Evening star., 1962-09-18

Casey Is Still
Betting 1000
By MORRIS sIEcEL

FROM THE TINE OF THE Marquis Of Queensbury
down to the current Saturday night Tv shows it's been
automatic in the fist fight business that it's what's
top that counts Nobody pays the preliminares
Tomorrow night at the Polo Grounds they're pur
posey violating these ground rules which also apply to
other sports They're not saying much about the twi
nghter main event between the Houston Colts and New
York Nets. They're saying much for two reasons:
What is there to be said about lateseason meeting
between eighth-place club and 10th-place club?
2. Who cares in the first place?
Instead they're concentrating the prelm-
naries, attraction with far commercial appeal
than couple Of ball games between teams which prac
icaly were eliminated from the pennant race the mo-
ment the pairings were made The big show is Casey
Stenges 50th anniversary, not man, but major
league fixture
STENCIL HAS BEEN in baseball for so long it's
easy to understand why lot Of us might under the
impression his birth and the start Of his baseball
were one and the same. However, there period
of % years before Casey hit the big leagues 1t
wasn't the fault Of this spry 72yearod that he didn't
make the big time before. He always has been big
Lacquer only it took the majors few before they
recognized what they were missing They're stl having
the trouble about lot Of other things, i'm
portant Stenge
Casey stengel probably never will be known as the
Grand Old Man Of Baseball The title doesn't suit him.
More appropriately he should be known of the
Grandest Men in Baseball. Maybe there others who
contributed more In the form Of batting proficiency,
pitching sks speed and other mechanics Of the game
But when they tote up the scoreboard personality
contribution Caseys competitors would have to sit in the
back Of the bus. ,-r
Nobody has promoted basebans cause more than
Casey from the first time he owned glove down to
today The Nets quick to recognize this when they
hired him out of involuntary retirement 1t wouldn't
have made much difference who managed the Nets;
they still would finished 10th and last At the gate,
however, stengel added thousands of customers.
JUST AS ALL OF US DON'T agree with everything
Jim Persa does Stengel also has committee OF down.
raters They say he is dsnterested in the Nets he
sometimes falls asleep on the bench I doubt it. but
if the ole Perfessor did take occasional nap during
Met fiasco who could blame him? There is very little
the Nets do to keep awake, among their own
players
stengel is crusty brash cunning sometimes rascble,
but coloress He's made customers out OF people
who don't know the first thing about baseball but who
come out merely to what Casey will do how he will
act. Some just to see him take that magnificent
stroll to the mound to relieve pitcher, journey
he has had to make too often this for Of
his years But there's dash about Casey in everything
he does that lifts him far above the average diamond
robot who goes through the motions in the same dun,
drab and monotonous way,
Conversatonally Casey Is no winston Churchill, no
accomplished orator classic speaker. But he's SPELL
binder in his magnificent complicated gobble-de-
COOK way. He loves to talk and his audience loves to
listen which is about perfect romance any
could want Maybe what Casey says isn't important but
it's how he says 1t.
SEVERAL YEARS AGO in Orlando Fla, when he
brought his lordly Yankees into town for exhibition
brush with the Senators, Stengel was told that one
Mickey McDermott itinerant lefthanded pitcher and
thinker who had brief fling with the Yankees, didn't
like him. Casey, said McDermott hadn't given him
chance to pitch.
THAT SOP" Sengel growled. well, I'll tell you this.
know five managers who gave that fellow a chance
and they amt managing any more"
Stengers appearance before Senator Kefauvers sub
committee long will remain Capitol Hill classic From
one simple question asked Of him evolved the greatest
hunk of any committee has had the pleasure
of hearing Stengel defy maneuvered his way through
forest Of hilarious inconsequentates which included
physiological why Japanese would never make
major league players Their fingers too short he said
Fifty years yesterday Casey broke in as major
Lacquer the centerfieder for the Brooklyn Dodgers
the only logical place for with Stengels talents
He made his debut with perfect four-for-f four He
has been held htess few times since.