YANK The Army Weekly • JULY 27, 1945

Durocher, Peckinpaugh and Everett Scott. But Wagner could and so can Stephens. That's why Stephens means so much to us." Willis Butler, a Browns scout, saw Stephens SEWELL'S CHOICE playing high school, American Legion and semi- pro baseball around Long Beach and Los Angeles. He gave him a $500 bonus and signed him to a Browns contract at a time when scouts from the By Cpl. TOM SHEHAN In the eighth inning of the same game with and the Boston Red Sox were two men on base, Junior made a miraculous YANK Sports Editor also after him. back-to-the-diamond catch of Kurowski's fly Farmed to Springfield, 111., of the Three Eye T. LOUIS, MO.—, of the into left field. He not only robbed the Cardinals' League, Stephens didn't stay there long. 'The St. Louis Browns, says that he wouldn't third sacker of a hit, but the catch was so unex­ Three Eye League was too fast for a kid of 17," S swap Vernon (Junior) Stephens, his short­ pected that he was able to throw to Don Gut- he recalls. "They finally sent me to Johnstown in stop, for of the Cardinals, even if teridge and Musial off second. This play the Middle Atlantic League. I Wcis doing all right would make the trade. enabled Muncrief, who had relieved Potter in the until I got hurt." This is strange talk because most baseball men seventh, to retire the Cardinals without a That vas the injury that has kept him of compare Marion to the great of all that inning. the Army, a knee separation which kicks up time. "I couldn't win a pennant with Marty Mar­ Later Stephens made two errors, one of them every once in a while. In spite of it, however, he ion," says Sewell calmly. "I mean it. Batting is a costly wild throw which permitted the Cardi­ got in 40 games that year and batted .257. part of this game, too." nals to score their three runs in the fourth inning The Browns didn't really discover his value In his fourth big league season Stephens is fi­ of the sixth and final game of the series. Marion until they farmed him to Mayfield, Ky., of the nally living up to Sewell's predictions. During played errorless ball and, therefore, must be Kitty League for the 1939 season. Playing 122 the first two months of the current campaign he given the edge on fielding, at least in the series. games at short. Junior hit .361, scored 105 runs was clipping the ball for .313 and leading the Sewell, however, refuses to concede that Ma­ and drove in 123 more. His 44 doubles, seven league in runs-batted-in with 35. Of the first nine rion is a better fielder than Stephens over the triples and 30 home runs showed his potentiali­ home runs the Browns had, Stephens owned eight. course of the season. "Sure he makes errors," ties as a power hitter for the first time. While Junior was slowly finding himself in Luke says of his favorite , "but what Promoted to San Antonio of the Class A-1 the last few years, Sewell patiently refused to Texas League for the 1940 tamper with his natural batting style. "What I season, he got a break in look for in a hitter is not stance or form," says coming under the man­ Luke, "every hitter has what is to him a natural agement of Marty Mc- stroke. There isn't much that can be done about Manus, former Browns changing it because of the physical make-up and Red Sox manager. peculiar to each player. What I want in a hitter McManus worked on his is that this 'natural stroke' be a base-hit stroke. fielding and Stephens That is, the ball must go for a base hit when he gives him credit for what­ meets it right. If his 'natural stroke' raises an ever skill he has in this ordinary fly or beats the ball into the dirt, there department. "Marty isn't much we can do about making that player helped me in a dozen a hitter. So if a player has a 'base-hit stroke' I little ways," he says. don't meddle with it much. "Most of all he taught "Stephens was one of those players who didn't me the knack of coming make much of an impression as a hitter when we in for grounders, getting first got him. Reports we had on him said that them on the big, first hop he put his foot in the bucket and couldn't hit a instead of waiting for the curve. I took a look at him, saw him fan twice second, short bounce." on curves, but then I saw He had another good him hit two others out of season the following year, the park. We needed a 1941, at Toledo in the hitter who could do that. American Association. He fanned a lot at first, When Stephens arrived but I told him to keep at the Browns training swinging. That policy is camp in 1942, Johnny paying off now." Berardino, the regular Art Fletcher, the for­ shortstop, had been called mer Phillies manager into the service and the who has turned down berth was wide open. By several big-leaguie man­ the time the team had aging berths in regent broken camp at Deland, Fla., , then years to remain as a the manager, had given Junior the job. Yankee under Joe The Browns got away to a