GENERAL NEWS SPORTS SPORTS footing f&faf THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1953 C ** Harris Revamps Lineup, Hopes to Cash in on Vollmer Purchase •sygm Lj- Win, Lose or Draw Runnels Drops P- % Straight Face By FRANCIS STANN KIND OF SAD ABOUT the Detroit Tigers. It’s too early To Sixth Slotr 8-to-5 Choice to write ’em off as a last-place club again, but for a. fact they are acting like one. How does a ball club deteriorate so fast? Is the front office responsible? In 1950 the Tigers could have won the Wood Benched In Blue Grass American League pennant. They were out ” ' | Masterson Opposes in front until a late-Season slump enabled Correspondent 5 to 2 the Yankees to take it all. That was less Determined Shantz In Keeneland Test than three years ago. They were a good. As Home Stand Ends solid ball club then. Now they are shot full flMplNfSS| For Kentucky Derby' of weaknesses. By Burton Hawkins ly tha Associated Prass It could be the Tigers miss the late Clyde Vollmer. purchased from LEXINGTON. Ky.. April 23 - Wish Egan. He was more than chief scout. the Red Sox yesterday, will take Two of Native Dancer’s most Wish was a close adviser to Walter O. Briggs, over Ken Wood’s leftfleld job highly-esteemed rivals for the and Pete sr„ now dead, too. Briggs was not a prac- Runnels’ fifth spot In Kentucky Derby—Correspondent, i .mf|; the batting order when the Nats tical man, a impressive winner of two sprint baseball but, rather, fan. And, wind up their series with the Keeneland, and Straight although he races at ran. his club with a firm hand, Athletics at Griffith Stadium. Face. Idle since his victory in he listened to Egan, who was one of the The game will be televised by the rich Flamingo at Hialeah—- very smartest of baseball men. rr»neit stann. Washington Station WTTG at were meeting today in the $25.- Itwas Wish who discovered or okayed most of the Detroit 2:30. 000-added Blue Grass Stakes, years. The 31-year-old Vollmer, who high light of the final day of the stars of the last 20 Schoolboy Rowe . Hank Green- didn’t blend with the trend 11-day meeting at Keeneland. berg . Hal Newhouser . , etc. When he died, followed toward youth at Boston, The Blue Grass is semi- by Briggs, something of returns the seemed to go out the Detroit to the Nats after a lapse of three final test in Kentucky for the organization. years. He was one of the league’s Derby, which will be run at ** * * hottest hitters two years ago .Jk _ Churchill Downs just nine days YOUNG SPIKE BRlGGS—he’s a junior—is heading up when he hit 22 homers and per- from now. The final test is next Tigers these days. A pretty good baseball man, Spike. He sonally kept the Red Sox in the Tuesday’s Derby Trial at Louis- the pennant race until the waning ville. knows the game, as evidenced by his going to bat a few years days of the season by winning Straight Face Favored. ago for Bucky Harris. Young Briggs wanted Bucky back, many key games with timely six Derby nominees preferably as general manager. hitting. There were listed for the Blue Grass, with So did Wish Egan, but this was time the senior one Harris Welcomes Addition. j Straight Face the likely favorite Briggs didn’t listen to Wish. He chose Red Rolfe to be field Vollmer never has batted bet- ; at about 8 to 5, and Correspond- manager and put Spike in the automobile body factory which ter than the .284 average he ent the second choice at 5 to 2. bears his name. Thus the young man, for all practical pur- compiled with the Nats and Bos- Money Broker. Blaze. Ace De- poses, has been away from baseball for a time. ton in 1950, but Manager Bucky stroyer and Bimini Bay are the Harris the of other four colts in today's race The general manager is Charley Gehringer, the old second welcomes addition THEY MEET TODAY IN BLUE GRASS—The Greentree Stable’s Straight Face, (left) and Mrs. Gordon the phlegmatic “He Guiberson’s Corre- at a and one-eighth, a base man, but the outfielder. spondent are the big names in today’s Blue Gfass Stakes at Keeneland, the next to the last test in mile star. A smart, personable Gehringer, from can go get a ball,” Harris said, Kentucky before the furlong shorter than the Derby. Derby, now only nine days off. The two rivals