The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1949-03-31

the guest of the Cincinnati Reds and
was afforded every courtesy that IS
possible to give sportswriter, and
l cannot say too much for the hos
pitality of Gabriel Paul, assistant to
the president of the club and Dave
Grote, the publicity director. They
not only provided me with accom-
mediation in the press box, but they
also had me as their guest at the
Floridan Hotel where they main
tanned a suite of rooms for the bene-
fit of the visiting press.
l was also the guest of the Phil
adelphia management at their head
quarters in Clearwater, and Frank
Powell, their travelling secretary,
and Bill Dooley, press and radio di-
rector, also gave me a royal time.
Frank Powell told me that the
Phillies this year have set aside
box at Shibe Park for the use of
sportswriters and broadcasters of
the Interstate League and that
when we are in Philadelphia, to show
our Interstate League pass at the
pass gate, and we will be immediate
ly escorted to the box reserved for
us.
The Phillies, of course, are inter
ested in the Interstate League due
to the fact that they own the Will
mington Club, and this courtesy is a
fine gesture on their part, and no
doubt many Interstate League
sportswriters will take advantage
of it.
Getting down to the exhibition
games that saw-and l saw, in addi-
ton to the Reds and Phillies, the
Yankees and the Senators-the one
thing that impressed me more than
anything else was the fact that with
out DiMaggio and Keller in the
lineup, the Yankees were just an
other ball club.
And talking about DiMaggio, don't
know whether you read the story
put out over the UP wire that Luke
Sewell, coach of the Reds, had Of
fered to cure DiMaggio's heel, pro-
viding the Yankees would pay him
$4,000. Well here's how the story
orioino+ad
A gang of sportsWriters and base
ball men were gathered in the Gin
cinnati Reds press room at the Flor
idan Hotel, and the talk got around
to the Yankees. One scribe said that
he thought DiMaggio was through,
and that his heel would never get
better, and without him the Yam
KEGS wouldn't even be threat
Sewell, who was with the gang,
spoke up and said-"Well, can cure
DiMaggio's heel without any trouble,
and I'll be glad to work on it right
away providing the Yankees will
guarantee me $4,000"
Another sportswriter jumped right
into the discussion and said-"Well,
if that's so, Luke, tell us something
about it-how are you going to do
it," To which Sewell replied
"That's all I've got to say on the
subject until the Yankees agree to
my terms"
But what the scribe who asked
this question did not know, was that
after he had left, someone else
turned to Sewell and said-"What
do YOU mean, you can cure Joe's
heel?" To which Sewell replied
well, you'd try anything once,
wouldn't you, for fifty grand?"
Meaning, of course, that the whole
thing was a joke from beginning to
end.
It so happened that the day at
ter the story broke in the papers,
the Yankees came to Tampa to
NAV the Reds, and when Luke Sc
we'll strolled down to his coaching
position on the third base line, he
really got it from the more than
5000 who were present for the game.
He was greeted with such calls as:
Doctor Sewell, report to the Yam
kee Club House. Doctor Sewell,
report to Casey Stengep'-Doctor
Sewell, report to the Florida Medl-
cal Association and this continued
all the afternoon.
Unfortunately 1 was unable to
talk to Ossie Bleuge, as he left for
the north just the day before l arrlv-
ed, but l had chat with Hal Kel-
Ter who was travelling with the Sen
ators, and he told me that he was
in pretty good shape, but he didn't
know where he was to be sent. He
sent his regards to everybody IN
Hagerstown and said that while he
of course would like to go higher,
i L. -4r,x Il