Evening star., 1938-08-13
BY FRANCIS E. STAN.

antipasto. nix on the nlinestrone soup.
and only couple yards Of spaghetti
at time, please, for Zeke Bonura this
winter.
Uncle Clark Griffith. deadly enemy
OF overweight ball players. has de-
cided to put his foot down. With high
glee and keen relish the old gentle
man has followed the recent progress
Of his large first baseman, who is hit
ting home runs and doubles and driv-
ing across battalions of base runners
these days.
Now Uncle Clark has 1t all figured
out. "Zeke never was in shape until
the last two weeks proclaimed the
boss Of the Mats today. in the wake
Of another fine Bonura batting exhibi-
ton and a l3-to-l victory over the
Red Sox. He wasn't fat when he re-
ported in the spring. He got fatter
sitting on the bench, after We quit
playing him.
Why" added the old boy, 1T took
this hot August weather to finally melt
him down and get him in shape. He's
lost that fat around his shoulders and
on his waist. BY sin, he's in shape
now and I'm going to outline diet
for him thatll keep him IN shape dur
ing the winter. He'll even be thinner"
It's Tough on Zeke.
This is sad proclamation for
Henry John from New Orleans. There
is nothing the Ecker likes better than
to tuck napkin under his collar,
roll up his sleeves and devour all the
salomi and anchovies, cheeses and
soups and spaghetti and ravioli that
Momma Bonura can put before him.
Zeke even can dispense with the nap
kin.
But il he behaves and minds Uncle
Clark those winter feast are over. He
will come prancing into Orlando next
February with all the grace of
gazelle. He will have the body Of
Weismuller and the batting stroke of
Sisler. He will run like George Case
and field like Hal Chase. 1T will be
a wonderful change" added Grifdth,
modestly.
This. it may be recalled, is different
tune from that which Griffith was
singing month ago At the time he
had all but publicly given up on zeke
and had commanded that Rookie
Jimmy Wasdell be placed on first base.
Now he is talking already Of Orlando
in 1889 and slim, hard-muscled Bo-
nura on first base.
My, How They're Hitting!
There may be something in what
Griffith says. That was a great bat
ting show put on by Zeke yesterday,
when he singled, doubled and homered
against the Sox to drive across five
runs. Still 1t wasn't anything that
zeke hasn't been doing right along
Listen:
In the last eight games Henry John
from New Orleans has made 81 hits
in SO times at bat. most of them for
extra bases. He has driven across IS
runs. And of those eight games the
Mats have won five.
The booming bat of Bonura has in
spired the entire club They did more
than win over the Red Sox yesterday
and move to within six games Of the
third-place Boston entry. They
wrested away the American League
team batting lead from the same Sox
on the strength Of q boisterous l6-hit
attack. And here's why they were
able to do It:
They made 10 or more hits for the
eighth consecutive day. In their last
game In st. Louis on the Western trip
they made IL hits. During the three
games in Chicago they made IS. ~
and II hits, In order. Against the
Yankees they made 10, IL and II
hits, In order. Counting yesterdays
16 blows they have blasted lis hits
In the last eight games. This Is IL
runs-plus per game, on an average.
AL ID Charging, Too.
In driving home IS runs in those
eight games Bonura has moved into
second place among the Mats in bat
ting across runs. He now has 6S runs
batted in for 90 games, which Is some-
thing like 1t. He Is only one behind
the pace setter; Buddy Lewis.
The fact that Lewis is leading is
both fine commentary on Buddy Is
q ball player and sad commentary
on the rest Of the Mats. No hitter in
the second hole should lead his club
in runs batted in. And yet. that's
what Lewis has been doing most Of the
year.
Bonura, getting more opportunity to
drive home runs, iS a cinch now to
pass Lewis and 50 Is AL Simmons, the
outfielding warhorse. who also Is clos
ing fast. Simmons has IS runs batted
across for -78 games. which Is by far
the best record In percentage.
The Simmons average still is climb
ing, as 1srBouura's. For Al It means
money IA tho bank. he has q couple