The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-13
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By JACK CUDDY
(Registered U. s. Patent omce)

By JACK CUDDY
 United Press Staff Correspondent)
 New York, March 13 - (U.P0 - Branch Rickey jumped as if the French phone in his hand had bit- ten his ear. His prince-nez spec tacleS almost plopped of his nose. He parked into the phone, whats that, operator? What's that2 Why that can't be-"
 Then the Mahatma of Montague Street remembered suddenly that he was in the beautiful borough of Brooklyn and president of the Daffy Dodgers. He wilted back into his deSk-chair and said resignedly, "al- right, operator. Okay. Thank you"
 Like 8 modern shepherd, Deacon Rickey had been using the tele- phone to gather some of his players Into the flock that will go to Bear Mountain, N. r., tomorrow after noon for spring training. One of his calls had been routed for St. Paul, Minn. It was a person-to-person call to Howie Schultz, bean-pole first baseman.
 The reader may be confused mos mentarily by our reference to Schultz as a first baseman. The reader will be perfectly correct in recalling that Howie Schultz of St. Paul received nationwide publicity this winter as center of the Ham, line University basketball team. Some of the sports writers tabbed him the stormy petrel" of the hoop season; hc caused such a ruckus with the Amateur Athletic Union.
 The Schultz-AAU trouble started when Hamline's quintet came to New work to play City College at Madison Square Garden. December 28. The Hamline pi ed pipers held Q practice session the day before the game. One of the New York writers, watching the practice, said, Say that gangling goon out there at center looks familiar" 4 Brooklyn writer went further. He said, "why--that's stretch Schultz who plays foist base for the Buns"
 Nat Holman, City College coach, disapproved of Schultz,s presence in the Hamline lineup; but rather than call of the game, City College got special permission from Dan Ferris, Secretary Of the A. A. U., to play against Hamline. This special permission was obtained to prevent the City College players from losing their amateur standing through competing against a team that had . professional baseball player in its lineup. Hamline beat City College, 47-42, aided by Schultz who scored Il points. After this contest, tho AAU got busy and - as we recall = took away the amateur standings Of all teams that had played against HaInllne, without special permis. sion. There was quite 6 fuss.
 First Baseban Schultz. bona 1ide student of Hamline (durlng the of1-SeasoD received much publicity. Whether this publicity needed his draft board. we do not know. Any way, Schultz - who stretches up | six feet seven inches - was report. cd last week to have been re-ciassi. lied IA. Previously he had been in l 4-F because he is one inch taller than the Army and Navy limit of | six feet six.
 Branch Hickey doubtless was mighty interested in these re. classification reports when he put in his person-to-person call for Schultz at St. Paul. And Branch was naturally fiabbergasted when the long distance operator report. ed:
 Sorry. but MT. Schultz Is on his honeymoon"
 That's all there was. There wasn't any more. That was the sum total of his information about mysterious Howie - professional first-sacker, amateur center, former 4-F'er, re. ported 1.Acr, and brand new bride- groom almost on the eve of spring training.
 Hickey finally sagged back into his chair = just a Branch" on tree that grows in Brooklyn. ',