Evening star., 1940-09-16
Wake Up Just in Time
To Save Day Against
Improved Enemy
FIoherty Is Critical
Over FumbIes, Boueh
In Finest FettIe
BY BILL DISaIER, JR.

BY BILL DISNlER, JR.
AS one of pro footballs only two
undefeated, united teams, the Red
skins surveyed their National League
opposition from the crest of the
Eastern Division today, but with a
realization that, once again, Coach
Ray Flaherty knows what he Is talk
ing 0bout.
The whole leagl:s going to be
much tougher this 1ear," Flaherty
warned the Redskir., last week when
rather complacerA attitude began
to fasten its grip 4>n his players,
land the Brooklyn Dodgers are just
about so per cent? improved over
1899, We can't affHrd to take any
team lightly"
For an hour yesterday at Griffith
Stadium the Redskins were inclined
to regard Flaherty'$,, admonitions as
bear story" esp cially the latter
part of his statement. And then,
as they again grew a bit self
satisfied, they woke up-just in time
TO keep from kickin@ away the whole
of a 17-point lead established in the
first half.
So. the Redskins conquered Jock
Sutherlands Dodgers, 24-17, before a
crowd Of nearly $1,000 (32,763 of
them paying custcsners) and any
one of whom will tell you that the
Dodgers aren't what they were last
year. No, sir. not with new guys
like Banks McFadden. George Cafe
60, Vic Cassiano, Ben Kish and
Rhoten Shelley and such old stand
Parker enough?
Haply for Brooklyn fans, that
young team is bound to improve
under the dour doctor and if the
Redskins don't face even tougher
going when they meet in the re-
turn game at Ebbets Field on No.
vember 10, we'll be surprised.
Skins Never in Danger.
Don't take us wrong. The Red
skins never were in much danger
of losing yesterday and they out
statisticked" their guests in every
department of the game. They had
a 80 ratio in first downs, COM
piled more yardage both from scrim-
mage and passing and had better
average in punting. Yes, they even
made more fumbles than the Dodg-
ers and that's the sore point with
Flaherty.
The first rule in football when
you have lead is to hang onto that
ball. Flaherty reflected today. "and
that's what we didn't do. Half of
our four fumbles started the Dodgers
on the way TO their first 10 points
There's no excuse for that and we
simply can't allow it to happen next
Sunday against the Giants-the
greatest capitalizers on breaks in
the league"
But enough of the bad side. The
Redskins won. didn't they? And
how they did makes more refreshing
reading. Didn't we tell you Sammy
Baugh never was better? Eleven out
of IA competitions, one of them for
a touchdown in the third minute of
play, seems to bear us out And
what a kicker! How about that re-
turn of Parker's quick kick, which
had set the Skins back on their own
5-yard line, to the Dodgers 30?
How about Jimmy Johnston? And
Jim Meade? And Dick Todd? And
Bo Russell? And how about such old
timers as Erny Pinckert, who twice
set the stage for Redskin touchdown
marches by intercepting a pass and
recovering a tumble? How about Bob
McCheSney's Don HutsOn-llke catch
Of Frank Filchock's long pass ON the
Dodgers which set up the second
touchdown? And Bobs great de-
fensive play, especially in rushing
Parker for 14-yard loss when he
started his aerials?
Baugh at His Best.
At the outset, it appeared that
Baugh couldn't miss and that the
home team, as result, was unstop-
pable. Mixing his plays smartly,
Sammy threw three different kinds
Of passes to Johnston, Justice and
Millner before fading back for long
floating heave which Justice took
on the 16 without breaking stride
and carried over for the first touch
down. Rookie Sandy Sanford, early
fulfilling Flaherty's faith, came in
to convert the first extra point.
Despite snappy running by Johns
ton, who went off tackle and skirted
ends for considerable gains through
out the first quarter, it wasn't until
early in the second period that the
Skins scored again, this time on
26-yard field goal by Russell. But
few minutes later, Pinckert recov-
cred one of Parker's passes, which
had been DETECTED partially. on the
Dodger 43, and after McChesney's
miraculous catch while guarded by
Parker and McFadden. Filchock
crashed over from tackle for the
18th point and Russell booted an
other.
The Redskins failed to cash in on
another scoring opportunity in the
third quarter after Baugh and john
ston moved the ball to the visitors
%. At this juncture, Meade en-
tered the game to demonstrate that
he is a new player from the 1889
Meade by hitting the line hard on
successive plays until he had moved
the ball within three yards of Brook
lyn'S goal. Here, some questionable
strategy sent Meade into the same
spot of the Dodger line on four sue
cessive plays with no result.
When Parker's only short kick of
the day travelled only to his own 30
yard line, it looked as if the Skins
were to have another chance, but
Meade fumbled on a reverse to JUS
tice and the Dodgers recovered.
From this spot, they launched ST.
yard sustained march with Parker
passing to Cafego and Kish for
three successive downs. From the
Redskins II, Parker's toss to
Schwartz was batted away by JUS