will be ridden by two of the country’s top jockeys, Ted Atkinson on beginning he was reluctant to take the job. He had a lucra- “and he’s a pretty good hitter on favored Corre- Straight Face and Eddie Arcaro aboard the California-bred Correspondent. —AP Wirephoto. The California-bred tive post, but Briggs had been persistent and Gehringer felt the road. He’s a pullhitter who spondent, owned by Mrs. Gordon he owed a good deal to the old man. Now that Detroit has can park ’em in the left field Guiberson, was nosed out by finished in the cellar for the first time in history under his seats on occasion.” Tourney of Champs Begins Chanlea and Merryman at the generalship, Gehringer is understandably reluctant to bow out. Traded to the Red Sox May 8, Big Night by Holman Griffs" Records same distance in the SIOO,OOO 1950, for Shortstop Merrill Santa Anita Derby. Corre- ** * * Combs and Battinx. Outfielder Tom AB.R.H spondent drew a weight assign- HoriprlPin 28.38 HR.RBI.Pct THE TIGERS HAVE MADE a lot of weird deals in the O’Brien, Vollmer was re-pur- Hogan Absent as Pros Blast . 2 0 1 o o o o .500 be ridden Tprwllllger 25 » O ment of 121 and is to couple years, at to eye of layman. They chased yesterday Chases Durocher's 4 4 0 3 .360 last of least the a for $15,000. Vernon 26 2 9 3 0 O 6 .346 by Eddie Arcaro, who rode the have been trading almost exclusively with the St. Louis Harris is hardly thrilled by Campos 3 O 1 0 0 O 2 .333 colt to impressive victories in Requested at Las Vegas Yost 25 6 8 1 O 0 2 .320 Browns, of all people. Somehow, they seem to have latched Wood’s .214 hitting. Despite Fee Bu»by_. 31 2 8 1 0 0 1 .258 two preps at 6 and 7 furlongs Ken’s hits last night, Gloom Oyer Injuries By tha Associated Press By th. Associated Press Jensen 24 3 6 3 11 4 .250 onto the idea that by dressing St. Louis players in Detroit two Bucky Grasso 24 2 6 2 0 0 1 .250 here. will try to capitalize quickly on •y tha Associated Prass LAS Nev., April LAS VEGAS, Nev., April 23. Stobbs 5 1 10 o O 0 .200 The Stable’s Straight uniforms they would reach greater heights. Up to now there’s VEGAS. 23. Wood 28 0 6 1 O 0 2 .214 Greentree the investment in Vdllmer. Ben Hogan came in for bitter Taking aim at the top target of Runnels 21 5 3 0 1 0 0 .143 Leo Durocher is fast becoming 0 0 0 O been no proof that they’ve improved. Runnels, off to a slow SIO,OOO in a $35,000 purse, 20 of Peden _ 4 0 O .000 (See BLUE Page C-3.) start. a firm in the theory criticism yesterday from his fel- Porterfield- 4 o o o o o o .000 GRASS. believer, O 0 0 0 rate of among managers, batting only golf the Nation’s leading golfers tee Masterson _ 3 o 0 .000 In attrition Detroit has been Is .143 and Harris is that every cloud has silver lin- low pros. (I O O a off today in the first round of Baker 2 0 0 0 .000 among the present-day leaders. Freddie Hutchinson, who dropping him to sixth in the bat- ing. And Bobby Hofman is one Friction has been simmering Marrero 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 ting order. the first annual of Verble 1 O 0 0 0 0 0 .000 succeeded Red Rolfe only last summer, is the master-mind of the reasons. for days over reports that Hogan Tournament Dixon i 000 o o o .000 Vollmer batted .264 Champions. Coan __ o o o o o o o .000 at the moment. Young for a manager, Freddie nevertheless with the The New York Giants’ man- had demanded and been refused Consuecra o f) 0 0 0 0 0 .000 ager was forced to dig deep into $5,000 for appearing in the Leading threats to capture the Moreno o o 0 0 0 o 0 .000 begins 1953 as a man of distinction. He is the only Tiger (See NATS, Page C-2.) big prize Lloyd Mangrum, Oldls 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 his infield reserves when Davey $35,000 Tournament of Cham- are Pearce 0 0 0 0 0 o o .000 manager asked to take the club from last place. Until last Shea 0 O 0 o 0 O O .000 Williams, his preferred choice pions which starts here today. Sam Snead and Cary Middlccoff. Sima 0000000 .000 HAKES f year, Detroit was the only major league team that never base, reinjured his official source with the The scene is the new Desert Sleater 0000000 .000 A's, 7; Nats, 4 for second An Stewart 0000000 .000 Bonded Linings Guaranteed finished last.