Evening star., 1938-12-28
GiiveUp al Last
On Efforts 10
Sell Mungo
Annual announcement
Of Dodger Retention
Seems Meaningless
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

NEW YORK, Dec. 28.-The Brook
lyn baseball club has made the ap-
proach of the new year official by
issuing its annual announcement
that Van Lingle Mungo, the big fire.
ball pitcher with the ailing arm and
the sultry disposition, will not be
sold or traded because we expect
him to win 20 games for us next sea-
SON" -
This statement, delivered solemnly
about this time of year by each sue. .
ceeding Brooklyn manager, is be- "
coming part of the language like the
Gettysburg address. Nobody seems
to know why the Dodgers feel this
way about Mungo, for in eight sue
cessive seasons at Ebbets Field hHx
has been only an expensive prom
ise," But they do. 81
Probably it's because Mungo is a
fast-ball pitcher. When his arm feels
right and he isn't nursing a grudge
against one or more of his team,
mate, Mungo is tremendously fast
almost as fast as Johnson" Man.
ayers don't like to let a real speed
baller ever get away from them.
Every other club in the National
League at one time or another has
tried to buy or trade for Mungo. and &
some of the offers have been fantas-
tic. Just year ago the Chicago
Cubs offered s75 900 and four play
ers for the mountain boy. Brooklyn,
as always, said no. They held on
to their ACE" and so he won four
games for them and lost II.
Salary Reported at $4,000.
Mungos salary for the last several
years popularity has been reported at
SIS 900, and he has been a chronic
holdout. He probably will be able to
demand and get as much next
spring, even though there is no
guarantee his pitching wing will be
in shape. It's q gamble the Brook
lyn club has to take. Mungo still is
the teams only hope of climbing to
the first division. Here's Mungo's
big-league won and lost record:
1881; 1932-13-11; 1886
IS; 1934-18-16; l935-16-1o; 1886
1919; 19a7-9-11; 1s3s-4-1i. Total,
won, 81; lost, "a.
Since 1886, when his losses began
outnumbering his victories, Mungo's
temper has been growing progress
slvely shorter. Picking him up on
the opening day of the 1896 race,
1t Is noted he observed the occasion
by having fist fight with Dick Bar
tell and being fined SIS. There
after the more notable entries in
his diary are:
June 10, l936-Quits Dodgers
without permission and asks to be
traded, charging teammates fail to
support him.
June II, 1936-Fiped 5000 and
suspended indefinitely; demands
new contract calling for more
money. doesn't get it,
Ties Strikeout Record.
June Is, l936-Equals major league
record by tanning seven Cincinnati
batters in succession.
May %, 1937-Fined $1,000 and
suspended three days for before
dawn fight with his teammate. Jim
Bucher.
August %, 1s37-suspended in
definitely without pay by Manager
Burleigh Grimes for "insubordina-
tion." Said Grimes: "A specialist
prescribed diathermic treatments
for his arm, but Mungo always says
hes too busy to take them"
January 81, 1938-General Man.
ager MacPhail announces BROOKLYN
will not trade or sell Mungo this
year.
April II, 1938-MacPhail saws: "T
told Branch Hickey of the Cardinals p
and III tell all the other fellows
that we don't intend to let Mungo
CO."
AT the recent baseball meeting
here very little was heard about
Mungo and Brooklyn club officials
were not routed out of their beds a
single time to deny that they were
trading him to the Giants for Mel
OFT, Harry Danning and 100000.
Either the other managers have
gwen up on obtaining the pride of
Flatbush, or they have given up on
Mungo. Most of them now are try
ing to buy Hugh Mulcahy, who won
10 and lost 20 for the Phils last wear