Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-21
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How to Cheaper q Record

IT SHOULD BE sCREAMINGLY obvious, even to
basebals big brass that nothing meritorious except
money can come from playing 77-game home schedule
in Los Angeles Coliseum. Even at this early date that
250foot fence has become Joke, and what is keeping
Commissioner Ford Frick from declaring null and void
any home record which might be set?
Any Dodger who hits than so homers-a Dodger,
Of course the best chance-wouldnt be adding
any usre to the game Not If he were Gil Hodges
bona-fde long ball hitter Remember Hodges is playing
his 18th season in the majors If he could seriously
threaten Babe Ruths record under normal conditions
he would have done so by now.
AS it is Gil's peak homer year was 1854 when he
slammed A. He was long way from Ruths so, Hank
Grenberg's and Jimmy Foxx SO apiece Hack Wilson's
Sc and Ralph Kiner's 81.
Never in the history of so-caled modern baseball
will the home have been cheap as in Los Angeles
1t is like putting cups IL inches in diameter golf green
THE LOS ANGELES home run, more Oriental than al
most any Chinese homer hit in the Polo Grounds
got to affect just about every other department of play
too 1t follows there will be bases balls Even
the zaniest pitcher isn't going to challenge muscular
right-handed batter the game is close and he has
base open.
In other big league cities there is premium on a
leftfielder who play smartly on defense Even in
Boston But in LA the lefthelder is sort Of deep-deep
shorstop Even leaning with his back against the
he is only 1875 feet behind the infelder
Neither Commissioner Frick nor National League
President Warren Giles be excused grounds that
managed to be hand for the opening of the season
in California, much to the chagrin of Milwaukee fans
who felt that at least President Giles place should
been in their fair city to witness the raising of the first
World Championship flag in Wisconsin history.
flag that won in heated, glorious strife, too
the hated Yankees
GILES, INDEED HAS GONE on record as saying the
LA Chinese Theater is worse than the Polo Grounds
This utter True the Polo Grounds had short
foul lines but the outed veered away sharply and the
majority of homers earned What the Coliseum
has that other big league park has although it should
not influence league president is $4,000 seating capacity
Next time you sit in Griffith Stadium take a good
look down the left field foul line with the barrier
pulled paeward to provide extra beachers the distance
still is $50 feet.
Yet just about every day or night as the may
be, somebody hits home In Washington. Imagine
then, what 250-foot foul line is like!
WHAT A LOT OF FUN Jimmy Foxx could have had
In the LA Coliseum in his heyday! He might have hit
100 home Old Double-X used to hit long, towering
drives. When he half-mssed, he hit shorter towering
drives. distance Of $50 fee-a SO yards-would
have made it childs play Foxx could just about throw
a bat that far.
Jimmy did hit SO home less regula-
ton fields Well challenging fields, at any rate In 1882
when he just missed Ruths record so, Jimmy drove
certified total Of five balls off the wire in Sports
Park in ST. Louis. Had that screen not been up
it's gone now along with the Browns who shared
the park with the Cardinals historians agree that
Foxx would have finished with SO home runs.
Greenberg, AL Simmons Joe DiMaggio, Kiner and a
few others who hit the long ball might have topped Ruth
record in LA For that matter you could speculate
few htters in lower echelon. Junior Stephens, for
example.
Stephens was strictly pull hitter He almost never
hit sraighaway. He hit EN- pretty far too. Lefteders
caught lot Of Juniors long fly balls during his career
many here in Griffith Stadium
They wouldn't have laid a glove on Of the
, same loud outs in Los Angeles