Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-11-28
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAV By FRANCIS sTANN
The Magic Touch

IN THE MIDDIEs' dressing room after the thriller in
Philadelphia Navy Secretary FRANKIE had asked players
Anybody who does not want to go?" referring the
Orange Bowl There was dead silence, but thinking
about it on the train later unused aloud What
would have happened lone dissenter spoke up? And
the dsSenter was Joe Bellino?"
AS matter of record Bellino was among the most
eager to play one more game for Navy and in major
bowl to boot Even If he wasn't eager Joe isn't the kind
who would buck the majority But if -.
well, II says here without Belino the Mddes would
not be much Of bowl attraction or much of football
team, either The stocky senior hafback from Wnches-
ter Mass is one of the truly good ones only of this
year but of this Stop Belino and you stop NAVY
The trouble is that because of his multiple skls no
team mas been able to contain him completely not
Duke The Blue Devils alone kept him scoring but
not from gaining well over 100 yards Army last Sat-
urday was to discover Notre Dame did earlier in the
season, that Beinos talents not confined to oense
THERE is ABOUT BELLINO the same quality there
was in another distinguished Italian named Joe
DiMaggio. There were so many ways DiMag could beat
you with his bat .. his fielding {. :. his arm his
unfailng ability to take another base.
This Is not to downrate Navy team, but the Mid
shpmen can have no complaints about the breaks this
Coming out of Philadelphia Stadium man re-
marked Navy could have lost four games Washington
Notre Dame Duke (Which lost and Army Each time
Navy got break and capitalized on it."
In the closing seconds of the Washington game the
Midshipmen trailing 1412 when bad pass from the
for 1914 victory Notre Dame, trailing Navy by AT
knocking the door in the final minutes with third
down and yard for first down situation on Nays
courtyard line.
The book called for straight power play up the mid
die. Implausibly, Notre Dame sent Bob Scarptto on
wide sweep to his left This great mistake for Bel
limo moving up fast chased Scarptto all the way back
the 1-yard line and nailed him with tackle that prob
ably saved the day.
BELLINO'S SEVEREST CRITICS point out that against
Army gained ony" IS yards in 20 carries and that
accounted for So of those yards 1t is true that
yardage hard for Joe last Saturday but he cracked
Armys defense when it had to be done.
In that first period when the Cadets had the Middes
pinned down the vineyard line after perfect outof-
bounds punt it Beno who took them off the hook
Almost certainly it appeared the Tars would have to punt
third fourth down and into the wind. That would
give Army the ball perhaps the 80 35yard line.
But the first play Belno sprang loose for that So
yard dash. That one big play Joes second was for
Nays first touchdown on courtyard rush. And the
third the day wa of course, his interrogation the
vineyard line of Blandas doordie pass with 26
onds to go.
This one defensive gem than aoned his fail
ure to gain more than three yards in the entire second
half At that he was the only Navy back to gain at all
for the Mddies actually minus two yards on total
ofense in the final two periods
THE 17-12 THRILLER was not without the second
guess, and both sides got it, When the game still was
scoreess and Navy the Army 12yad line on third
down, Coach Wayne Hardin replaced Beino with Vic
Meyer move that stmped the press experts Meye,
See WIN, LOSE OR DRAW, Page AIS