 4%
semi-pro basis, which coul
be a great source of material.
Let’s induce civic-minded peo-
ple throughout the country t0
build more parks where kids
can play baseball.

Unlike most club owners
Feller is of the opinion that
the Supreme Court eventual-
ly will “get baseball, just 25
it did to pro football.

“The same rule applies 12
both sports,” says Bob. “Base-
ball club owners make much
of the fact they have $80,000,-
000 invested in the game. They
came in because they thought
they could make money—an
for no other reason.

“When the anti-trust law>
are applied to baseball, I 4°
not think it. will cause the big
stars to be put upon the ope?
market, but it might help some
of the ordinary players wh?
otherwise could be cover
up for years before being open
to the draft.”

e Reprinted from Labor’s -
Daily.

MAY 3, 1957 —- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 14