The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-09
|DurOcher's Dodgers Make Maytime
 History In League
BY BILL BRANDT

New York, June 9.-You nave 10 roll back those years more than a quarter of a century's worth to find a Memorial Day when the Brooklyn Dodgers led the National League undisputedly both at breakfast and bedtime. It's further than that-full 30 years, in fact-to a National League spring campaign in which the No. club held more than 8 5 1-2-game grasp on the ladders top rung on the month Of Mays closing holiday.
 So Durocher's Dodgers, class of 1922, are already history-makers. They've eclipsed past performances of every great Dodger team of this century in this one respect, at least, to say nothing of the Superbas and the 1890 Bridegrooms.
 Ahead of them is 2-weeks inva. sion of the west, tough neighbor- hood for Lively Leo's hustling huskies any time, and particularly at this juncture, with things strengthening out with the St. Louis Cards, the Cincy Reds, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago showing one-two pitching punch of Bill Lee and Claude Passeau which Is the best thing of the sort seen in the senior circuit so far this year.
 There's not a soft spot anywhere in the west for Leo's lions in their June trip. Their May furry which put them way out in front of their rivals may have been strictly May furry. But, as far as it went, and for what it's worth, it made history, set a new Memorial Day record in Brooklyn annals, achieved some- thing no Dodger team has done since Uncle Wilbert Robinson's 1916 pennant-winners.
 Close
 And even the '16 Robins held their place in the Memorial Day sun by only game and half, scant margin compared to the Du- rocher lead over second place. That day, 26 years ago, Uncle Hobbies Flock broke even with the Braves in the holiday twin bill. The second- place Giants split a pair with the Phils. The margin was l-2 between first and second at dawn and the same at sunset.
 Three times since then-in the 3 zero years-the Dodgers have owned first place undisputed at one end of the holiday, but not at the other end.
 The 1920 pennant-winners were in 3rd place at dawn of Monday, May 3l, the day they played the holiday program of baseball that year. The Cubs were first and the Reds second. half a game apart.
 What a day! All Brooklyn moved to the Polo Grounds and the Robins walloped the Giants twice, 5-2 and 5-l. Out in Chicago, Fred Mitchell's Cubs and Pat Moran's world cham pion Reds fought tooth and nall for first place all day and when they were through, 1t belonged to Brook ypi
 Winning two while Cubs and Reds divided their doubleheader vaulted the Dodgers from third place to first.
 Tn 1880 1t was another great day. The Dodgers were tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for first place at breakfast and Dodger fans enjoyed a Philadelphia sandwich at Ebbets Field. They rolled the Phils around to the tune of ll-l in the a. m.. paused for refreshments. then hung up il-9 for themselves on the af- ternoon scoreb0ard.
 By sunset, they owned first place all by themselves because in Chi. cago the Cards had trouble. getting blanked 20 by Charlie Root in the morning, nosed out 9-8 in the after noon. the Cubs giving their all to the extent of Rogers HoFnsby break. ing his ankle.
 Reds on Top
 The l940 story was the other way. Brooklyn held mathematical title to first place at dawn, tie with the Cincy Reds in margin of games won over games h-s, but 2s percent. age points in front because of hay- ing played fewer games.
 That day all turned black at Eb- bets Field. Carl HubbeII blanked the Dodgers in the first game: the sec- Ond went i2 innings and in the 18th the Giants rolled 6 runs over the plate in one bundle. Meanwhile the Reds tasted Cub meat twice. Night- fall found Cincy on top.
 Last Memorial Day punetuated the 2-club Io4i pennant race ct . point on the chart at which the Cards were on top of the Dodgers. Peering hack along the years. ex- cept for those zero dates, mo podgeT