Evening star., 1951-06-01

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non wanted an evening or after
noon game at Alexandria's Munic-
ipal Stadium: WI. was holding
out for an afternoon battle at
Griffith Stadium.
When neither neutral field could
be agreed on. the coaches. tossed
the problem to the principals and
they finally chose Fairfax. But
one strange gimmick in the whole
proceedings is that no admission
will be charged.
Each Is Giving Up $500.
The two teams have split in
four regular season games and
playoh games and with this one
to decide the championship. a
natural" gate attraction was
there. The schools figured to
get more than 5000 each, but now
they won't get a cent.
Some might say no complaint
should be lodged about the OPEN
door policy at the game, for the
fans are the ones to profit. But
the spectators expected to pay
their way in and wouldn't mind.
being charged for such an attrac-
tion. Six hundred dollars would
help both schools to further their
already fine athletic programs and
the students would be the real
beneficiaries in the end.
The friction came over prema-
ture arrangements for the later
rejected fields. Pete Rockwell,
WI. coach, called Calvin Griffith
and got his okay on the use of
Griffith Stadium for an afternoon
game. Harry Lee, Mount Vernon
athletic director, thought a day
game in Washington wouldn't
draw. but said he would play at
night In the stadium. "a
WI. didn't want an evening
game there and Lee got the i'm
preston an early evening game
IN Alexandria would be all right
with both sides. He made ar
rangements at Municipal Stadium
which involved the canceling of
softball games scheduled there,
but returning to Mount Vernon
found this did not meet with
wills approval.
Principals Make Decision.
Finally the principals took over
and decided on Fairfax, but with
out admission.
No doubt there is much to bel
said on both sides of the question
and tempers can be expected to-
; be aroused by the controversy
over an important game.
But no harm is done-aside
from the loss of revenue which the
two schools will probably survive
and both the teams and fans
should forget the trouble regard
less Of who wins.
In any case. the game stacks
up as one Of the best attractions
offered area baseball fans in some
time. Mount Vernon carries al
1872 record into the battle and
WI. is 1873. They're all square
In their league and there's a pos
sibility the winner will go to Tus-
caloosa, Ala, to play in the South
eastern Scholastic championships.
That's the setting for the game
carrying the title-an especially
priced crown among the Northern
Virginia schools where haseballI
receives special emphasis. And
it's free.
Lawrence Willett, Anacostia's
track coach. deserves much credit
for building the Indians cinder
squad into Metropolitan and In
terhigh champion, in three years.
The Interhigh track champion
ship Anacostia took last week was
the first athletic title in any sport,
major or minor, the Indians have
won since they entered the league
In 1887.
To make it even more impress
sive Anacostia doesn't have a
track. Willett has to train his run
ners on the grass in Fairlawn Park
in lanes without turns-especially
hard on the hurdlers when they
have to race around the bend in
meets.
There is only one jumping pit
at the school and it's in right field
on the baseball grounds. The broad
jumpers, high jumpers and pole
vaulters had to share the sawdust
and couldn't work out when the
baseball team was playing.
Willett. a half-miler at the Uni
versity of Missouri in his college
days, showed good Judgment in
developing a fall cross country
team to strengthen his runners
Anacostia was the only Interhigh
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