Show Rickey fRickey Sets Sets Stakes for hums Bums J Days of 8 Limit Are Gone By y JACK CUDDY NEW YORK Nov 20 UP UP- UP Branch Rickey who gave up Cards to become president of the he Brooklyn Dodgers found himself himself himself him him- self almost ens enT end en- en T d J- J s r gulfed gulled in a swirl To Today I ay S of pasteboards the minute he S Sport por t set foot on the theP banks of the Go- Go P Parade ara d e A Ace c c one of his first official acts was the he lowering of the limit of poker games rames among Dodger players from the he somewhat fabulous 8 to a friendly 15 cents No announcement announcement announcement announce announce- ment was made whether the house would take a cut but such a move would not be surprising because Branch the great economist is ever ver watchful of his clubs club's financial financial finan- finan cial ial interests We who have played cent 25 limit poker and become so distraught distraught dis- dis raught over our losses that we went home and continued to play and lose in our sleep can understand understand under- under stand tand perfectly what happened to those hose poor Dodger boys in the closing closing clos- clos ing ng stages of the last pennant campaign cam cam- now now that the clubs club's amazing amazing ing ng 8 limit has been revealed An 8 limit poker game is big time ime stuff stuff stuff-a a torrid pastime which when played daily or nightly night- night ly y could shatter the nervous system system I tem em even of a banker with ice water in his veins No wonder the 1942 Brooklyn squad jittery and worn from too much expensive poker oker and gin rummy lost their game 10 lead in the stretch and dropped the pennant They lost to o the Cards all right right to to the St. St Louis Cards and particularly to the he cards th that t whispered across tables on trains in hotel rooms and even in their own dressing quarters Gin rummy usually was played in n the clubhouse dressing quarters where it was not unusual for as many as six games to be in ress It was played for 5 cents a point 50 cents a box and 2 a game jame These are lush stakes in in- in deed The poker and rummy games were so brisk and Manager Leo Durocher was so lucky in the deck that he won a lot lotof lotof lotof of money from his men during the season Leo the Lip admits that he le gave back much of this dough in bonuses For example if a player made an important hit on the he field he would find a bonus waiting for him This was a new departure in inspirational baseball the the business of giving back a aman aman aman man some of his own money for stellar achievements on the diamond dia dia- m mond The Dodgers unquestionably were one of the greatest gambling crews in major league history They did not limit their activities to o the pasteboards they also played the frequenting the therace therace therace race tracks on their days off It must have been an expensive membership mem mem- memI I this this belonging to the I Dodgers of 1942 and 1941 Yes they gambled in 41 Durocher admitted ad ad- Yet strangely enough Dolph Camilli one Camilli-one of the few one Flatbush- Flatbush ers who did not gamble gamble is is the I Ionly only one who announced that he could not afford to continue with the Dodgers next year Perhaps the other lads hope to stage a financial comeback in the games of chance If they do Rickey's chopping down of the poker limit must come as a severe blow Durocher officially retained as manager for next season has promised faithfully to ride herd herdon on the squad members from now on and keep the card games within the limits of relaxation Someone inquired But who will ride nde herd herdon on Durocher The answer of course was Rickey |