The Washington times., 1922-06-04
NAVY SHOWS
GRIT IN FIGHT
AGAINST JINX

Brilliant Victory Over Army Ball
Team Achieved Despite Sue
cessive Misfortunes.
A NNAPOLIS, June S.-As long
~ as the Naval Academy nine
came through" on Monday
In its annual game Of baseball
against the Military Academy, a
tale of unprecedented misfortune
throughout the season can be told.
Of course, a certain amount of
hard luck in the shape Of injuries
to players, difficulties with the in
structors and things Of that sort is
to be expected, and is simply the
run of the season, but the Difficult
ties which beset the Naval Academy
nine from the beginning of the
season to the end made up a sum
far greater than the average
happenings, and added glory to a
particularly fine victory.
The last incident of the kind was
the loss II the chief coach, Billy
Lush, less than two weeks before
the final game. Things Of this sort
are rare with the larger colleges
and unprecedented at the Naval
Academy, and IL might have die.
heartened a team Of less spirit than
the midshipmens. It's effect with
them, on the contrary, was to height.
en- the fighting spirit Of every one.
Though Lush has coached both
baseball and basketball for many
years at the Naval Academy. he has
aluyo chit nff'' in, he ,iohf
way with the naval officials. Both
have their side in the matter, but
the fact remains that relations have
been somewhat strained for some
time. so that a comparatively small
incident brought the matter to a
head and resulted in Lush severing
all connection with Naval Academy
athletics.
Coaches Well Liked.
The work of coaching was az once
assumed by "Vic" Blakeslee, captain
Of the Naval Academy nine of 1919,
assisted by Eddie" Miner, captain
OF the nine of 1920, and John vii.
son. one Of the instructors in physi-
cal training, who has had large cx-
perience as a coach. These young
men are OF particularly fine spirit
and are well liked by their charges.
HlCIiDCl VI lhC oidhu " oo
right behind them, and some Of the
best work of the season was done
under their direction.
The first blow to Navy BASEBALL
prospects was delivered at tie very
start of the season, when Art"
Fleming, the one reliance on the
slab, was taken i'll, and 1t was found
that he would not be able TO play
during the season. Fleming had
undoubted ability, and there was no
one else on the squad who gave
promise of anything above medic
Gritty.
At the same time Hogan, a veteran
IN the catching position, had some
scholastic difficulties, and his as
sistance to the young pitchers was
lCssened Then Hederman, really
brilliant infielder, first sprained mis-
ankle, and then had his nose broken
by a foul tip from his own bat. He
returned to the game late in the sea
Sol. out again turned his ankle, and
w not able to play in the final
Co. est.
Humphreys, captain and first
baseman of the nine, hurt his knee
in practice, and, after several at.
tempts, found that ii was useless to
attempt to play any more this sea-
SON Thus, the Navy team found
itself without either captain or
coach in the final days Of prcp3rn-
ton for the great test.
A Real Battle.
The game was won by narrow
margin. the score being s to 8, but no
game was ever fought with better
spirit and never did both victor and
Vanquished deserve more honor.
There was plenty of good baseball on
both sides, also some loose playing,
but for a real fight in which every
man put all he had and did 1t every
moment of the game, the contest
could hardly have been bettered.
On the series the Naval Academy
ts far to the rear. Nineteen games
have been played between the mines
Of the service schools, and the vic
tory this year was only the sixth for
the midshipmen. However, they
have the edge on both the football
and basketball series, the navy stand
ing one ahead on each. Since the
revival of athletics at the close OF
the war the navy has won three of
four baseball games. two ot three
basketball contests. and all three of
the football matches.
The navy nine will lose by grad,ia-
tion Hogan, catcher; DurRin, first
base; Baker, third base. and Rawlings,
left field, all sterling players. They
will have a nucleus of veterans, how
ever, and should be much stronger
as to the pitching staff, with the
probability of both Kelly. who pitch
ed the full game against the army.