Arizona sun., 1951-09-14
ComponeIIo
Bids For Most
Valuable Player

pdIIG1ld, CIIS D1OOhIyA DOuSCAS
catcher, is making a gallant bid
for selection as the most valuable
player in the National League.
The winner generally comes
from the winning team the
reasoning being that the most
value there means the most =
the pennant.
While Jackie Robinson has
played phenomenal ball this sea.
son = at bat, on the bases and
in the field = in a spectacular
comeback, Campanella is a stand
out on club that also boasts Duke
Snider, Carl Furillo, Pee Wee
Reese and Gil Hodges,
Few doubt that Campy is the
best catcher in the league. At bat
he wins ball games single-handed,
with terrific homers in the late
innings. His batting average of
| .320 is second only to Jackie's 1888
as of last Monday, and he leads
the Dodgers in runs batted in. Of
his teammates only Hodges has
hit more homers than he.
But statistics do not tell the
whole story. With an elbow in
jury that is constantly aggravated
by continuous play, Campy showed
his mettle on Labor Day when he
caught both ends of a twin bill
After a morning X-ray examin-
alton the doctors had advised him
that he had "a couple Of thin
floating things" in the elbow in
jured several weeks ago in plate
collision with Whitley Lockman of
the New York Giants.
It was Campanella, too, it will
be recalled, Who was the only one
Of the Dodger sluggers who man.
aged to get hit off Giant pitching
in the recent two-game series at
the Polo Grounds. He finished up
that series with a homer in the
ninth. Before the Boston Braves
were able to get him out in the
fifth inning of the second game
of the Labor Day doubleheader,
he had pickel up seven successive
hits in two days, three of them
homers.
An overflow crowd of 1888 ap-
plauded Campanella all Labor Day
afternoon and Charley Dresser,
the Dodger manager, also showed
his appreciation. Campanella, who
batted fifth in the opener, was
moved up to the cleanup spot in
the nightcap when Snider's pulled
back muscle took him out of the
game, and Robinson was moved up
from the cleanup slot to the third
position.
! Campanella's plate performance
included four-for-four in the Dod-
| gers 7-to-2 victory in the opener,
including successive homers, and
tWo-for- three in the 7-2 second
game triumph.
| Campanellas No. 80 was a grand
slammer. It came off Mox SurkOnt
in the third after two singles and
q walk had loaded the bases. Cam
PAMELA was the first man to face
George Sstock in the sixth after
Surkont had been taken out for a
pinch hitter. His homer into the
lleft field stands was hit even
. lharder than the first. It also tied
Campanella's high for $50 and
moved him to within five homers
of the clubs pace-maker, Hodges
Campanella got his fourth hit
when he went to bat for the
fourth time in the seventh. He
lined a double off the glove OF
Sid GoGrdon close to the rail in
left field. In the second inning he
had singled into left.
| Leading off in the second inning
of. the nightcap, Campanella
singled. Then in the third he
| bounced a double over the head
of Bob Elliott, the Braves third
baseman.
Jackie got one-for-four in the
opener and went hitless in the
afterpiece. Sam Jethroe went hit
less in both games, going to bat