The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-02-08
This
Sporting
World
SIieing BoIoney
At the Commodore
By JOHN A. CLUNEY

Z1St annual eating and oratorical
contest that started with a question
and has become all INSTITUTION.
Frankly, it's MUST in the book
Of many Waterburians who have to
Spring for a "Sawbuck" apiece to
get in, but, once a person has at
tended, he hates to think he might
be left out the following year. The
baseball writers, due to the jammed.
uncomfortable, crowded condition of
of the party a year ago, plus the
FOOD situation, Swore on a stack
OF pictures Of Judge Lands that
they would keep the ticket list down
to 300, but SOMEHOW more than
1900 got in, according to the ban
quet manager of the hotel who
should know.
WV WV
New York's LITTLE FLOWER,
Mayor Fiorello Hot-Stuff LaGuar-
Ola, was very conspicuous by his
absence, particularly in view of the
fact that Mr.. Justice William o.
Douglas of the United States SUI
preme Court bench; Senator Scott
Lucas of Illinois, and Honorable
Patrick B. O'Sullivan of the Con-
necticut Supreme Court, Judge
Kenesaw Mountain Lands, high
commissioner of Baseball, Jimmy
Walker, 1t. Col McPhail and a few
lesser dignataries lent their pres
ence to the speakers dais. Per-
haps LaGuardia didn't want to
take another RIBBING such as that
which was tossed at him a year ago.
:. Larry McPhail's opening story
about the missing congressman in
Washington, hit home run against
these oversize auditory appendages
GEARS to youse lugs). Preceding
the actual unfolding Of the belly
laugh, McPhail, a former lawyer,
then president of the Brooklyn
Dodgers and now an Army 1t. Col.
attached to General Somervell's Of
flee of Service and Supply which
digs up for the various armies of
the Allied Nations, everything from
ASPIRIN TABLETS to STEAM
BOATS said: when was in
Brooklyn, great many funny things
happened. but in the last 16 months
in Washington, I have also seen
several funny situations"
WV WV
The late ana great Bill Slocum
was not there to the sorrow of all
OF us who knew him, but THREE of
his sons, were on hand, two in uni
forms of the Marines and Army, the
other just out of the Navy and the
fourth son late arrival at the din
ner after missing plane connections.
from Norfolk, Virginia. With tear
dimmed eyes and Jumps in their
Threats, they saw and heard the
presentation of the first BILL SLO-
CUM MEMORIAL AWARD to the
person who has done the most for
Baseball over period of years"
which went to Branch Hickey of
Brooklyn, who asked the three Slo-
cum boys present to stand up SO
that all present might see and adj
mire them, as they have admired
their father, particular favorite
of Waterburians, including Dan
Parker who was first brought to New
York by the always helpful Bill Slo-
cum to start splendid newspaper
career which promises even greater
things -. Waterbury's number one
citizen, Mayor John S. Monagan,
the Police commissioners Bill Ban
non, Wendell Cross, Bill Black,
Marty Sullivan and Ray Tanning,
Superintendent Dan Carson, city
clerk Joe Shea, Secretary Jack Fitz-
maurice, DR.. Vincent Shea and Bill
Tobin were hosts to some of us at
a 18th floor layout that was posi-
lively SCRUMPTIOUS, to say the
very least :. Can't get away from
the thought that justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States
found time to come from Washing
ton to attend the dinner, but the
mayor of the city couldn't make it
-. Perhaps he had something more
important to do, such as GOING
TO A FIRE, for tits told that TIN
HATS and WHITE RUBBER coats
are his weakness Arthur Mann's
singing of BLESS EN- ALL, a trib-
ute to every player, official and exc
cutive of organized baseball now
serving his country was the hit of
the writer's stage efforts, second
only to Ken Smiths imitation of
Judge Lands. Ken has learned to
slide around stage like Groucho
Marx, and, as Lands he's positive
ly something to see and laugh at
One Of the most greuSome and
H1DEOUS happenings Of the war in
Europe was related by an eye-wit-
ness, Quentin Reynolds, famous war
correspondent, and a former sports
writer who said he saw the blood
and power-crazed Nazis BOBBY
TRAP THEIR OWN DEAD, that is,
set explosives under a German
corpse so that bomb would explode
and kill the American coming to
BURY HIS ENEMY That by the
Master Race Of MODMEN One
fine result O. the dinner (as far as
the writer Is concerned) came when
1t brought two Bridgeport men to-
gether, friends for 20 years, who
have not been on speaking terms
for the past two years, for no GOOD
reason a guy named Cluney got
'em mitt-glomming and he's proud
as the proverbial peacock Of the
result, which he hopes win be per-
manent Branch Hickey tossed
some $3.75 words at the boys, during
his speech Of acceptance Of the Bill
Slocum Memorial award, that would
put anybody but John Kieran of In
formation Please on the ropes
Some Of the Connecticut sportswrit-
ers' and bowling fans on hand were
at least mildly surprised when they
learned that Waterbury,s Sam Sena
raised over 500 in one afternoon Of
four hours for the Infantile Para
lysis Fund. Sam was q genial host,
as usual, even borrowing an auto