Evening star., 1937-12-26


close and the Redskins finished with
an amazing squirt Washington's in
terest grew into civic semi-hysteria
that smacked of those thrill-packed
diamond days of 13 years ago.
Redskins Win Hard Way"
THE Redskins won their laurels the
hard way, sweeping their last four
games and winning six of their last
seven National League engagements.
For Promoter George Marshall it was
a financial as well as artistic triumph.
In the process of attracting approxi-
mately 10000 spectators for six home
games the Redskins and Green Bay
Packers played to record District
football crowd of 10000.
Even in minor league football VEN
ture a Capital eleven reigned supreme.
The Washington Presidents repeated
their 1886 triumph in the Dixie
League, thereby earning the right to
play the Paterson IN. j. Panthers for
the minor league professional cham
PAo1loi1p early lleAG IlOQUQ.
Washington's other major profess
sional sports institution. its American
League baseball club, did not fare so
well. The Nationals began their sea-
son with high hopes of at least
duplicating their success of 1886, when
they finished in fourth place and
missed grabbing second place by less
than half game.
This year. however, the Griffmen
failed to get out of low gear. They
became entrenched in sixth place at
the start and that is where they fin
tshed. In mid-season, Owner Clark
Griffith swung one of the biggest
player deals of the year an an at
tempt to get the Mats out of the rut.
He traded Pitcher Buck Newsom and
Outfielder Ben Chapman to Boston
for Pitcher Wesley Ferrell, Outfelder
Melo Almada and Catcher Rick Fer
rell, but these men failed to improve
the teams standing.
Mats Weak. but Draw at Gate.
FROM a point of interest, baseball
in the Capital reflected the
healthy condition of the game over
the country. The sixth-place Mats
played to more people than any
Washington ball club in years. A
record opening day crowd of $1,000
capacity for Griffith Stadium-turned
out to watch the Mats drop their first
game to the Athletics, 5-4.
The annual all-star game also sent
local baseball pulses throbbing and
on July at Griffith Stadium another
capacity crowd watched the American
Leaguers win over the National ALL
Stars, to 3.
Interest in golf mounted steadily
and prosperity was the keynote at al
most all country clubs and public
links. For Billy Shea and the Con-
gressional Country Club, especially,
was it a banner year on the fairways.
At Washington Golf and Country
Club a new 100000 clubhouse was
completed.
The University of Maryland foot
bal lteam. rated prior to the season
as No. among the District four
major colleges, surprised by winning
8 of 10 games and clearly establish
ing its local supremacy. In the piece
de resistance Maryland defeated
Georgetown, IL to 2, before the
largest local college crowd of the year.
Many SnortS Flourish
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY had a
better-than-average season, but
George Washington and Georgetown
disappointed The Colonials failed
to win a major league game and the
only big" team licked by the Hoyas
was N. Y. U. To G. w. u, however,
again fell the honor of importing
the name" teams Among those
which invaded was Alabama, which
will compete in the Rose Bowl on New
Year Day.
Boxing remained on an even keel
and District yachtsmen reveled in
the increasing popularity of aquatic
sports Eastern High School domi-
mated an exciting year in high school
sports and in swimming the Y. M.
c. A. and the Shoreham teams
reigned. In the amateur ranks a
national boxing championship was
gained when Bob Matthias, National
Guard welterweight, recently added
the United States laurels to his COL
lection in Boston.
The outstanding sports figures were
Buddy Lewis and Cecil Travis of the
Nationals, Sammy Baugh, Cliff Bat
ties and Turk Edwards, rainstays
OF the Redskins; Shea and Helen
Dettweiler in golf; Middleweight
George Abrams in pro boxing; June
Booth, Ann Bono and Max Rote in
swimming; Barney Welsh and Dooly
Mitchell in tennis, Werner Smythe in
boating and Charley Weidinger o1
Maryland in college baseball and
football.
Weidinger Collegiate Star.
CHARLIE WEIDNGER OF Mary.
land was the outstanding college
athlete Of the year. It was Weidin.
gers passing that accounted, in tht
main, for the Terrapins' 1872 triumph
over Georgetown in Washington's big.
gest college football game of 1887