The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1939-04-01
STRANGE MAN
OF BASEBALL
Is TO CHANGE
Van LingIe tAungo May
Respond TO Dollar nirlc-
macy and Gel Busy
BY DILLON GRAHAM
AP Feature Sports Writer

CLEARWATER, Fla, April l.
Mr. Van Lingle Mungo is a very
strange man. He is a man of moods.
On occasions, too frequent occasions,
he is very sullen gent. Mungo is as
temperamental as an opera song
bird.
When the spirit moves him he is
very hostile guy He has been
known to break up hotel furniture
and swing at teammates, or whom
ever might be handy. At times he
is not such fine company for little
Willie, aged 9.
But Mr.. Mungo, the squire of
Pageland, South Carolina, has one
thing in common with many of us.
Like Joe Doaks of Hot Coffee, Ark,
or his cousin, Bill, of Rodeo, Calf,
Mungo likes to reach around to his
hip pocket and feel a wallet bullying
with greenbacks.
That desire to collect bank notes
may make a pitcher out of Mr..
Mungo. At least, that is the fondest
wish of Larry S. for ScaD Mac
Phail, the freckled faced major
domo of the Brooklyn ball club.
A Major Operation
Mr.. MacPhail has been around
long enough to know that country
boys adore spending money they
can flash at the general crossroads
store. So what does he do but am
putate two-thirds of Mungo's salary
check at one swipe Not wanting to
be too technical about it, neverthe-
less would venture the opinion that
the cutting of an annual wage from
$4,000 to $4,000 is a major operation
in any league. At least on par with
an appendectomy.
Mungo has been Brooklyn pitch
er since 1882. You've probably heard
it said that he sings the fastest
ball in the National League. And
that he's got plenty of stuff And
that maybe he should be the best
pitcher in the loop.
But he's never won 20 games, and
that's the test for a crack hurler.
In fact, for the last three years he's
lost more games than he's won. Last
season Mr.. Mungo won the aston
ishing total of four games. Fifteen
grand is lot of dough to pay for
four victories.
Other methods to make Mungo
the pitcher he apparently can be
having failed, Mr.. MacPhail decided
to pitch to his weakness. So he
whitfield his pay check down to
mere pittance. And the only way
Mungo can break back in the big
money circle is by going out and
chucking up some 20 victories.
Everything I've Got"
I'm going to show them some real
pitching this year." Mungo said.
I'm going to give EN- everything
I've got, and that's plenty"
Mungo reported to the Dodgers
camp in crack shape. He's about 10
pounds lighter than a year ago. He
says his arm feels strong again. Last
year he complained SO much about
it that the Dodgers packed him
off to Pageland long before the sea-
son was finished.
Chances are the Brooklyn pitch
ing will be better all around. Mac
Phail roped in some minor league
beauties, such as Whitlow Wyatt,
who won % games and lost 7 for
Milwaukee; Bill Crouch and Russ
Evans, who won 81 games in the
Southern Association; Jim Winford,
who COPIED II for Houston and
Hugh Casey, who won 13 for Mem
phis. Ira Hutchinson, who came
from the Bees, should be a help.
And Luke Sewell, the veteran catch
er obtained from the Chicago White
Sox, should be a great aid to the
young tossers.
To6ou,c Nouyc rr.,C1v au,.,r~