Evening star., 1942-08-09
Fine RookiesFi|I
Squad NOT Hit
Hard by War
Good Support Looms
For Vets; Club Opens
Training Tomorrow
BY LEWIS ATCHISON,
Star STAFF Corresnondent.


EN- ROUTE TO SAN DIEGO. Aug.
s-It's a long. rocky road to the Ma
tional Football League CHAMPION
ship playoff, but after quiet Pc
rusal of the Reaskin roster this
3,000-mile trek to training camp
shapes up as the. first leg of that
journey.
Jolted less, perhaps. by the tu-
multuous conditions of war than
any other club, boasting roster
that would stand up with the best
of the peacetime outfits and not
scheduled to face the Chicago Bears
in championship season game, the
Tribe is sitting pretty. At this early
stage it would seem that nothing
short of the most bizarre calamity
could keep them away from the
playoff party.
The riot squad Coach Ray Fla
herty will look over Monday morn
ing has Drawn, speed, power and ex-
perience. On paper it has all the
ingredients of a sectional champion.
at least, and possibly enough to
make even the Bears hole up. Fla
herty, of course, has had no oppor-
tunity to express his sentiments and
probably would throw up his hands
in holy horror at the idea, but on
paper the Skins look good"
Backfield Appears Strong.
Take backfield with Elmer Cen
try at quarter, Andy Farkas or Dick
Todd running the ball, Sammy
Baugh punting and passing and Ce-
Gil Hare or AL Kruger knocking
down would-be tacklers. There's
enough dynamite to blow a gaping
hole in some other teams hopes.
Hare isn't signed yet, but should
be in line in time for the initial
workout. Kruger will be remem-
bered as the gent whose pass
snatching ability defeated Duke.
7-3, in the Rose Bowl a couple
Of years ago.
Flaherty has other backs to help
out with the ball-carrying chores
such as Marvin Whited, highly
touted rookie from Oklahoma; Roy
Zimmerman, Dean Chapman, an
other draftee from Brigham Young;
Rufus Deal, supposed to be a lively
person with the pigskin from Au-
burn; Johnny Goodyear, the good
looking fellow from Marquette; the
veterans, Wilbur Moore and Bob
Seymour, and George Peters and
Dick Poillon, two more rockies. He
can use backs, but from this dis
tance Baugh, Farkas and Todd
shape up as the key men in the
situation.
Power Seen in Line.
Even tn line, where the club has
experienced difficulty in the last two
years. looks big and strong. Wee
Willie Wilkin. Bill Young, Fred
Davis and Joe Beinor are back at
tackle and coming up to make 'em
hustle for their jobs are Tiny"
Croft. the biggest man ever to come
into the league, and George Watts,
pleasant and powerful character
captured in the Big Smokes of
North Carolina.
Bob McChesney, Bob Masterson.
Joe Aguirre. Ed Offers and John
Kovatch, the latter a rookie from
Notre Dame, should be able to han
Ole the f1anks admirably and the
club is surfeited with guards,
Flaherty can put 'em in and pull
EN- out every five minutes with
Vic Carroll, Dick Farman, CLYDE
Shugart, Steve Slivinski and Clem
Stralka back on the job plus two
likely looking candidates in Joe
Lamas and Joe Zeno.
XII Aldrich, the tempestuous Tex
an, and George Smith, are the only
centers due to report Monday, but
in dire circumstances Carroll, who
plays any line position, can lend
a hand.
Players Are Optimistic.
Adding it all up, it seems to make
a pretty fair pro football club and
possibly the best in the East.
The boys themselves seem to
think they are in position to make
a killing this year, realizing that
virtually every other team has been
hit hard by the military. There
always is danger of the old over
confidence bugaboo, but by and
large they seem to be taking it in
stride and playing their cards close
to the chest. There is too much
experience in this crowd to take
anything for granted and the boys
aren't counting their dividends be-
fore hitting the jackpot.
Maybe the exhibition games with
the Army, Bears and Green Bay
Ia Ia; L. Il