The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-04-15
FDR Throws First
Ball Of Season
Rasso Holds Senator's to Three Hits;
Other Teams Get Set for Starters

way they used to scare their
foes into submission by blasting
countless "home runs" into the
stands and over the fences In
batting practice before their
games began.
They didn't even give Wash
ington q chance during the con-
test. The ceremonies IT Vice
President Wallace raising the
American flag and President
Roosevelt throwing out the first
ball were hardly over before the
Yanks had rolled out In front.
Red Rolfe, second man up,
singled to right. He was forced
by Tommy Heinrich. but the lat
ter went all the way % second
on q wild throw and scored
quickly on q towering triple by
Joe DiMaggio.
The Senators, as well % the
spectators, were practically
stunned by the ease Of the thrust,
and Marius Russo. slender soph-
omore southpaw. never let them
recover. He held the Nationals to
three scattered singles and start
ed two of the Yankees' three
double plays. In addition, the
Yanks punched out another run
in the fifth on two doubles, one
by Russo himself, and scored
again in the sixth on two singles
and q long fly.
The Senator'S were up against
marvellous pitching, but they
didn't show any signs they would
be . hitting team anytime this
year. And the very fact that the
opposition was 30 wilted may
keep other American League
clubs from getting discouraged
Immediately.
However, the Yanks were due
tc open their home season today
against the Philadelphia Ath-
letics and, after two other games
against the same foes at New
York, return to Washington for
q series with the Senator'S.
Thus, New York has an op-
portunity to build up momentum
against the two teams that fig.
ure to be the leagues weakest
this season.
The Detroit Tigers on the 9TH,
er hand, had to face the st. Louis
Browns, spoilers" of better
teams all last season, and the
Cleveland Indians ran into the
always-dangerous Chicago White
Sox in their openers today. FRI
day, the Indians and the Tigers
will tansle at Detroit.
= Fortunately, @st championships
are not decided in the first
month, and before the end of
next September all of the clubs
will have faced the strong and
the weak alike.
This same reasoning may be
some solace to the st. Louis Car.
dinals and the Cincinnati Reds,
western division king pins of the
National League, who clashed
today at Cincinnati, while the
Brooklyn Dodgers, their arch
rivals in the east, took on the
lustre-lacking New York Giants.
From q fans viewpoint, how
ever, the show at Cincinnati
shaped up as the days most in
teresting and important. Cros-
ley field was sold out of reserv-
ed seats for the opener long ago
as q result of the Cincinnati
custom Of giving the tickets a.
Christmas gifts.
The crowd would be $4,000.
whether the attraction was good
or not, but the world champions
had to come up against one of
the two National League teams
considered capable of Dumping
them out of their third straight
pennant. The three game series
opening today may give every
body q better slant on the Red
bird threat.
Until proved otherwise, the
Reds have to be regarded the
likely winner next fall because
they have unequalled pitching
and defense and have bolstered
their batting strength through
the trade with Chicago for out
fielder Jim Gleeson.
Other clubs have improved.
too, but 1t will take q lot Of re-
construction to overcome the IL
game lead with which Cincin-
natl finished last year.
~. C>AL~H