The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-20
TODAY'S SPORT PARADE
(Reg. U. S. Pat. Off0
 By HENRY McLEMORE Limited Press Staff COrresuOndent

(OHtteU EEebS StaH NOEEeSPUuUeut)
 Lakeland, Fla, March 20.-(UP) Hank Greenberg may have asked his draft board for deferment. But 1t doesn't alter the fact that he wants to fight.
 Hank is gathering all his forces and needs only one more incident to provoke him into unleashing to- tai warfare on some of the most hard-bitten troops in the world - the press photographers.
 The big Detroit outfielder, base balls highest paid player, has sev- cred relations with the cameramen and only heroic work by neutral ap- peasers has kept Hank from swing ing at objects much more animate than baseballs these last few days.
 There was that electrifying mo- ment in a Lakeland hotel at four o'clock in the morning, for example. Greenberg was sound asleep and probably suffering from the flat feet, backache, and fractious wisdom teeth thta he mentioned to his draft examiners, where there came a knocking at his door that would have disturbed Edgar Allen Poe and half a dozen ravens.
 Camera Shy
 When Hank didn't answer the summons the knocking increased and he finally had to open the door. There stood cameraman with his picture taking equipment in one hand and a machine gun in the other. Would Hank mind, the cam eraman asked, posing for a picture sighting the machine gun as If he were moving down a mess of ad- vancing Axis shock troops.
 Hanks answer was something to the effect that while he wouldn't pose for any such shot, he would like nothing better than to turn the gun on his near-daybreak visitor and sit on the trigger.
 Greenberg still was at the boiling point (centigrade boiling point, tool when he reached the ball park the next afternoon.
 Just when he showed signs of cooling of, another cameraman ar- rived with a soldiers uniform. Wav- ing 1t triumphantly, he greeted Greenberg with a suggestion that he put 1t on and pose for a picture.
 Death-Ray Look
 On.the-spot observers reported that the look Greenberg gave the photographer was the nearest ap- proach man has come to perfecting the death ray, and that in the out field toward which Greenberg was facing, grass withered and butter flies were stopped in their tracks.
 These two incidents were followed by third and a fourth. Greenberg was approached and asked if he would come to one of the city's parks and pose astride a bronze cannon, and before the echo of his thunderouS refusal to gratify this request had died away, he was bel lowing another emphatic no, to a photographer who had gone to great trouble rounding up a saber and who wanted baseballs mightiest hitter to wave it menacingly while being snapped from this angle and that angle.
 The request that resulted in the breaking off of relations between Greenberg and the Brownie boys came while Hank was resting him. self on the bench while waiting his turn to bat. He w.s asked if he would please pose for a picture which would show him gazing rue- fully at his flat feet.
 Now I'm not taking sides in the quarrel, but 1t does seem to me that the various cameramen could have gotten together and, to save Green berg time and trouble. suggested he have a picture made Of himself astride the cannon, wearing a mili- tary uniform. and sighting a ma chine gun with one eye while study ing his flat feet with the other.
 There has been so much fuss made over 0reenberg getting into the army. 1t makes one wonder if the war can be decided until he definite ly takes Q stand with one side or the nlhar