Evening star., 1940-06-13
The
SPORTLIGHT
BengoIs Where They
Belong, Says Hank
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

opcCldl correspondent OF Inc star.
NEW YORK, June 13 CNA.N.A).-
The tall, willowy figure moving along
the highway couldn't be any one but
Hank Greenberg, the Tigers trans
planted outflelder, who is doing his
share to keep the Tigers clawing
away at the ancient gonfalon. Hank
IS only feet 4.
What business have we got up
there with the Red Sox, Indians and
Yankees?" Hank repeated my ques-
tion. why not? We have our
share of hitting and we have one of
the best pitching stats in baseball.
They say we won't stay up there
much longer. Who can tell about
that? We haven't been hitting as
well as we should. Swell pitching
has been a big help and better
weather won't hurt that any later on
With the veterans we have"
Il asked Hank how the outfeld
post had worked in his direction.
Il like it a lot" tall Hank said
FYou can relax more out there. An
eutflelder doesn't have to keep as
Keyed up as an infielder does. They
come at you faster and oftener
around the infield. That's why so
many outtlelders are better hitters."
In the last three years, up to this
4S4O campaign, Greenberg has de-
posted 13l home runs into his COL
Rctlon. This is a yearly average of
43 homers, which is no powder-puff
punching. Acting in the relaxed
capacity of an outfielder he hopes to
beat the 40-mark this year. but is
taking no wagers along that line.
Bridges and Newsom Beat
Fost Poees Of 1889
I'VE all know the Yankees are the
team to beat" Hank tells you. But
they are not unbeatable The Red
Sox might do it with our pitching,
but they haven't got our pitching.
Ihose Indians might do it with an
other winning pitcher. 1 know the
Yankees are a better hitting club
than they have been so far on the
seasons count, but so are we.
1t is no big surprise to see us up
there. This Tiger team rates where
1t is. Pitching and hitting are two
OF the main factors in baseball We
have our full share of both. So why
are we out of line?"
Which reminds us that one
Thomas Davis Bridges of Gordons-
Vile, Tenn, still is out there battling
hostile bats. In his tenth major
league campaign - 1899 - Bridges
won II games and dropped seven.
He is moving along at an even
faster pace through 1910 at the age
of 80.
The same goes for Buck Newsom.
who startled the planets by winning
20 games for the Browns in 1888 and
then repeated with another 20-game
season last year. Buck is after an
other 20-game campaign and he
should make it.
The most pleasant surprise has
been Schoolhoy Rowe, who won
only 10 games in 1899. The School
boy, now % years old, is in the act
of producing another big year un-
iC1oo SOiiIC AllUOW dlu ll6S
him up again.
Sports Bring Relief to Folk
Made Blue by War
A number of citizens have been
surprised at the attendance banked
around sporting events with so
much of the world on fire.
This is simple enough to figure
out. There must be some distrac-
ton from the horror of the times,
and sport is one of the main re-
leases. For sport means action,
something that will help take the
human mind away from constant
brooding that can be no help to any
one.
Given the right weather, sport has
known many Of its biggest days.
Without it there would be only
added melancholy, or something
worse.