Show I Sports Sports' H 1 Mirror l By John Moone Mooney 4 Telegram Sports Editor EdIt or I I Being a baseball writer who wh I grew up in the shadow literally I I o of the major league parks some some- i p 1 times has its disadvantages Like i t at the present when baseball bugs bug l around and about the local gathering gath gath- I ering places keep inquiring Why i I. I I dont don't you explain why the Philadelphia Phila Phila- t delphia Phillies are battling fo for fora a first division berth instead o of I languishing in the cellar where I b they normally belong Alongside of explaining th the I answer one the publicized publicize I 64 64 question is a snap I There could be many reasons I for the Phillies' Phillies sudden surge after alter all nil these years ears of dilly dilly- t dallying Theres There's Bucky Ducky Harris the new v manager who ho as the Boy Doy Manager l of a decade ago I brought the Washington Senators Senators Senators Sen Sen- to the top of the junior I league heap Harris as smart a ato to pilot as there Is 15 in the big time may have had plenty to do with I this rejuvenation of the Phillies 4 except that smart men have handled bandied the Quaker city squad before and failed Commando Cox COT head of t the new Philly sy syndicate which bought the club before the seaon season season sea sea- son on started must be given credit for some Bome of the success of his new Investment But Dut the Phils have hae had new blood backing the club before and fizzled Now If the Philly syndicate had gone Jone out and purchased a a. bunch of big name stars this upswing could be explained too But the only players the Phillies have Secured secured secured se- se II cured in trades and sales are guys guyse t e named Joe who weren't considered B good enough to stick with theirS their'S their S 'S respective major league clubs No the Philadelphia Nationals 0 of f this year arent aren't a boughten bought en a ball club as Larry MacPhail MacPhall lined U up at Brooklyn a couple of years ago to win the pennant Philadelphia Philadel- Philadel phia is a far cry from any million I dollar ball ban club t If Ife we ve were ere pinned down to naming the main reason for the Philadelphia upsurge into the stratosphere for the Phils of the second division wed we'd have to credit Ellsworth Babe DaMa DaM Dahl a gren p The Babe Dabe has been around the C major league circuit from one 0 extreme to the other He lie started I S out a as 81 a replacement for the theIron theIron I Iron Horse Lou Gehrig and t. t failed w when then hen he couldn't duplicate 4 f GehrIg's power at the plate S Other clubs needing someone 4 t who nho could shift feet at the Initial i sack without resembling a pret- pret i zel el grabbed at Dahlgren Dahigren for a aI ai ai i time and always cast him hini adrift r And finally as a rolling stone will always al do do Dahlgren wound up tIp at the bottom o of the pile with the Phillies where everyone expected ex ex- him to start gathering moss II with the rest of the perpetual tall tail enders 1 v I But that's where the experts i I made a a. mistake for Dahlgren Dahigren Just i Isn't the moss-gathering moss type And 4 apparently his affliction was r catching for the rest o of the Phils 4 i have st started stretching too and found It fun tun it Heres Here's where Harris Harris' genius made Itself felt Noticing Bobby Dobby t n. n 45 Brogan Bragan lumbering around the short field fJeld Bucky Ducky decided Dahlgren Dahlgren DaMgren Dahl Dahl- gren was a natural shortstop The Babe Is relatively fast liet he lie t t j I resembles a gazelle I r compared to 0 Dragan Bragan and he Is adapting hIm hIm- 1 J self to his new position satis- satis t Most major league writers j 41 4 scoffed at this change contendIng contending contend- contend f Ing that Harris was wasting a beautiful good field no hit 7 v first baseman by transforming lm Into what might be only a 2 1 mediocre shortstop 4 j C But Harris had an ace or two In the hole and one of them was wasi il i Jimmy Was dell who Is a capable I first nt baseman and r r 4 j a good hitter 1 o e Dahlgren needs to be facing the thes s pitcher every day to keep his batting batting bat bat- 4 ting eye and since hes he's been In the up line-up every day his batting is la Improving I I What the experts overlooked I s. s was as the fact that Dahlgren Dahigren wasn't f snaking making his initial venture Into I I. I the left side of the infield This 0 C be nay may something of or a surprise to q A but 6 we Probed his past and found that Dahlgren Is la no country bumpkin bump bump- I Z kin at t the hot side of the din dla- U mond Dahlgren Dahigren played short for the t Yankees In several exhibition f games when Frankie Frankle Crosetti and Bill Dill Knickerbocker were In- In r capacitated And Babe Dabe was a aA 4 A sandlot third sacker around the bay r region glon when Scout Bobby Dobby i A Coltrin picked him up Babe shifted to first because t the old Missions were nere strong on onI I the left side BIde with Joe Coscarart b and others around waiting a r chance When Then Newark had 1 Johnny McCarthy at first In InI I 1937 1931 Dahlgren was shifted back f to third and he batted see see- j ond only to King Kong Keller k j Dahlgren is fast for a big marI man mar I and gets the Jump well enough L h j on the ball He is a good fr across the field and has the hands handi I which enable him to play th the ball ball bali well wello o Li Pew Few expect the Phillies to finish 4 the season as well wen as they have hav S Sm m started out but If they should pull hull off the miracle of the decade you can credit Ellsworth Dahlgren Dahl Dahl- 2 gren ren the first baseman nobody k wanted with the r transformation |