Show Sports Parade iT 11 Fleming Wins Fame After Rough Climb 7 By JACK CUDDY Subbing for Jack Guenther NEW YORK July 16 UP UP UP-If If Les Fleming were a rooster hed he'd grab the nearest fence and split each dawn with his crowing And hed he'd have good cause But hes he's not a rooster Hes He's the year old rookie of the Cleveland Indians who is cutting such sucha a swath through time big-time baseball that he still cant can't believe its it's I true rue So the husky Texan is doing no crowing crowing yet Seven years ago Fleming of Singleton Texas passed up a chance to enter the cattle business business business busi busi- ness with his his' uncle and chose to play the game he loved so well But baseball baseball baseball-a a fickle mistress booted him around with her high heels as if he were an unbranded unbranded unbranded un- un branded maverick And where he thought hed he'd put at least one cone foot into heaven he found several seasons seasons sea sea- ea sons of hell Sticks to Task But his gal was riding with him him Juanette Juanette his wife whose name is tattooed on on his right fore fore- arm And they stu stunk k it out out out-Les Les and Ju Juanette nette although many times th they y felt like quitting bec because because be be- c cause use it seemed that the diamond fates were inexorably against them and lifes life's box score score laughed at them with box cars at every toss of the dice Larruping Les is achieving belated belated be be- recognition now now As first baseman of the Cleveland Indians his bat is s so potent that Lou Boudreau Boudreau Bou Bou- dreau kid man manager ger of the club says Flemings the guy who more than anyone else is keeping us up there in the pennant fight The Indians ARE up there in third place despite the loss of Bob Feller to the navy a loss that was expected to level the Indian Indian Indian In In- dian wigwams completely Rookie Fleming is hitting and is the American leagues league's sixth batter batter- at the moment And hes he's doing well afield although afield-although although neither neith neith- er a graceful George nor a mud footed eke Bonura Sort of ofa a compromise We We abbed Fleming by the batting batting batting bat bat- ting c t. t e in Yankee stadium before before be be- fore Wednesdays Wednesday's Yankee Indian-Yankee game and found him a hard man manto manto manto to interview tough Interview tough because he tosses the skeleton in a hurry Ready with names dates and places hed he'd played but sidestepping sidestepping step side ping the things that made him tick Tribesmen Proud However his Indian mates tell the story story and and gladly Because every Cleveland player without exception glories in his success They realize that a guy who got kicked around for a long time is getting a break at long last And moreover hes he's a swell fellow personally per per- not not the least embittered That's why they pull for this husky haired brown chap with the build of a heavyweight fighter That's why hes he's an important uni- uni flying factor in an outfit that once thrived on discord dis ord and was branded brand branded ed the cry baby club of baseball Starting as a pro in 1935 Fleming Fleming Fleming Flem Flem- ing played up through Alexandria La and Beaumont Texas until he got a trial with the Detroit Tigers In 39 But the Tigers had two topflight topflight topflight top top- flight first basemen in Hank Greenberg and Rudy York so Les was shifted to the outfield and pl played so rarely that he became dull Back to the minors he went and hard luck hit him with both fists He went to Toledo and Wife Juanette had a baby but it died and she was critically ill for weeks He didn't feel like playing ball then l I He was with Buffalo of the International International In In- league in 1940 when he suffered a series of attacks of boils and carbuncles coupled with throat trouble His wife not well herself nursed him and encouraged encouraged encouraged I aged him when he wanted to quit After the disastrous 1940 season season season sea sea- son in which he hit only he had his tonsils removed and boiled the poison out of his system at Marlin Springs Texas Then he went to Nashville of the Southern association where Lady Luck fi finally finally finally fi- fi nally showed her ivories Manager Larry Gilbert of Nashville took him in hand restored his confidence confidence confidence dence and taught him to wait for the good ones So although So-although although out of the lineup for seven weeks with a broken hand hand he he hit during the 1941 season Thus it was that Cleveland Cleve Cleve- Cleveland land bought him to replace First Baseman Hal Trosky who was retiring voluntarily because of migraine headaches Now you know why Fleming could crow but doesn't and doesn't-and and why Les and Juanette from flOm down Texas Tex Tex- as w way y are a pair you could ride the river with |