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PAGE SIX
The SPORTING THING
By HARMON SMITH
About thlt time cadi year everyone gets the idea that he Is a sprots
prophet. So he gc*ts out pencil and paper and writes down his predictions
us to how the various baseball teams will end up the season. I am not
going to be an exception. Here are my prognostications for the major
leagues.
Auiricait Legion. The Cleveland Indians will end the season in first
place and with Feller, Bearden, Lemon, Paige, Buodreau, Keltner and
Doby. How can it be otherwise? Running a very, very close second are
Hie Boston Red Sox. They have an excellent infield and outfield with
Doerr, Williams, Dom DiMaggio, and ex-Cracker Goodman, but their
weak pitching staff will be their Waterioo. The Philadelphia Athletics
get the bit! for third place. Their pitchers are excellent, and thier fielders
are well oiled, but Muck is worried about the hitting power. The New
York Yankees are expected to round out the first division. They have a
well-balanced club, but Joe DiMaggio's heel spur will be painful to the
entire team. Washington will close the season in fifth place, Detroit
sixth, St. Louis seventh and Chicago will keep the cellar warm again.
National League. A pennant for Brooklyn The Bums have an excel
lent pitching stuff with Barney, Branca and others. With Jackie Robin
son, the infield Is one of the best. The outfield gives Burt Shotton a
minor problem. Although the Boston Braves show plenty of promise,
they will have to be satisfied with second place. The hurlers are better
tnan last year, but the outfield is a problem. The New York Giants would
be a dark horse with two or three more pitchers to aid Larry Jansen.
There is plenty of hitting power in the lineup with Mize, Marshall,
Thompson and Cooper. Bing Crosby’s Pittsburg Pirates should end up in
lourth place. There is improvement in every department which leads me
to believe that they have a good chance to finish in a higher slot. The St.
Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds
compose the second division in the order named.
Jackie Johnson’s performance in Atlanta and Macon proved to the
sports world that tiie South will go to contests in which players of both
white and Negro races participate. Although Grand Dragon Dr. Samuel
“reen of the Ku Klux Klan, predicted racial incidents, the only fights
were for the balls Robinson knocked into the Negro crowds circling the
outfield. In the Sporting News Sam Lacy, Negro scribe of the Afro-Amer
ican Newspapers, reported that, “The State of Georgia accepted its in
ter-racial baptism with grace and bearing. Immersed in the waters of
liberalism, its head anointed with the oil of democracy, Georgia came
up smiling.’’
The three-game seres between Brooklyn and Atlanta brought in
49,309 fans to set anew Southern record. One of these games, a Sunday
battle, set a single game attendance record of 25,221. Of these, 13,885
were Negro.
The Atlanta Crackers have anew, energetic playing manager in Cliff
Dapper. He has a pennant team and barring a twist of fate, the Crax will
wind up in first place. Dapper’s only worry is his pitching staff, which he
says is good but just hasn’t got in shape yet.
Coach ’Welch has put his sofeball rule book on reserve in the
library for the use of his Physical Education classes and the intra
mural players. Maybe they will be used to settle a few of the arguments
that have been so numerous since softball season got under way.
The Carrollton Hornets got off to a bad start in the opening game in
the 1949 season by being defeated at the hands of the Newnan Browns by
a score of 11 to 1. Let’s hope it isn’t representative of the Hornet team.
The Vally Rebels are rated as the team to beat in this early stage
of the sason, but they have lost two or three star players who became
class men last year. They still have Jesse Danna as pitcher-manager,
though, and he is a threat to any team.
Intramural Softball
League Launched
Peter Rabbits Hold Loop Lead
The intramural softball league of
West Georgia College got under
way Thursday, April 14. with teams
from Storm Barracks, one of the
local day students, and one com
posed of students who hail from
LaGrange, Georgia. There are nine
teams in the loop.
Currently holding the loop lead
is the Borders team, which has
rolled over three opponents with
decisive victories against no losses.
“Pickle” Picklesimer is the heavy
hitter for the club with at least
one home run for each game.
“Jago” Henderson’s pitching for
the Peter Rabbits has stood out as
being among the best in the loop,
and has been the downfall of many
an opposing batter. They sport one
of the best outfields in the league
with Alfred McCoy, John Gilreath
and Paul Peterson. Jimmy Tucker
is another one of the Borders stand
outs with his magnificent fielding
and consistent clouting.
The scores of all games as of
and including April 27, are:
Storm I, 11; Storm 11, G.
Borders, 18; Wright, 7.
