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Show WHEN Pitcher Bobo Newson forsook the Tigers for th Washington Senators, an era endec for the Detroit baseball club. As these lines are written, Bob still Is a member of the Senators However, that state of affairs ma) end abruptly, Newsom's sale tc Washington marked the 15th timi that he has changed uniforms since entering professional baseball Ir 1928. The deal also ended his long' est continuous stay with one team-one team-one month short of three seasons. The Marco Polo of the majoi leagues, Bobo couldn't see eye-to-eye with Jack Zeller, general manager of the Tigers, concerning financial matters. Newsom's departure from the Detroit De-troit club, for whom he had done exceptional work in the 1940 championship cham-pionship season with 21 victories against five defeats, had been considered con-sidered inevitable. Bobo refused tc accept a pay cut from his reporteo $33,000 of 1941 to a reported $12,500 'ill- -sSflft-vi i ' ' j : i X ' ' . ' ' 1 ! BOBO NEWSOM Neither the club nor Newsom would budge on the issue and its solution came with Bobo's tearless departure. depar-ture. Dodder Plot Early rumors had It that the deal was no more titan a preliminary to matters vastly more important and Involved. Larry MacPhail was thought to have the trap nicely baited. Once it was sprung, Bobo would emerge as a full-fledged Dodger. Too, the St. Louis Browns were said to be more than interested in securing his services. The Senators were said to be hopeful of trading him to the Browns for third baseman base-man Harlond Clift Whether Bobo stays with Washing- , ton or goes to the Browns, the future doesn't look too glorious for him. He already has served a stretch with both clubs. And Bobo is an adventurer. ad-venturer. He demands a change of scenery new and distant horizons with alarming regularity. Once he has traveled a trail, he has no desire to repeat the performance. That's why his future with either club is dubious. Why was Detroit willing to part with his services? After all, Bobo is a Class 3-A athlete who had won 89 games in the American league in the last five seasons. He hurled the team to a pennant in 1940. A major part of the answer is concerned with salary. During the past two seasons he was paid a total of approximately $79,000 for his mound work. At $36,000 last year he was the highest salaried pitcher in the history of baseball. His hurling hurl-ing didn't justify the salary. This year he was advised to sign a blank contract and put in writing his intention in-tention to regain his 1940 form and leave the matter of salary up to Owner Own-er Walter O. Briggs. Newsom refused re-fused to take this step, demanding a minimum salary of $22,000. Incidentally, Inci-dentally, Emil Leonard, Washington's Washing-ton's leading pitcher, is getting $13,-000 $13,-000 and he won six more games and lost seven less than did Newsom in 1941. Question of Morale The question of morale was equally equal-ly important. His 1941 training was almost farcical. He didn't come close to reaching his 1940 condition and managed to lose more games than any pitcher in the major leagues. His training this year was along the same line. Two days before the Tigers sold him he weighed 222 pounds 22 pounds above his best pitching weight. Newsom claims he can win for Washington. He always has liked President Clark Griffith of the Senators. Sena-tors. If he is willing to work willing will-ing to get back into shape; then Washington may shake off the shadow shad-ow of the American league cellar. SPORT SHORTS Ted Lyons of the Chicago White Sox is the oldest active player in the majors at 41. The annual Cooperstown (Baseball (Base-ball Hall of Fame) game will be played August 3 between the Cardinals Cardi-nals and Athletics. The rabbit punch was barred after Jack Dempsey's fight with Bill Brennan in 1913. No World series team ever has lost the first three games and then won the championship. |