Evening star., 1939-11-14
Skins Prompted by Dodgers Game With Giants Not Mercy SOARING Parker
From the
Press Box
Harmon Still Big Stor,
Despite Teams Defect
BY JOHN LARDNER.

NEW YORK, Nov. IA (N.A.NA).-
, Though this department has gone
on record as defying Thomas Har-
mon, Michigan's all-everything, to
match the feats of the great Red
Grange. we want no part of the cur
rent campaign to belittle Mr. Her-
mon, just because his team has been
plastered twice in row.
The standard gag line of the mo-
ment is, Whatever became of Tom
Harmon" Well. you easily can find
out what's become of Harmon by
studying the box score of Saturdays
Michigan Minnesota game.
Minnesota, strong team bursting
into late flower. walloped Michigan
in hearty fashion, against the odds,
by score of 20 to 7. But Harmon,
the all-everything, put on sterling
one-man show just the same, escort
ing the ball down the field on two
long marches, one of which brought
touchdown and the other of which
fell just short.
In other words. there is no per-
centage in knocking the young all
everything. He really has it. His
team is overrated, not Thos.
Penn Had Better Wotch
Harmon Saturday
BY powerful coincidence, such
as used to feature the work of Will
liam Shakespeare, the late 18th GEN.
tury playwright, Harmon is going to
parade his stuff in the East this
week under much the same circum-
stances that accompanied Red
Grange to the seaboard in 1925.
Oranges light was under bushel,
momentarily, when the Illinois team
stalked out of the midlands to meet
Pennsylvania in Philadelphia IA
years ago. He hadn't done so well
the week before. In fact. Michigan,
In revenge for the redhead's raid Of
1924, had corked I'm up in bottle,
winning the ball game by 3 to O.
There was theory that any good
team, by concentrating on Grange,
could hobble him. His reputation
worked against him.
I've mentioned before what hap
pened in the mud of Franklin Field
on the day of Oranges Eastern de-
but. Pennsylvania concentrated on
the iceman, all right, but, in order
to do so, she had to follow him up
and down the field at high speed,
because that's where he went all
day long, for three touchdowns.
1t was a great personal triumph,
the vindication of Western legend
before the very eyes of the skeptical
East, and Tom Harmon, the modern
all-everything, has fair chance to
duplicate Oranges adventure on the
same field where Grange ran wild.
Michigan visits Philadelphia this
coming Saturday. Harmons light
is under a bushel, and Michigan is
determined to break him loose as
of yore.
Old Chinese Soee Knew
All About Football
The early Chinese philosopher,
Some Yung, used to say, Football
is funny game The observation
is written on jade and retails for
IS cents. Yung never spoke truer
word. When Illinois beat Michigan
week before last, it was considered
the most staggering upset of the
season. The Monday morning
quarterbacks and football experts
union held a hasty meeting, with
your correspondent at the gavel.
What do you make of it, Lardy?"
demanded one of the boys, beside
himself with excitement. When a
man can get beside himself at one
of our meetings, he is entitled to
two votes.
"It's as plain as the nose on your
face" told him. Maybe not quite
that plain, but, anyway, very plain
Michigan was taken by surprise
Zuppke pulled one of his specials
1t never will happen again. Bounc-
ing back with savage fury, the peer
less Wolverines will wreak havoc
on Minnesota, which is obviously one
Of the Nations outstanding stumble
buns. Mark my words"
Second Thought Deemed
Greet Institution
The assembled experts surged for
ward to shake me by the hand. !
had solved their difficulty. Every
thing was clear now With great
unanimity, the experts picked Mich
igan to wallop Minnesota last week.
Something went wrong, that's all
and today, in my capacity of second
guesser emeritus and grand exalted
Monday morning quarterback, can
tell you what it was.
Michigan is not quite the ball
club that every one thought she
was. Looking back, you can clearly
perceive that she got every break
against Iowa and beat very bad
Yale team by no staggering score
I do not claim that l knew it all
along, but I shrewdly suspected it
Watson, I shrewdly suspected il
(the HI did.
Minnesota. on the other hand
had the stuff all along, but developed
late. She'll be hard to stop from
here IN. That's the catch in the
record. Many teams tied or beaten
earlier in the season are now among
the best-Southern California, Holy
Cross. Duke. Missouri, Ohio State
Minnesota, Santa Clara, Princeton
Gin her own league) and Georgia
Tech.
Second thought is a great insti-
sutton.