The Washington times., 1937-01-11
Powell Says
He Il Best
DiMaggiio
By KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

Jake Powell has the
kind of confidence it
takes to make a good
ball player, probably
inspired by h i s .454
batting average in the
world series.
At a Silver Spring bowling
alley fanfest, he offered to bet
]. Leonard a dollar he would
bat better than Joe DiMaggio
next season.
''You re on" said Leon
ard, "and I hope I lose.
The irrepressible AL Schacht,
without baseball portfolio for the
first time since he reported to
Washington as a skinny pitcher
In 1928, has created a minor
league niche for himself.
AL has been engaged as court
Jester to the Pacific Coast League,
his emolument to be equally
shared by the eight teams therein.
Ought To Be a LGuO
The Maryland Racing Commis-
sion has taken a long step toward
thWarting further tampering with
race horses within the Free State.
Fine or imprisonment for doping
or sponging thoroughbreds is
sought in bill proposed for the
current legislature.
Strange as it may seem, the only
punishment that can be accorded
such an offender, as matters now
stand, is to be barred from the
tracks within the jurisdiction OF
the commission.
Baseball pitchers Of the current
era do anything to master freak
deliveries like the screwball, sink.
ers, knucklers and other forms OF
dipsy.dew to improve their effec.
tiveness. vet the all-time record
for pitching is that made by A. G.
Spalding who won 81 out OF "a
games with only fast ball and a
slow curve.
Deserving Honor
Lou Gehrig is shortly to receive
a civic distinction in New York
for being the man under 35 years
of age who made the most out
standing contribution to civic bet
terment.
The honor is bestowed at a ban
uuet each year sponsored by the
Young Mems Board of Trace and
the two previous years was LAID
respectively at the feet OF district
attorney who had waged an effec-
tive wah against racketeering, as
well as a Columbia University pro
fessor.
Gehrig's example to American
youth, his willingness to help
them. his splendid character,
clean living and modesty IN the
face of unusual baseball attain
ments, made him a unanimous
choice of the selection committee.
Manager Bill Terry has pro-
hibited any member of the Giants
flying from the mainland to Ha-
vana when the National League
champions start their training In
Cuba next month.
Incidentally Terry is father Of
an idea which he will try to get
his league to adopt. He favors
the carrying of two promising
first year players over and above
the 23-player limit.
About Those BaSeb0LLs
Eighty-four thousand baseballs
are used by the two major leagues
in the course Of year and when
the discussions were the hottest
about the lively ball in one league
and the dead one in the other,
every spheroid used in the two cir
cults was identically the same.
In 1888 the National League
cushioned the cork center and
adopted a thicker cover. In 1888
a universal baseball will go into
effect with a No. 4 cover, midway
between that used last year and
that used by the National League
in '3S.
There is theory among veteran
baseball men that there is really
no such a thing as the so-called
lively ball and that the balls
seemed livelier because new ones
are injected into the game more
often as the years enSue. Two
dozen baseballs to a game is the
average now, whereas in the begin
ming, four was about the limit.
Floor LEAGUE Ends