The Daily Alaska empire., 1938-06-06
KEN KELTNER, REAL ROOKIE;
 IS SENSATION
Cleveland Player Is One of American Leagues
 Hottest Players
By DILLON GRAHAM AP Feature Service Writer

AP Feature Service Writer
 The Cleveland hitters were hav- ing a gosh-awful time the other day swishing their bats fruitlessly through the air as Emil Leonard's dipsy knuckle-bal fluttered crazily past.
 But Kid Neither wasn't flustered. He got his A for ?" against the Washington twirler.
 Trouble with those guys (mean- ing Trosky, Averill and the other Indians)," Keltner explained, 'is they're trying to lay back and sock one.
 That knuckler breaks right in front of the plate. You gotta step up front in the batters' box and crack it before it starts to flutter."
 The kids pretty smart, already.
 He's so smart and good that he's grabbed Clevelands third base job.
 He's the early-season rookie sen sation of the junior circuit.
 Furthermore, he is just about the No. l reason why the Indians are striking a speedy stride in the pennant race.
 Kid Ken Neither. the 21-year-old Milwaukee boy, is one of the leaders in runs batted in, hitting and home runs.
 Third Year As Player
 He is six feet tall, weighs 180 pounds, has brown eyes and a brown pompador and wears curi- ous expression around his mouth, as though he were puckering up his lips to whistle.
 Two years ago he broke in as a fence-buster at Fieldale, Va, in the Bi-State league Last season he bruised the ball for Milwaukee He tied for the home-run leader ship both seasons, with B al Fieldale and % at Milwaukee.
 He puts on weight as quickly as fellow sitting around a beer pub The kid weighed 200 when he re- ported to Cleveland's spring train ing camp and Big Chief Oscar Witt of the Tribe fox -trotted into an Indian war dance
 'I calmed him. I knew I could shake those pounds as quickly as I put them on," Ken said.
 Keltner wouldn't have given a silver dollar for his chances of sticking with the Indians when he went to camp. But Sammy Hale had his tonsils yanked and the other guys didn't look so hot, so I went to work
 He quit school shortly after the grammar grades.
 I'm Pretty Smart
 "If wasn't playing baseball I guess I'd be digging ditches," he said, quickly adding: But I'm not dumb, I'm pretty smart"
 He has no desire for further edu- cation. Says he doesn't need it in his business. He spent three years in trade school learning cabinet making.
 He comes from Milwaukees Ger man colony but prefers spaghetti to sauerkrant <. likes beer smokes half package of cigarettes day and an occasional cigar is un- married, but has a steady" and some high hopes likes movies but dislikes the theater -. devours sport pages, but never reads the front page isn't interested in national or foreign news Ito hell with that stuff" he says.
 The chief difference he finds be- tween the majors and minors is that it costs more to live in the top leagues. You're a heel if you don't tip well and often. Every where you turn, it's money" he says.
 He doesn't think the big-league players are much smarter, except the pitchers. Tn the minors you face a good pitcher only about once week; Up here you get one every day"
 The Indians think they found a gem in Ken.