slow start that sea­ McCarthy, is another Ste­ son and Sewell replaced Haney in Jime. But phens admirer. "He has Junior completed the campaign with a .294 av­ a lot of power at the erage, 13 more points than he had hit in the plate," said Art. "And I American Association, and was hailed as one of like the way he looks the brightest prospects in years. over those pitches. He By the time the 1943 All-Star game came doesn't go fishing for around Stephens was playing brilliant ball. Lou bad balls." Boudreau and Luke Appling, two of the best Comparing Stephens Vamon St*pli«ns ^^Ife^ shortstops in the game, were available for the and Marion at the plate,. team's infield but Joe Mc­ the Browns shortstop has Carthy kept them on the bench and played Ju­ a batting average of .292 nior the entire nine innings. for three complete seasons, a fair mark for an player doesn't? He could make a dozen on one Shortly afterwards his knee began to act up , as compared to Marion's .270 for five fielding chance and it would never get him down. but Luke let him finish the year in the outfield. seasons. But it is in extra base blows that Ste­ I like a youngster like that. Most of the time he was just hobbling around, phens' superior punch at the plate becomes ap­ "As a matter of fact, Stephens has made some but he finished the season with a .289 batting parent. Junior has hit 85 doubles, 10 triples, 56 plays for ^s in the last couple of years that I've average and a record of 91 runs driven in. Last home runs and driven in 292 runs during his never seen any shortstop make. It's nothing to see year he hit .293 and led the league in runs batted brief career. Marion's record for five seasons in him dive for a ground ball to his right, knock it in with 105, a very respectable record for an this department is 119 doubles, 14 triples, 13 down and throw the man out at first from his infielder. home runs and 273 runs driven in. knees." (On the other hand, baseball writers who Junior is very popular with his teammates. His Conceding that Stephens is the better batter, have seen him in action for several seasons feel round face and ready smile make him look like the question is whether or not- Marion's fielding that Junior doesn't go to his left for balls quite one of Mickey Rooney's chums in the Andy is so much superior to Stephens' as to justify as smoothly as he goes to the right.) Hardy series. He's a thoroughly relaxed athlete the difference in batting power. "I didn't see play, but I've who sometimes worries his manager because he The experts had a chance to compare them in never heard anybody who did see him play ever doesn't take things more seriously. the field during the last fall. Mar­ say anything except that he was the greatest of Stephens is married and the father of a son, ion's play was sensational, but Stephens made them all. Get into an argument about hitters and also named Vernon Decatur Stephens, Jr. He at least two plays that were acknowledged to be you'll find some favor Ruth, some Cobb and some works as a machinist in a California shipyard superb. Oddly enough, they were in the same Joe Jackson. When you're talking pitching it's a during the off season. game, the second in the six-game series. question of Alexander, Walter Johnson, Christy If he doesn't establish himself as a great short­ Stephens made the first of his two brilliant Mathewson and Cy Young. But when anybody stop it will because of a tendency to put on flesh. plays in the fourth inning when, with men on talks shortstops, it's always Wagner. He could Junior likes to eat and he likes to drink beer. Most second and third and two out, Lanier hit a slow hit, run and field. people do, but Stephens puts on weight so fast grounder. Junior rushed in behind Potter, scooped "I don't want to take anything away from Ma­ that if he isn't careful he will duplicate the feat p the trickling bounder and fired underhanded rion that belongs to him. He's a great fielder, but of Shanty Hogan of the Giants, who ate his way ) McQuinn to make the play and retire the side. there's been- a lot of great fielding shortstops— out of the big leagues.

PAOe 73 PRODUCED 2004 BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED ". . . AND WOULD YOU FELLAS BE GOOD ENOUGH TO POLICE UP THE AREA ON YOUR WAY BACK TO THE GATE, PLEASE?" _Sgt. Bil Keone

' -a^ ^

L

¥OUR name and rank

Military address Care of parents, wife, etc.

Home-town street address

City, Zone and State 4-6 PLEASE INDICATE: RENEWAL Q ONE YEAR ^52 ISSUES) D $2.00 NEW a 6 MONTHS (26 ISSUES) D $1 00

Double above amounts for two subscriptions. . . . Enclose check or money order and mail to: "EVERYTHING IS JUST THE SAME." —Cpl. Ernest Maxwell YANK, THE ARMY WEEKLY, 205 E. 42d STREET, NEW YORK 17, N. Y. Subscriptions or« occeptvd only for members of the armed forces or discharged veterans of this war. rmK PRODUCED 2004 BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED