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Show COMMENT ON SPORTS By Ed Sims AX EXPLOSIVE GROUP It was just about dark, the four of us had eaten supper together a third baseman, a catcher, a former for-mer pitcher and your observer. We were sitting- around discussing just about everything except baseball. Somebody, I believe it was our third sacker (who incidentally was an intense pro-Giant fan) asked the former twirler who the world's champions were coming along. The right-hander, as you may have already al-ready imagined, was a Redleg booster. He remarked that Frank McCormick had parked one in the stands about an hour or two ago to whip the Eraves. "He should have started sooner," said the Giant. "The Reds never start off very fast," was the reply. "And how's Orengo coming these days?" was the comeback. "Orengo's holding 'em together toge-ther " "And how's the great Danning?" "Danning'll find that onion right now he and Orengo show up mighty well against most of those fly-killers over in Cinci." That last remark by the Giant brought forth such a voluminous blast from our former mounds-man mounds-man that your observer thought it wise to make a strategic retreat to some place where he might inquire in-quire about the weather from our quiet friend (thus far), the catcher. But we soon learned that he, too, had followed the discussion closely and had decided to move up to the front lines and have his say. And so just as your correspondent was backing out of the firing line, our quiet friend, the catcher, was mov-i mov-i ing up to stick his neck out. quietly away, wondering all the while how the session finally ended. end-ed. They may still be settling the vital issues. i YANKEE-GIANT SERIES RECALLED "The Giants never could do anything any-thing with the Yanks, though remember what we did to Hubbell when he was in his prifhe?" "You mean what he did to that lucky bunch of bums in his second effort of that last series and I guess the Yanks deserved that game which Fat Freddie twirled." "A good team's always lucky." "Yeah! Well remember back in '21 and '22 when we blanked the Yankees twice in a row?" The catcher didn't recall '23 when the Yankees got their revenge. But on and on it went, nevertheless. The conversation drifted to the McGee-Gumbert deal, then to whether whe-ther Dykes really had the power fos a pennant, and then to the Tigers' purchase of Radcliffe, and on and on. Finally, came the long-awaited splurge of betting. Mr. Hot-Corner took up our catcher as to which of the Giants or the Yankees would finish- higher in his respective league. The the Giant also squared off with our former right-hander this time the bet depending" on who would end the higher, the Reds or the Giants. With that there was a momentary peace. But soon we were all involved again the language became somewhat some-what rough, the volume increased generally and things moved faster and faster. Had a Dodger fan entered en-tered the picture at the time, surely sure-ly something would . have happened. hap-pened. THE QUESTION OF HANDSOME HARRY "The Terrymen slipped up when they let Handsome Harry go," jibed our catcher. "He never was much in hot weather, wea-ther, anyhow," replied the Giant, "and besides we got twice as good a hurler for him." Then there was the customary bet as to who would win the most games this season McGee or Gumbert. Some of the actual language is not recorded re-corded here, of course, but you can get the gist of the: arguments from these excerpts plus your imagination. imagin-ation. -. "Your poor Giants," said the Redleg, "they haven't got a chance." "Just as long as they don't drop as far as the champions they're all right," answered our third sacker. When this observer decided he could not see the end in view, he quietly and politely gathered up his belongings, explained he had a meeting at 8:30, and bade his friends good-night. But no one seemed to notice his going the conversation had. drifted over to the American league and it was "the poor Tigers" and "they aren't as poor as you think," etc., etc. In vain for a few moments your correspondent cor-respondent attempted to attract someone's attention to say goodnight. good-night. It was no use. So he left the smoke-filled room and walked |