Evening star., 1943-09-15
Cases Base-Runninq
Mark, Club 5 Close
Win Thrill Fans
BY BURTON HAWKINS.

George Cases unblemished run
ming record has carved what may be
a permanent niche in baseball an
mails for the fleet Washington out
fielder, the latest in his series of
sprinting successes stamping him as
the fastest man ever to whisk
around the bases.
There may have been one or two
faster men in baseball history but
henceforth any base -circling at
tempts will be measured by Cases
conquest of time last night at Grif-
fifth Stadium when he romped
around the Mats infield in 1875 sec
onds, shaving three-tenths of a Sec
ond of the previously accepted re-
cord time of Hans Lobert, set in
1910.
Cases feat is more remarkable
because he had no specific training
for the test. Lobert, then playing
for Cincinnati, trained five weeks
before circling the bases in 1873 Sec
onds 33 years ago.
Clicked by four District A. A. U.
ofhcials, three of whom caught him
in 1875 and the fourth in 1874, Case
presented the 9,781 customers daz-
zling display of speed After going
trif1e wide at first base he straight
ened out and gobbled up the remain
Ing geography in an amazing effort.
An Ever Willing Competitor.
The e-stealing champion of
the major leagues for four straight
years and now leading in an attempt
to make 1t five straight, the stream
lined Case never has refused a chal-
lenge and never has been defeated.
Several years ago he was slated
to sprint 100 yards against Ben
Chapman, but was forced to foreeo
that race when he damaged his leg
falling over first base in a game
several days before the scheduled
event. In training for. that race,
though, Case covered 100 yards on
slightly uphill turf in baseball spikes
IN 10 seconds to earn the enthusias-
tic praise of generally conservative
Hap Hardell, Georgetown track
coach.
IF Case had trained to be a
sprlnter there's no doubt in my
mind he would have been the
greatest" said Hardell. After seeing
him pour it on last night some 9,78l
fans will agree with Hardell.
Case last year at Yankee Stadium
easily captured a 60-yard dash and
earlier this season at Griffith Sta
dium was forced to cover go yards in
6.5 seconds over uneven outfield turf
as Chicago's Thurman Tucker
pressed him to the tape.
Ill, Passes Up Game.
Case was presented with a $1OC
bond by Prexy Clark Grifith of the
Mats.
Nervous and on edge before the
race, Case was unable to play in the
game that followed due to stomach
disorder. Jake Powell replaced him
and obtained three hits, including
two doubles. as the Mats captured a
fifth straight victory, defeating Bos-
ton. 80.
Gerald Priddy was the Mats hero
though, scoring two runs and tap
ping home the third with a squeeze
bunt in the seventh inning after
Mickey Vernon and Jake Early had
singled successfully with two out.
Singles by Ford Garrison and Bobby
Doerr, plus Jim Tabor's sacrifice and
Tom McBride's single, fetched the
Red Sox a 20 lead against Mile
Canoini in the fourth. Washington
picked up run in its half of the in
ming as Priddy and Powell doubled
and locked the score in the sixth as
Priddy singled, Johnny Sullivan sac
rlf1ced and Candini singled.
Washington collected II hits of
Heber Newsome, while Candini
hammered for seven hits in the frs,
four innings, braced to permit only
three in the final five innings.
The Mats and Red Sox will CLASH
again tonight at Griffith Stadium al
$50 o'clock. with Johnny Niggeline
slated to oppose Boston's Tex Hugh
son on the mound.