My friends, I’m one of the poor souls who bet on the Tigers to win the series. Two weeks’ salary was put on the line to the tune that the Tigers would be the world’s baseball champions, but it seems we can’t carry a tune and we’re practically tone deaf.
Henry “Hank” Greenberg, the hope of the Bronx, didn’t come through as expected. His big stick which was so effective in helping the Detroit team cop the American league flag proved to be only a bent pretzel in the late lamented clash with the Deans, Dizzy and Daffy. But then again, we are not complaining. Greenberg’s batting average over the seven game stretch of the series was .322 percent, second only to Charlie Gehringer who slambanged the pill for a .380 batting average.
If the reader can swallow a few statistics we present the complete box score of the only Jewish baseball player in the World Series this year. Greenberg played in all seven games, stepping up to the plate on twenty-eight occasions. He collected nine hits, two double baggers, one triple, and a home run. He walked four times, made sixty putouts at first, four assists and one error. Incidentally, his fielding average was .984 percent.
Lest we forget, of the twenty runs batted in by the Detroit lads Greenberg was responsible for seven of them.
Mind you, when we call this record of Hank Greenberg’s seven games the work of a bent pretzel we have to call the hitting of the Cochrane men a lot of taffy.
This was Greenberg’s first year in the big leagues as a regular first baseman. It was his first series. And despite all this he hit for .322 percent, the third highest batting average of all the players in the fight.
To be sure, Greenberg was okay, but you’ll recall that I’m one of the poor souls who bet on the Tigers to win the series.
GET ALONG, LITTLE DOGGIE
The rodeo is back in town again for the ninth time. Eighth avenue, Broadway, and the adjacent sidewalks of New York resemble the Chisholm and other famous southwestern Texas trails. What with 250 of the best cowboys and cowgirls of the world participating in their own world series it does seem as if Broadway and the Garden is no longer the place for a sports scribe, but for the Bulletin’s Kashruth man.
Only the other day the “desk” told us to go out and get the Jewish angle on the rodeo. But as soon as we heard that it was being held at the Garden we were afraid of a bum steer.
“I’m off the Garden for life. You can’t win there unless the house falls down. How does any self-respecting bull think he can get a fair decision.”
The “desk” was adamant and we approached our fashion editor on the correct apparel. She referred us to the Daybooker and he eagerly took the entire matter off our hands. It seems the rodeo fits in with the Empire of Zoo.
THE FOOTBALL SITUATION N. Y. U.
Some time ago we ran a column on diminutive Charlie Siegal, quarterback of the N.Y.U. eleven. We were told to tone down on the ballyhoo inasmuch as Siegal wasn’t even being considered as a regular by the new coaching regime at the Heights.
Nevertheless, we said that Siegal would be the big gun in the Violet offensive this year. Last week Charlie proved the truth of our words when he ran roughshod over the medicos of Johns Hopkins University.
Mal Stevens, head coach this year, can’t help but start Siegal tomorrow and it will be due to Siegal that N.Y.U. will come through.
CITY COLLEGE
Benny Friedman’s Beavers move out of town for the weekend and hope to take Providence in stride. Despite the fact that C.C.N.Y. has scored forty-nine points in its first two games—more than the team had scored in the last two years—Friedman is not satisfied. He had his boys on the spot because of certain tactical errors and faulty blocking and tackling.
Adolph Cooper, the brilliant quarterback and excellent kicker, passer, and runner, still bears the brunt of the Beaver attack and is the spark of the entire unit.
Slanty Joe Selects N.Y.U. to beat West Virginia Wesleyan.
City to top Providence.
The Fordham Ram to butt Boston College.
Columbia to outclass V.M.I.
Last week’s percentage — won four, lost none—1000 percentage.
LASKY TO GET HAMAS OR SCHMELING
Steve Hamas can take his choice of meeting Art Lasky in a return match, or forfeit his chances of becoming the next opponent of Max Baer when the latter boxes in defense of his title.
While Gen. John J. Phelan and Bill Brown would officially not go beyond saying that their attitude would speak for itself at such time as it came to act on challenges for the heavyweight title, they made it very plain that whoever is designated as Baer’s opponent will be the man who has won his opportunity by fighting rather than through taking advantage of technicalities or managerial maneuvering.
“I think Lasky won,” said Brown bluntly, “and that Hamas was not even hit by the blow for which Lasky was penalized. I also think the rounds-won system of judging contests is an unfair one.”
“But it is the best method of preventing stalling for several rounds,” said Phelan. “In regard to the heavyweight situation, the challenger for the title will be decided in a fifteen round elimination contest. Our advice to Lasky is to go after a match over that distance with either Hamas or Max Schmeling.”
This is just what Lasky intends to do. He left today on a trip to California. When he gets back he will fight the man the commission has determined upon.
TRAVELING CHEERING SECTIONS
Incidentally, while we’re on the matter of City College and the football situation we’ve just heard that newest innovation up at St. Nick Heights that has come in with the Friedman regime.
We’re not referring to the student riots. They’re part and parcel of the Beaver traditions. But what we have reference to is the traveling cheering sections that have promised to follow the team through thick and thin and even as far as Providence.
Tomorrow a cheering section of several hundred students and alumni supporters will accompany Benny to Rhode Island.
What is more, the caterer to C. C. N. Y.’s training table reports that this year’s team is by far the heaviest eaters he has had the pleasure to serve. They go through 250 quarts of milk a week, 400 pounds of chicken, beef, steaks (no ham or bacon included, folk —this is strictly C. C. N. Y.)
The caterer, evidently up on his statistics, claims that the 1930 team, hitherto considered the best team produced on the Terrace, was anemic in comparison.
This guy Benny Friedman really must be good. However, at this moment we’re referring to his miracles of producing team spirit where none existed before. The boys up at City always could eat their vittles but nobody ever took care of them as Friedman does now.
When your scribe spoke to Benny yesterday he found the Michigan maestro reluctant to discuss the Lavender’s chance for a victory over the Friars.
The team will leave for Providence about 5 o’clock today after a light workout. They will stop at the swanky Biltmore in Providence and get to the field early for a pre-game limbering-up.
MACCABI MOVES
Dave White, executive director of the U. S. Maccabi Association, announced yesterday that preparations for the Maccabi Hanukah dinner will be started upon his return from a tour of the New England States.
White is beginning the big winter push in the northeastern part of the country to stimulate new interest in the Second Maccabiad. He will be accompanied by Alec Matalon, special Maccabi representative sent to these shores by the Palestine Maccabi group. Matalon, a member of the Palestine Olympic Committee, has been very active in his short stay in New York.
The Maccabi dinner which White made reference to will have the members of the Maccabi sports advisory board as guests. Benny Leonard, chairman of this board, will be the guest of honor.
HARRY DANNING LEAVES TOWN
Harry Danning, up-and-coming catcher of the New York Giants, left the city last night for an extensive hunting and fishing tour in Southern California.
“Boy, oh boy,” he said, “me for those lazy days in the sun where all you have to d ois cast your rod in the stream and haul out a long six-foot fish that looks like Dizzy Dean. I’ll fry it and eat it with the greatest of pleasure. I’m very sorry that I won’t be in New York for that Maccabi dinner (Danning is a member of the board) but if the meal is a good one you can send it to me—on ice.”
“Also,” he concluded, “I hope the Maccabi association grows very strong. I’ll do all I can to help it out in sunny Californi-ay.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
