Show by JOE MAHONEY ij L A fy r STAR 6 F E ECAL C OF D squall NO AND TOP BASKET otee CF nl I 1 qa ALL PLAYERS WAX OF THE SET A IN BY MAKING 5 A HITS IN A ROW is CLUB cp SPORT LIGHT iners hear winners and stars by GRANTLAND RICE jeres A BLU BLUEBIRD singing n baseballs cedar post this tg by which we mean that in insi gries 0 entertainment slumps crashes the old game faces a ord d year ost every other form of en ining for the restless human soul has taken a dive big or little except florida racing and baseball miami turned ou out i c cash a s h customers for its first two games and e every V hamlet or city in the citrus circuit has shown the n alini rice b best est average at atnee e ever recorded they icy have cracked records st petersburg tampa sarla and practically all other Is fro from in coast to coast As se e attendance figures inie we a large number northern midi midwestern vestern tourists soak I 1 up all the sunshine in sight silicates indicates a in nationwide a tion w ide inter lit to in the game re reports ports from U pacific cc coast as it indicate the ame ie general public trend in e direction of the home ru run I 1 ae double p ps plus s the error and and 1 bm bases on an balls 1948 season set a new bige tn attendance ce record last di r the total was up close to the 0 record breaking figure if is any n y sort of close race I 1 1950 d i reach h or P pass ass and reby y keep the ballplayer collect his is share of the swag whether ther ted williams is actual letting ting or joe dimaggio dima eglo actually collecting is bated sd by more than a few big 9 U e club owners and they I 1 to know but it the stars are drawing far ile e pay than they ever drew wore ro which has made basca c bill pro profession f assion worth follow it tor for those with fast fast legs ices I 1 long g arms and a healthy bates I 1 eye e the club owners are S in enough at the gate to a pretty fair ballplayer from 1 to which is are 8 than wagner cajole ly jackson and walsh ever drew IJ i their historic primes for example last year Chi cagos and Pitts burghs pirates over a million with two teams t seldom exuded the fragrant int 1 of t rosebuds A comfortable I 1 k was the main cub lure lipri ph kiner added to the pl pi attendance it 1 I only ly team that had a melan year was the browns and they have grown accustomed to the morbid things ot of life by now there was a day when a team had to finish 1 2 3 to draw over that day has departed the possible gravill drawback aci there Is only one sad note that might affect attendance tor for the year ahead this is to have some club in either league make a runway runaway of the race that could happen the red sox or the yankees might turn this trick I 1 dont think either will but there is still the chance the dodgers might get the jump and open up a big gap if pitchers ralph branca and rev barney pitch about two tio thirds as well as they ought to pitch no club in the american league barring red sox and yankees has a chance to stampede the race no other club beyond the dodgers has the same chance in the national but even then those clubs with stars suffer too much the pirates proved that last year when ralph kiner hit 54 runs and drew in a big part of the and more spectators the populace at large either wants a winner a near car winner or a star if they cant get a 1 2 3 team they want a ted williams joe dimaggio DiMagg lo stan country slaughter ralph kiner or someone of higher than normal ma stature the stars still draw the yankees are lucky in having joe da baggio jag gio Henr Il enrich page and rizzuto buzzuto the red sox are just as lucky in having williams liams dom parnell and a smashing mashing infield anil and zarilla I 1 Is s no part of 0 a second rater there Is another tall slender workman on the red sox club who might be one ot of the games best his name is maurice Al mcdermott cDermott mcdermott is only 21 years old ile he is 6 feet 2 and weighs pounds lie he Is built like a whip and he throws like a whip ile he was born in poughkeepsie NY and his record so far been too hot but he has all the stuff one left arm Is supposed to carry including hurricane speed hodve Ilow ve you been going 1 asked mcdermott wilder than two hawks he be said youth and speed dont lead to perfect control mcdermott may be one of the best left ha handers aders of 0 many years before the season ends |