The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1949-02-03
BEHIND
HOME PLATE
BY DOUG STEWART

There is nothing new to report |
about the Owls at this time, but !
hope on my return from the annual |
banquet and meeting of the Sports |
writer's and Broadcasters Associa- |
ton on Wednesday, February 8, to |
have some real news for you, No /
decision has been made regarding |
the Owls training at Charles Town,
but perhaps that news will break at !
the meeting also
1t does look, however, that Mr.. |
Sterling has made real working
agreement with the Washington
Senators. When he was in town |
last week he told me that several
really fine looking prospects had
been signed to Hagerstown con
tracts by the Washington Farm
System, and it looks as if Woody"
Wheaton will have a world of good
material to work on when the sea-
son opens.
As | have said, however, many
times before, it is far too early to
really get down to business as to
who will wind up as members of
the squad, but it isn't too early to
tell you that both Mr.. Sterling and
his manager are determined to do
everything in their power to give
HagerstoWn the best ball club it
has had since the Owls came to Ha-
gerstoWn.
| often talk in this column about
the boys and girls basketball teams
of ST Mary's High School, and the
reason | do it is because l am in
creasingly impressed by the way
these youngsters work at improving
themselves, the girls under the
3 coaching of Miss Keller and the
boys under Father Dausch. For you
must not forget that the school has
a small enrolment when compared
with the other schools whom they
play.
Some weeks ago the boys tangled
with the Junior Varsity team of
Hagerstown High School, and the
girls played the Girls Varsity team
of the High School, and both the
ST Mary's teams took a pretty bad
licking In the girls game in par
ticular it was so one-sided that the
coach of the Hagerstown High
School team was sportsmanlike
enough to pull out practically the
entire first team so that the game
might be a little more even. But
il was an entirely different story
the second time the same teams met
last week This time the Gaels were
beaten in the last minute of play
by one point, while in the girls
game, the Gaelettes not only were
in the game every minute, but they
might have beaten the High School
lasSies with just a couple of breaks.
The final score of that game was
Hagerstown Varsity 20 ST Mary's
IS, and needless to say the High
School first team was in there ev-
cry minute.
It's grand to find all the basket
ball leagues in Hagerstown putting
on benefit games for the March of
Dimes. l, of course, made terrible
boner last week in this column
when l said that Gimbels of New
York was playing the Cabineers,
when Of course they played the Fair
child team. But in any case big
crowds are turning out to all these
games for the March of Dimes, and
that is as it should be.
The Junior Basketball League is
going along in fine style, and it's
good to see that some of the teams
that lost in their first games finally
came through with win last week.
But as I've said many times before
it isn't who wins and who loses
that matters so much as the grand
exercise and valuable experience in
good craftsmanship that these
youngsters are getting.
While on the matter of the Junior
Basketball League, let's not forget
to give pat on the back to the
sponsoring organizations that make
the league possible and to the
coaches who give their time to train
their teams, and the referees who
are so ably handling the games.
All fourteen teams in the league
play tonight (Thursday); some at
Woodland Way; some at West Wash
ington Street, and others at South
Potomac. So pick out the school
nearest your home and go see the
youngsters in action = you'll love