Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-03-28 | Page 20 | Philly Fans Deserve Hall of Fame Spot

McLemore Soys Philly Fans Deserve Hall of Fame Spot By HENRY McLEMORE ' United Press Sporh Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla, March 28 If I ran the baseball hall of fame at Cooperstown, or even had something on the man who does, I would reserve two niches (or nichi) for bronze busts of my own selection. can get himself placed on the auction auc-tion block by getting two hits in a row or drawing three successive bases on balls. The general belief Is that the Browns and Phillies will even be worse this year than last. That is a generous tribute to their inef fidenry, because they were tops at being bottom last year. The Browns lost 111 of their 154 gamea last season, and the Phillies dropped 106 of their 151. Come on, Cooperstown. Let's have a little space. In one niche, where I would be sure to get croas-ventllatlon and the morning aun, I would place a bust of a typical Philadelphia Phillies Phil-lies fan. And right next to it, bo-cause bo-cause misery loves company, I would place a bust of a typical St Louts Browns rooter. Th two types certainly deserve to be recognized snd lmortslized in any memorial dedicated to the great of baseball. They deserve it on two counts. Enduring Souls 1 First, they must be the greatest lovers of baseball wa have in this country. Year after year they have been loyal to teams which, destined from the opening of the season to finish last, always fulfilled their destiny. Secondly, they deserve niches at Cooperstown becsuse, like the buffslo, the chafing dish party, snd the spit curl, they are fast dying out. If last years' attendance figures of the two teams mean anything, the Philly and the Brown fans won't be with us long. The dying out of two noble races Is easy to understand. What fans they do hsve are of long, long stsnding. Because, certainly they haven't added any new ones in recent years. One cn scarcely Imagine a newcomer new-comer to baesball random turning adoring eyes toward either of these teams and aaying: "These are my heroes, I will follow them." Training Tisno Wasted Tou Ysnkeea, Red Sox. Tigers and Cardinal fans have no conception concep-tion of the misery and gloom that surrounds a Phillies or Browns rooter. Tske right now, during the spring training season, you get a bang out of reading what your team ia doing because you know that summer will find It In the thick of the pennant fight, with a chance to win at all. But what delight can Browns or Phillies rooters find in reading of spring training? They know what their teams are training for . rigtilh place. What good all these reports of calisthenics, long batting bat-ting and fielding drills, and exhibition exhibi-tion games? None. Deep in their hearts the Phillies and Brown rooters know thst their athletes might Just as well be lolling in pool parlors, smoking big black cigars, and staving out to all hours of the night Once the season opens, and the play is for keeps, the Browns and the Phillies will start tumbling down, down, down, until by midseason a miner's light will be required to find them in the standing of the dubs. . Stars Always Seta The fans of these twe rlubs cannot can-not even allow themselves to get excited over the accidental discovery discov-ery of a new star or stars by their teams. They know from past experience ex-perience that Just aa soon as the new discoveries prove themselves of real worth the owners of the clubs will sell them off to the highest bidder. This is particularly true ef the Phillies, where a player