Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-23

Nineteen forty : six well may
mark the beginning of sports sec
ond golden era, but 1945 will be one
of the best remembered in District
annals. No year began with a
more hopeless outlook and ended
on such a thunderous note Of tri-
umph than the one running out.
This time year ago high Gov
eminent officials glumly doubted
whether a continuation of sports
would be justified in view of the
serious war situation. The few
sports left were threatened with
arbitrary elimination. But baseball
held on by its flngernails, Maryland
and a few colleges in the area rus
tied up a potpourri program that
frequently reached intramural levels
and kept the ball rolling. Then
came the sudden cessation of hos
tilities in Europe. Star athletes
siphoned off into military service
began to return with badly needed
TRANSMISSION for athletics. With the
end of the war with Japan, sports
began to boom and while the caliber
of competition did not Immediately
zoom to prewar heights the old
tone and confidence was restored
Herewith are chronicled brief
summaries of the highlights OF
activities in the various local fields
The approaching year Is pregnant
with the promise of the most at
tractive sports schedule the Nations
Capital has witnessed in decades
but none of us will quickly forget
1s45 with all its tremendous sur.
priSes.
Mats and Redskins Rally.
Outstanding performances wer'
provided by the Mats and the Red
skins. Generally picked to finish
last in the American League pen
nant race, the Mats after a sloy
start gained speed amazingly an,
through the last half of the baseball
season threatned to overhaul De
trcits Tigers for the flag. At tn
windup, they were only a game an
a half of the top. Three Of thei
players-Infielder George Myat
Pitcher Roger Wolff and Outf1elde
George Case-were included in tn
top 10 in the leagues most valu
able" player poll.
| Case this month was traded to tn
Cleveland Indians for JEFF HEATH
another outfielder, in the only bi
swap negotiated at the winter meet
ings of the majors in Chicago.
/ The Redskins in the Nations
Football League, like the Mats, wer
of to a poor start, but rallied to Wi
eight of their 10 games to finish a
the head of the Eastern division o
the circuit. Going into the cham
pionship playoff decided underdogs
the Redskins surprisingly gave tn,
Rams a grim fight on frozen grid
iron In Cleveland before beins
turned back, 1914. r
Bagarus All-Star Choice.
Steve Bagarus, a feet swivel
hipped back who ran for Notre
Dame in his college days, was the
lone member of the Tribe to be
named to the Associated Press all
pro team.
Among the highsschools, Eastern
almost scored a grand slam. 1t won
the football and baseball champion
ships, but finished as runnerup tt
Tech in basket ball. Wilson wa:
supreme on track.
Gonzaga rated as the top school,
boy team in football outside the in.
terhigh loop by defeating st. Johns
and upsetting a previously unbeater
Boys Town eleven. Coolidge High
was the only team to defeat Con.
zaga.
Tech High beat Eastern in thu
finale of The Stars metropolitan
Basket Ball Tourney.
Terps Shine on Gridiron.
There was little college activit.
other than that at Maryland. tn
Terps turned out a good football
team that won six games, tied on
and lost two and knocked Virgini
off the unbeaten and united lis
Georgetown, Gallaudet, American [
and Catholic U. resumed basket ba.
after a long layoff.
Only outstanding boxer to be de
veloped in the District this year
Bee Bee Washington, q Georgetow