Rogers Hall 22; Local Day Stu
dents, 2.
LaGrange, 10; Storm I, IG.
Rogers Hall, 10; Wright, 14.
Log Cabin, 11; Hamm, 18.
Storm 1,5; Borders, 8.
Storm 11, 21; Log Cabin, 8.
Wright, 12; Hamm, 8.
Borders, 11; LaGrange, 4.
Storm I, 7; Rogers Hall, 7 (tie).
Intramural Softball League
Standings
TEAM— Won Lost Pet.
Borders 1 0 1.000
Wright 2 1 .667
Storm 1* 2 1 .667
Storm ll* t 1 .500
Rogers Hall* 1 1 .500
Hamm 1 1 .500
LaGrange 0 2 .000
Log Cabin 0 2 .000
These standings are complete as
of and including the games of April
26.
* Storm II and Rogers Hall played
to a 7 to 7 tie on April 26. This
game is not included in the stand
ings.
THE WEST GEORGIAN
DIAGRAM FOR MEN’S SINGLES IN INTRAMURAL TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Haywood
Culp
Stanford
Cash
. _ •
Adams
Spier
Henry
Smith, Bill
Minor ,
1 Minor
(Bye)
Tate
—— Tate
(Bye) ~
Moore, M.
iMorore, M.
(Bye) I
Massey
Precott
White, H.
Moore, J.
Medcalf
Graves
Brooks
White, Joe |
Smith
Smith, S.
(Bye)
Gilreath “
Gilreath
(Bye)
Hiss
1 Hise
(Bye) I
Huff
Huff
(Bye)
Leach
■■ Leach
(Bye)
Football Spring
Training Ends
Football spring training ended
Friday, April 29, with Coach Welch
well pleased with the ability of
some of his gridsters.
According to Welch, the Braves
won’t have to worry about the
quarterback slot, as “Hotshot” Ad
ams has shown spectacular ability
at that position. Other standouts
have been Ronald Skelton, guard,
Charles Perry, halfback, and “Goat”
Cummings, back.
The graduation of Bob Garrett
and Sawyer left the two end posi
tions open, and finding replace
ments for these two capable play
ers is one of Welch’s headaches.
Football Schedule .. .
For ’49 Announced ..
Coach Welcli announces that the
football schedule for 1949 has been
completed. It is a nine-game sched
ule with five home games and four
road games. All games will be
played on Saturday except the
game with Middle Georgia, on Oc
tober 14, which will be the high
spot for Homecoming for WGC.
Two other colleges, Brevard Col
lege and Hiawassee have been add-
ed to the schedule, and Troy has
been dropped. These are the only
changes over last year.
Welch also disclosed that fall foot
ball practice will begin on Sept. 1
for the 1949 season.
The schedule, although subject to
change, is as follows:
Sept. 24.—Brevard College, Here.
Oct. I—Gordon,1 —Gordon, There.
Oct. B—GMC, Here.
Oct. 14 —Middle Georgia (Home
coming) Here.
Oct. 22—Chipola, There.
Oct. 27 —Marion, There.
Nov. s—Hiawassee, Here.
Nov.l2—St. Bernard, There.
Nov. 16—South Georgia, Here.
Pairings Drawn for Men’s
Singles in Tournament;
Rules Announced
Coach Welch has announced the
pairings for the men’s singles in the
tennis tournament. The tournament
will be a double elimination affair,
with three matches on each court
every afternoon the weather will
permit.
Players who are not at the court
when their matches are scheduled
will forfeit the sets they are to play.
A contestant must defeat his op-
ponent two out of three sets in
order to remain in the tournament.
In the semi-finals and finals, a par
ticipant must win three out of five
sets to continue playing.
A total of 24 boys have gone out
for the tournament, and plenty of
action is expected.
Officers Chosen for First
Methodist Youth Fellowship
Members of the Youth Fellow
ship of the First Methodist Church
are preparing an installation serv
ice to be held at the evening wor
ship service Sunday at 8 p.m.
The following Fellowship officers
have been chosen for the 1949-50
church year: Jo Anne Walker, pres
idwent; Barbara Reed, vice-presi
dent; Helen Adair, vice-president;
Jimmy Lankford, secretary; Max
Prince, recreation chairman; Bill
Samples, community service chair
man.
During the past year outstanding
progress has been made under the
leadership of William Traylor, Jr.
Life is a succession of lessons
which must be lived to be under
stood.
I am an organin the mouth of God,
My prophecy the music of His lips.
May 3, 1949