DETROIT TIMES, JULY 21, 1942 PAGE 13 Heave Ho! Champion Crew Drills io Defend Title SPORTS By LEO MACDONELL Chet L'flaßs, Ex-Tiger, Brownies “Push Detroit May Keep Our Boys Aside, Now Set Sail Out of Ist Division for Higher Ranking TED WILLIAMS PRAISES TEBBETTS Chester Peter Laabs, a bit ironically, may be the boy who keeps the Tigers out of the first division when the curtain is dropped on the 1942 American League championship race. Ironic because Chet is a former Tiger. H< struck out too often and was traded to t he Browns. Now look the stocky ; f Pole, a Milwaukee product who In;‘kcs his home in Pontiac when ¦ ' in ' '•'****'&.v r <*r wK; .. Av'-* ¦ Zvamt ... ' . ’ Cyj’V' rfr ™9h(r‘~~ ~'.s>r>'&4lvt*' , ’ *OO9~ a i ’ ' nation the league, Laabs has BSP-5’ 1 . fJTL ''SjßWfe .BLg,> A poled 17 home runs to be one j .jtt'jjjiA behind 'Fed Williams, the Red f*Hio** Sox slugger. Instead of Rudy Gro.sse Pointe High School’s eight knifes through are part of the 10-man Grosse Pointe team which leaves NIXON. No. 5; 808 BENYA. No. 4; CAPTAIN BAR- / Jr"'- **’ Yfirk, Joe DiMaggio or some the waters of the Detroit River at Belle Isle in warmup here Thursday with crews of the Detroit Boat Club, TH EL, No. 3; TONY DANNA, No. 2; 808 FLUITT, more recognized home run slug-! for the annual Henley regatta at St. Catharine’s, Ont., through which the boys are entered. Above, GEORGE No. 1. Joe Bracken also will go. They are entered in f?**r, it may be the taciturn but Thursday, Friday and Saturday, where they will defend HUBBARD is coxswain; FRANK MUMFORD, stroke; high school eights, fours, doubles and singles. Crews f likeable Laabs who will be giv- their Canadian championship. The boys, all about 16, 808 STEIGER, No. 7; 808 EVERETT. No. 6; FLOYD from Ecorse and Wyandotte also will compete. X lanky Theodore Moreover, paced bv I-tabs : booming bat, the Browns, now ANYTHING that they have brushed the King of Platers ‘Week-End Golfer’ Paces Tigers aside, see no reason why CHET LAABS they can't move up higher and GOES ON fierhaps edge out the Red Sox and finish in second plaee. The Browns haven’t finished as high Wins 6th in Row All-America Amateur as fourth in 12 years. BIG DAY The American loop hasn’t seen anything like Laabs' hitting since York blasted 18 home runs during August, 1937. In nine games through Friday, the slugging Brown outfielder poled seven] Mon Time Proves Johnny Lehman "homers, batted in 20 runs and personally conducted the St. Louis team on a winning streak of eight straight. He Doesn't Need Snay Wins Race Tops Chicago Those Crutches Meet on 71 Novel Explanation for Improvement The First Time “Maybe the ball U bigger," Laabs explained in Washington By LEWIS 11. WALTER CHICAGO, July 21 (UP).-* the other day when he was asked to Johnny Chicago what he attributed his crutches Lehman, insur* Give old Mon Time some a who recent splurge in batting. and let hirp romp home again. Let nee salesman spent tha best Chet was not trying to he facetious; he really meant it when him romp home for his seventh years of his golfing career chasing He’s Skipper stars like Bobby Jones, “Sandy” he said the hall straight victory at the Detroit may be bigger. Somerville, Francis Ouimet and "Really, the hall looks bigger," repeated, race track. "probably They’ve gr»t a By GEORGE E. VAN Lawson Little, found himself in because lot of nice horses linjpii iVr today I changed my stance." out at the the role of pacesetter in the stabled there Fair ISLAND, July tournament The former Tiger explained that he now pulls his front foot Grounds: some worth $5,000, few MACKINAC 21. all-America amateur a course. back a little and faces the pitcher more. worth SIO,OOO and even a few lhat -Charley Sorensen couldn’t be at the Tam o’ Shanter As the bulky field of 210 com- are worth a little more. *- •-* aboard White Cloud in the Chi- “Rut it is probably just one of those thing*—when you r - petitors went into the final half cither right But none of them can boast n eago-Mackinac race so he told Joe smack ’em or you don’t," Chet added. record like Mon Time, the SI,OOO iof the 36-hole qualifying test foe Now Snay to get the crew together and war-year successor of the 27. Laabs was born in Milwaukee, the son of a steel plater that has won six in a row. this win. National Amateur meet, Lehman moldcr. from whom