Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-02
Meet Crisis, Improve
Steadily, Although
Shy Of ManpoWer
BY CHIP ROYAL,
Associated Press Sports Writer


scene, one fact stands out in this
second war-filled year-sports met
the crisis smack on the nose ano
are improving steadily.
Sure, there were setbacks, through
loss of manpower restrictions, ano
some cold feet, but the mob turned
out just the same at all the big
events, and the athletes made plenty
of records to satisfy all tastes.
AS thousands performed, Other
thousands of coaches and player.
entered the service Others sold bill
lions of dollars worth of War Bond:
and raised billions more for war re-
lief.
Two Big Football Upsets.
Yeah, there were upsets, too, right
from the first day of the year, when
the underdog Texas football team
beat favored Georgia Tech, IA to Z, in
the Cotton Bowl, to the. end of the
season, when Great Lakes stunned a
great Notre Dame eleven, 10 to Ia.
Baseball lost many of its top stars
but went ahead, the majors and nine
minor leagues operating after a
cold training season in the North
The New York Yankees swept all op-
position aside to win by 1914 games
in the American League and four
games to one over the st. Louis
Cardinals in the World Series. The
Cards spreadeagled their league by
18 games.
Bears Regain Grid Title.
Despite Cleveland dropping out of
the league for one year and the
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia teams
combining into one unit, the Ma
tional Football League enjoyed a
good season financially, with at
tendance figures up in most cities.
The Chicago Bears regained the
championship, beating the Wash
ington Redskins, last years champs,
41-21, in a playof game in Chi
cago the day after Christmas. Sid
Luckman threw five touchdown
passes to set a record in this play
off, while Washington's chances were
hurt when its star, Sammy Baugh,
was injured early in the game.
The playof had to be set back a
week later than originally sched-
uled because of the unexpected tie
which developed in the Eastern di-
vision when New York deadlocked
the Redskins by upsetting the de-
Tending champs on two successive
Sundays. The Redskins finally won
the Eastern title in a playoff at
New York, $50.
Ace Boxers in Service.
Most boxing headlinerS were in
the service but there was a strong
lightweight division with Beau Jack
ruler of the roost. Manuel Ortiz,
bantamweight, was the flghtingest
champ, defending his title eight
times in running his streak of vic
tories to "a.
The only new ring champs were
Jackie Patterson, British hyweight,
and Phil Terranova of the Bronx,
N. Y, who won the MIA version of
the featherweight crown.
Oh, yes, Heavy Champ Joe Louis
almost fought Billy Conn for the
second time, but the War Depart
ment called off the bout after grant,
ing permission to stage it. Several
reasons were given, the most i'm
portant being that War Secretary
5timson smelled commercialism.
Pan;-,r uoS Dir vaor
Horse racing thrived. The Flor
Ida, California and Saratoga tracks
didn't operate but purses, crowds
and betting were bigger than ever.
Count Fleet, Kentucky Derby,
Withers and Belmont
winner, was the horse of the year.
Track benefited by the visit of
Swede Gunder Haegg. He cracked
three American marks in winning
eight races.
Golf was minus its championship
but managed come
back over 1912 because of the popu-
larity of events like the Tam
O'Shanter and the playing of Patty
Berg, Betty Hicks, Dorothy Ger
jug McSpaden, Sammy Byrd
and Byron Nelson, to mention a few.
College Football Declines.
There were fewer college football
games and the attendance declined
about 10 per cent, the same as in
1912 over 1941. Many teams used
the ct" formation and a wide-open,
goes ofense. Notre Dame
was the best of the colleges, Iowa
the cream of the service
outfits, in the opinion of writer's
taking part in the Associated Press
poll.
Alonzo Stage, College of the Pa
cif1c coach, at 81, won the football S
man of the year award. Bob Steuber
of De Paw paced the scorers, Don
Hutson of the Green Bay Packers
continued his mountaineering in
every Pro League game and then
signed as coach.
Skipping over the rest of the
sports: Swimming produced its an
nual quota of new champs and the
years most startling upset when
Sophomore Harry Holiday
finished ahead of Adolph Kiefer in
a 150-yard backstroke race.
Wyoming Quint Is Champ.
Basket ball had national cham
pion for the first time in Wyoming
University. Phillips "66" of Bartles-
vile, Okla, won the National AAU
mems title and the Davenport, Iowa,
AIC repeated for the womens crown.
Ned Day of West Allis, Wis, was
the tenpin bowler of the year. Ar
thur r. Vaughn, jr., of Philadelphia
was the mems figure skating cham
pion and Gretchen Merrill, Boston,
among the women.
Championship tennis went through
with Pauline Betz and 1t. Joe Hunt
the queen and king, respectively. of
the courts.
Cadet Helmer Honored
BORDENTOWN, N. j., Jan. /
(CDnoion -Co6nt Harry p Helrner