The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-07-20

Hagerstowns Today race meet
has still three days to go. Time
enough to pick plenty of winners
or plenty of losers-and also time
enough to get fieeced by the gang
of touts that have infested the meet
ing ever since opening day.
l wonder if the time will ever
come when the owners of the half
mile tracks will follow the example
of the major tracks and bar these
hangers-on from their meetings?
Since race tracks employ their own
special police officers, the local po-
lice are powerless to act, but thank
goodness, sometimes a victim takes
matters into his own hands.
Last week one of these touts
fleeced a soldier out of fifteen dol
lars and the victim, failing to get
his money back, took it out of the
tout'S hide. And he really did a
bang-up job.
Race track officials ought TO
know who these touts are-and if
they don't there are plenty who will
be glad to point them out to them
and then they should refuse to al
low them to enter the gates. The
public pays the freight and they
should be protected.
1t is tough enough to pick win
nerS, without having one of these
touts ''innocently'' enter into the
conversation with you-their usual
approach is to ask who is it in this
race, the favorite?"-and then, if
you fall for their line, they give
you song and dance about a man
who has just bought handful of
tickets on a certain horse (the man
is, of course, confederate, with a
fistful of tickets on previous races).
Then they persuade you to put your
money on the horse, with the under
standing that they are to get per-
centage of the winnings. This line,
repeated to every sucker they can
find (and each one given a differ
ent horse to bet on) makes them
sure winner and leaves you holding
the bag.
Until such time as the race track
officials can see their way clear to
rid their tracks of these touts, my
advice is: DON'T TALK TO
STRANGERS AT A RACE TRACK.
And speaking of the races, radio
station WEI announces the
scratches every day at 1890 p. m.
and gives the complete results at
$50 p. m.
The two circuits in the Major
Leagues have reversed the usual
situation. In past years, by mid
July, one team in the American
League usually the Yankees) was
so far out in front that it was only
a question of how many games
they would win the pennant by. On
the other hand, che National League
race has always been a knock-down,
drag-out fight, generally remaining
in doubt until the last week of the
season.
This year, however, the National
League race is all over but the
shouting, with the st. Louis Cards
eleven games out in front and just
coasting in, while the American
League is providing the fireworks.
With just nine and a half games
separating the first place st. Louis
Browns from the cellar-dwelling
Philadelphia Athletics, with the
other six teams fairly well punched
in between, the race is wide open
and could easily be in doubt right
up to the wire. My preseason Sc
lection, the Washington Senators,
are in fourth place, just five and
half games from the top, but their
pennant chances received a sudden
and totally unexpected setback
when three Of their Cuban players
third baseman Gil Torres, catcher
Mike Guerra and outfelders Rober-
to Ortiz, returned to Cuba, follow