The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-05-20
q n the
La n 49,.
- with
ELLIOTT
METCALF


those kids 90. They can be
dtrocious one year and the
merit :. phoofht! they
become hot -.
Here's irony -.
For Is years Hec EdmundsoB.
Husky track coach. worked hard
to get the Perific Coast tack
championships for the Washing
ton field =.
And this year he succeeded. So
what: So, it's the most terrible
team Edmundson ever coached
that he throws into the classic E.
Don't blame the youngsters,
however. Every one of those Kids
is out there giving his last drop
for his school. The whole trouble
is that the school chieftains
simply have permitted track ath-
letics to go to seed
The last time the Coast cham
pionships were run off at Seattle
was in 1928. That was the era
of Anderson. the great hurdler. I
sat in on that meet. which went
TO Stanford, Washington second D.. &.
This year, by the way, is Hec's
goth In service over there. Hec
took over in 1919. In his reign
he has won two Coast titles q.
1921 and 1928 and also plucked
five consecutive Northern division
championships E.
The Hec is a first flight coach.
but he can't do anything without
material. It's like trying to
smoke pipe with no tobacco.
It's tough task -.
Hec came out OF Idaho univer-
sity. a corking athlete In his own
right. You'll have to run way
back to 19O4-O8 to find Hec's
record. The old boy copped the
A. A. u. half-mile event and tied
the record In doing 1t. He like
wise represented our old Uncle
Sam at Stockholm, Sweden.
That. If you care to know. was
the year Jim Thorpe. the great
Carlisle Indian all-around athlete.
won worldwide fame earned
the title Of worlds outstanding
athlete only to be declared
a professional by straight-laced
prudes on the athletic board and
compelled TO return his trophies.
They took Jim's trophies. but they
couldn't take away the fact. which
is what the world still knows
Among the stars Edmundson
has developed ~ Washington are
Herman Brix, the big Tacoma Kid
out Of Stadium :. Steve Ander-
son Ed Genung :. Paul
Jessup Vic Palmason, and
many others :.
A great coach fine man.
Edmundson.. But Fate hardly has
been kind in her last attitude to-
ward him. She denied him a first
flight squad for the meet he
worked to bring home for so many
WT Baseball league meetings
" l held IN cities outside The
circuit. Seattle, for instance
Just takes that much more
money out of the to,ens thai
support the circuit. The bosses
should stay tn their oUn par
Tor -.
TIME case Of Bernie Bergman re-
L minds me- that the game,
greateet manager probably neve
directed \ major outfit, but wer'
missed by opportunity or shuffie'
into some other vocation by tn
quirks Of fate -.
Bergman was taken from a {
class league and dumped int
double A ball by the st. Loui
Cardinal system. He was place.
in charge OF the Sacramento Sena
tors OF the Coast layout :.
Since in the higher harness h
has displayed brillisnce which ha
convinced the Cardinal chail
bosses and other smart baseball
people that Bernie is the brightes
prospect in the country for
major league berth =.
II opportunity or fate. or what
ever you wish to call it. hs
passed Bernie by. rs II has s
many. he probably would be out o
the game, fighting for a livelihoo
in some other channel
JACK Common, local fight man
u aEer who held forth In Sa
Francisco for many years. Ia cor
WINGED that IL Max Baer. who ca
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