Slants on Sports

When Babe Scheuer came back from the I. C. 4-A track meet at Berkeley, California, the experts predicted great things for him. This was during the summer of 1932.

For more than a year after that Scheuer continued shotputting in excellent form. As a result he came through with a first place in the Metropolitan Inter-collegiate championships. This meet at Baker field drew the best track and field men from N. Y. U., Columbia., Fordham, Manhattan and C. C. N. Y.

This season however, Scheuer has proved a disappointment to the coaches, experts and track enthusiasts alike. Babe placed fifth in the national indoor I. C. 4-A games, contested recently at the Garden. His best put that evening was a poor heave of forty-five feet two and a half inches. It was indeed a ragged performance for this giant lad. Especially since he had been rated the outstanding star to beat Niblock, of Bowdoin College. The latter walked off with honors that night with a new indoor record toss of forty-nine feet ten inches.

SCHEUER IN PAIN

Upon investigation we discovered that a grim drama of courage and determination had been enacted at the Garden the night of the track championships. No one in that capacity crowd witnessing the events, not even his coach, was aware of the torturing pain this boy was suffering.

For the past few months Scheuer had been complaining about a severe leg ailment. The day of the games doctors told him that only an operation could relieve and cure him and enable him to go on with his track work. But rather than let his teammates down, Scheuer participated in the finals and hurled the shot for a poor fifth.

Immediately afterwards he left for the hospital where an operation was performed on his right foot. (It is this foot which bears the brunt of the weight in the actual heave for a right-handed shot-putter).

IS QUITE CONFIDENT

We met Scheuer yesterday in the Varsity room at University Heights hobbling about on crutches. He seemed cheerful in speaking of his track prospects and felt quite confident that his showing in the coming Metropolitan A. A. U. contests will reveal his old time championship calibre. However, he will be out of competition for the next few weeks.

We predict that Scheuer has it in him to toss the sixteen-pound iron ball well over fifty feet.

BASEBALL BUNTS

The basketball team has moved out of the Varsity training quarters at N. Y. U. in order to make room for the baseballers. It’s our guess that the trainers might have to serve kosher food again.

Rumor had it that because there were so many Jewish players on the first and second quintets special dishes were served to the boys.

If we can put any credence in this story, the same will apply for Bill Gottlieb, veteran southpaw on Coach McCarthy’s team. Also Emil Friedman, who is back at shortstop, and Nat Machlowitz of football fame, who is making a stab at an infield post, should receive the extra fare.

No doubt, if Gottlieb turns in the fine, smart performances he pitched last year against Fordham, the coach will personally deliver any kind of service. Especially when it happens to be the baseball mentor’s thirteenth season.

BROOKLYN PLAYS BALL TOO

Long Island University is not to be outdone in having a league of nations play baseball at the school. The majority of the candidates, however, are Jewish.

Clair Bee, director of athletics and baseball coach, told us that his entire infield will be composed of anti-Hitlerites. Rabinowitz, Cooper, Segal and Miller, who is slated for the captaincy, have already cinched their positions. Joe Bender, who plays in the vicinity of the bleachers, is another veteran upon whom the coach is depending.

The boys at this Brooklyn institution open their season away from home against Princeton, on March 31. Two days after this game they will play Wagner College at the Brooklyn Sports Stadium, which is to be their home grounds this season. The team meets such metropolitan opposition as Fordham, C. C. N. Y., St. John’s and Columbia.

BASKETBALL DRIBBLES

Now that professional basketball is dribbling out and almost in its last shots, the pro basketballers are grabbing any sort of a game that comes their way. These cagemen start their court work early in October and keep on playing long after the college season has drawn to an official close. It becomes a kind of perpetual motion with them and they get so into the habit of passing and shooting that apparently their season never ends.

At any rate, an all-star Jewish team composed of many former college aces will meet the Renaissance basketball five at the St Nicholas Arena next week.

Moe Spahn, Joe Davidoff, Lou Spindell, one-time captains of crack City College quintets; Max Posnack, leader of the invincible 1930 St. John’s five; Jack Rothenfeld and Herb Cohen are down for the all-stars.