The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-24
Ankle Injuries To Sn1Uich Perks Up Interest h Rose Bo11
Christmas Cards
 to Sports Writers Always Enjoyed
BY JOE WILLIAMS

New XOfk, Dec. 4A=Then NHe times when our tndomleahle indo- lence Is embarrassing. We like to got Xmas cards but we never get around to sending any ourself.
 We always find 1t warming and fascinating to go through the cards, at this time of the year, gay, cheer ful, friendly cards, all done up in bright oolors and gllstening effects Cards from the White House, from Gen. MacArthur, Prime Min- lsh.r Churchill, Nicholas Murray Butler, Albert Elnstein, Ernest Hemingway, Bill Terry
 Of course, we never get cards from any of these parties, but we imagine there are persons who do and we can appreciate how pleased they must be and what glow it must give them on the one occasion of the year that is most dedicated to the brotherhood of man, Because, you sec, WI really do get cards
 There are cards from Pvt. Jimmy O'0atty and packey o'Gatty and we wonder if they are any kin, There Is a card from the Elyria Ice and Coal Company wishing us the very best, but not specifying the very best of what. And right on the dot comes one from One Eye Con- molly, who Is as metciulous in the social amenities aS Emily Post, Frank Erickson. who is scarcely Butch LaGuarlia's favorite book maker, eNudes the yuletide spirit, but neglects to present a morning line on when the war will end, There is no note of chagrin in Solly Seeman's greetings: Mr. Seeman became Joe Louis trainer just in time to have 0 shocked Secretary of War jettiSon the Lou!s-Conn fight, which turned up Q joker in the deck, even as yet unidentified,
 Oddities
 Our favorite dramatist Of the ep- idermiS, Gypsy Rose Lee, writes hravely she Is sending 800 duffle bags to Merchant Marines instead of sr,snding her dough on colored cards with gilt streamers, Leave 1t to the gypper to get down to the bare essentials. And Casket-Pan Fred Allen forwards Q white, plush jewel box, the contents of which Is orc solitary coffee bean, Another humorist, H. I. Phillips, weighs in with e basic ration card, which asks, among other things: Do you re- Quire meat or do you depend on lunch room steak sandwichesp" Mir, Phillips has been known to do bet- ter. Like the time he wrote: Mrs. Joe DiNAaggio is suing for divorce, We are shocked to learn anybody would take the defeat of the Yank- ees that hard" And it's always pleasing to hear from our old hand oall playing partner, Gus Van. Has any team ever sung My Melan- choly Baby" better than Van and Schenkg Or half as well for that matterg
 Apparently Jim Braddock and Joe Gould must do everything as pair, Even their Xmas card is jointly signed. They're both lieutenants now, you know, Jim F'arley'S card discreetly makes no mention of tn, recent gubernatorail election; nol does Joe Mccarthy attempt to eN- plain what happened to Joe Gordon in the series, and for the first time Lou Little takes pen in hand with out insisting Paul Governali is the greatest pASser of all time. not eX- cluding Nick the Greek, who was mostly . house dice man. at that, Tommy Lyman reports, thus rs- minding us he was O, O. McIn- tyres favorite torch singer. Al We'll the weskit, so-called because of the nutritional turn in values of his vests. We'll, it seems to be funny on Broadway. Chick Evans. the Bobby Jones of his day, Zine competitor who won or lost the big champion ships with a sob in his heart.
 Hickey Vows Elm
 A card from Gerry Schumacher, the writer, who comes closer to sym bolizing the Brooklyn spirit than anybody we know, Mir. Schumacher seems to have fallen under the spir- itual spell of brother Hickey |. "A Merry Xmas to us all. God bless us every one" said Tiny Tim "Oh, the Dickens" as the good brother would say. From San Diego Tommy Silence sends greetings and an icy P. S. which reads, what does Ted Williams have to do to win the most valuable player awarc-" It was MT. Silence who first tipped us off to Williams, then a busher. A nice note from old Roger Bresna- han regretting we missed connec- tions in Toledo a fortnight ago and wondering how Broadway looks in the dimout. How many old timers remember when BreSnahan, a catcher. led off for the Giants? Earle Ferris, whose worst seller, How to Have Fun With Your Clothes On" is now a collectors $ item in the service camp.
 While we are enjoying Christmas at home. let us not forget our loved and dear ones in the four corners of the world. and share with them the spirit that man=s us proud and glad of our heritage, trusting that lsz3. or the not too distant future. will see them home again with us
 happy for the privilege of hav- ing served" Sincerely. "1n Shangri-La' CNo signature possi- bIe.' This was written on October IS. A lot of things happened to this gentleman in the meantime. He went away on a long trip and didn't expect to be back for the holidays. AS it turned out he came near not coming back at all The notes from Cap'n Eddsc Rickenbacker. of whom you may have heard.