he inherited his muscle and power. Though He’s won two races now' with The big 60-foot cutter not only a $1,250 claiming tag him for led with a sub-par round of 71. ‘ not a big man as ball players go 5 feet. 8 inches, and 170 pounds on ». won the race, hut was the first A. W. Deveau. whose trainer, J. C. r-: to The prematurely gray Chi- -Laabs has broad shoulders, thick wrists and sinew’y forearms. Jg boat in the fleet of 30 finish cagoan was the only player In the Gironda, had enough confidence in /jp 11 hours and Most of his power comes from the arms. He grips the bat solidly and was 19 minutes big field able to crack par yester- the old fellow to claim him after 34 seconds ahead of Pete Danly’s at the end and takes a free, mighty swing. he won his fourth straight. to day in the opening round. He Trident, second cruising boat was in one under par 35 and An infielder who played either second or third base, Laabs] They say almost every trainer finish. out at the expects Time to in regulation figures of 36. was purchased by the Tigers in 1935. He came from A 1 Simmons' track Mon Snay thus became a skipper of a iback throw* his legs into the infield racing yacht for the first time in WEEK-END MLfTB neighborhood. The Tigers sent him to Fort Wayne, where he every time he runs. They say he's his career, and he’s been active in Lehman, quarter-finalist the broke his leg, but he returned to Milwaukee in 193 b and broke a cripple. Kvon the betting public the sport he was 14. He’s 58 a in since 1930 National Amateur at the fences, church steeples and everything else in sight with his doesn't seem to have faith in him. and has a birth certificate to When he won his sixth straight Marion Cricket Club, Ardmore, savage bludgeon. In 57 gimes he hit 42 homers and batted prove it. yesterday it was only the second skipper Pa., when he made his greatest home 151 runs. But being made no dif- bid for title, has time they had sent him away to Snay in a been a “week- league ference his actions golfer" But he couldn't hit big pitching—with the Tigers. In favorite. aboard ship. His job. all these end for almost a decade. with Tigers His recent competition has been 1937 he hit .240 in 72 games the and was shipped * l ® has RIDDEN BV ADAMS v ’¦* J years, been to set and direct * s'** v. 4#t •<¦ ‘ X limited, mostly to local events. to Toledo, where he fashioned a .110 mark in 21 contests. He ¦t * »'¦' *3 i the handling of all canvas. He’s Mon Time carried 117 pounds, say to On Lehman’s heels with even v is still hitting dose to .300 in 1937 when the Tigers recalled also had considerable to the par including Ihe track’s leading rider,! 7—s.'^’v *r s jig at cards of 72 were five players. him from Mud ns. But .237 was the best he Adams, man the helm on whatever Johnny Goodman, the lb could do with Johnny over that mile and sailing. They were tha jrctroit boat he was Open and he went to the Browns in the big deal which brought 70 yard* again without breaking; astute is so wondrous former National and ama- So he. king Omaha, Neb.; Buck Newsom to the Tigers. Last year Chet finished the season down. And he looked like the wise In the ways of yacht racing, teur of Billy winner before he hit the half mile ship Gilbert of Cincinnati, 0., former with 15 homers and an average of .278. that the success of a on which Big champion; .wle when Adams *nt rocked right he has sailed has been credited to Ten Frankie Stra- off the pace-vetting White Bait, him. nahan 'of Toledo, O.; Bob Coch- ready to go to the front again. He’s Ihe dean of the active ran of St. Louis, and Henry Bow* Williams Appreciates His Tormentor Mon Time did go to the front on beer of Chicago. Birdie Tebbetts is Ted Williams’ greatest tormentor. The the turn out of the back stretch (Continued on Page 14) For Goodman, the day was ona leaving Tiger catcher likes nothing better than to needle Williams when and down he came, White of missed opportunities. He was Bait among the also rans. A. E. WILSON trying to shoot his heckling from MRS. WILSON and daugh- out in 35 and then had birdies on the Red Sox slugger is at bat. Adams opened ithe tenth, eleventh and thirteenth up such a wide; way out of a trap at Meadowbrook in ter Major League Williams, however, has great admiration for Tebbetts’ ability lead in the stretch he could afford' JEAN.