Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1942-05-02
LEO TARRANT OF 'BAMA STATE, ADAM BERRY
OF SOUTHERN WIN 'FIRSTS' In penn RELAYS
Homestead Grays CIassed
As Buns By Incensed
Owners; Stars On Spot

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (SNS) -
When the Newark Eagles BANKED
Homestead Grays 80 in Richmond,
Virginia April 5, the defeat was
charged to cold weather and i'm
proper condition of players. !.
But when the same outfit drop
ped a double bill to Newark again
on April IL in Washington, D. G.
1873 and go, the home office re-
fused to accept the same excuse,
1t was revealed that Newark had
trained only two days longer in
Richmond, under almost identical
weather conditions as prevailed in
Raleigh, where the Homesteaders
set their spring camp.
OWNERS RUFFLED
Cum Posey and Sonnyman jack
son saw the double pasting that
Newark's youngsters handed their
baseball investment. 1t was not the
loss itself that caused the front
office men to run SO hot, but the
way the games were lost. Newark
fought and hastled all the way.
Pitchers worked hard, fielders
scampered and scooted everywhere
the ball was hit, but the few feeble
rallies attempted by the Grays
nipped right in their first stages.
Then, to top off a bad situation,
several of the seasoned stars got
befuddled when they had their
hands on the ball and threw to
wrong bases-thereby giving runs
away.
CHUMPS--NOT CHAMPS
All of this would be bad enough
with a bunch of youngsters just
emerging from baseball's elemental
ny class. But these Homestead
Grays, almost to man, won the
Negro National League title last
year, and say they will do it again
this year Early performances,
though, don't bear out this claim.
Of all teams the Newark Eagles
are the last that the front office
men want to do the humiliating.
There is an open claim in both
camps about which. gang is the
better and Posey and Jackson get
way down in the dumps when Mr..
and Mrs. Abe Manley get chance
to &c their Dragging. And can they
brag? ~.
PLAYED BALL WITH MEN
Early this year, the front office
men took long peep into the fu-
ture. They considered war condi-
tions. Dickered and compromised
with few holdouts. Raised sala-
ries here and there. And, to make
sure that the Negro National
League pennant would again re-
turn to Homestead, they ''up'' and
get Josh Gibson. This big receiver,
has won honors in all the foreign
countries as a big League defense
man and home run clouter and
was just what the Grays needed.
With Josh and Buck Leonard do
ing most of the extra base hitting,
the Grays had an edge on every
other team in the loop. So they
figured.
PLANS GO HAYWIRE
ALI of this powered planning
turned into a flirnsy bubble last
Sunday. Nothing that Josh, Buck,
Ches Williams, Vic Harris or any
other player did could be called
q redeeming act. The whole team
was out of gear and seemed salts
fled to operate that way. The at
titude was wrong and the spirit
was absent. And, that is what the
front office men are sore about.
LAST BIG CHANCE
After a conference, starting ear
ly last Monday morning and last
ing well into the night, the front
office men decided that the Home
stead Grays must show something
besides their uniforms next Sum
day when they meet the young
Eagles again in Newark.
Jersey fans are all worked UP
about how the Manley inspired
youngsters have been performing.
They have gone SO far that. the
aged and feeble are planning to
come out to RUPERT Stadium next
Sunday and see the show. ManIey's
kids have told 1t all over town
that they are going to do it again
beat Homestead Grays, and beat
them bad.
Well, if it happens that way,
some of the Grays satellites will
go on the trading block or get
tickets home. The front office is
not going to wait until July to
think abouta shakeup. Nor will
there be preferred list. Whoever
it is or how many there are who
want to get by on last years home
runs or double plays, or cannot
pull out their winter sleep, will be
tagged one way or another.
BAD SPOT
This is the first time in over
twenty-five years of operation
that Homestead Grays players
have been on a spot of this kind,
Under the leadership of Cum Posey
all of the Grays squads have had
plenty of hustle and fight. In the
years since Vic Harris has been
manager, those same qualities
were conspicuously evident. The
Grays have run into losing streakE,
but they were always fighting and
giving fans run for their money
when they lost. 1t was that kind
of heads up stuff that made the
| homestead C$ravS che greatest gate