The White Falcon - 05.09.1942, Side 7

7
Mauriello Is
‘White Hope*
By Gene Graff
A handsome Italian youth who packs lethal
power in both hands is the current shot-in-
the-arm heavyweight boxing has been lacking
since Joe Louis joined Uncle Sam’s fighting
forces. He’s 21-year-old Tami Mauriello of New
York’s Fordham district, and Promoter Mike
Jacobs has been forced to recognize the titul-
ar aspirations of the heralded youngster whose
rise on the fistic ladder has been meteoric
this past year. In fact, experts say Tami is
the greatest hitter since the days of Paul Ber-
lenbach, who, somehow, failed to win the title.
Berlenbach’s sensational string of knockouts
in old Madison Square Garden when the late
Tex Rickard was plagued by a famine of color-
ful lightheavy and heavyweight talent revived
public interest and attracted plenty of dollars
into the Rickard ledger. Like Berlenbach, Tami
is a terrific puncher, as evidenced by his re-
markable record of 30 knockouts in 41 profes-
sional starts, and already he’s being groomed
as the likely successor to such noble knock-
outers as John L. Sullivan, Jack Dempsey and
Louis.
Mauriello, although reaching the big money
while still a youngster, is the same unaffected
fellow he was when he started, and that pla-
cid attitude has been responsible for his ever-
increasing followers. In Jimmy (Lefty) Remini,
he has a kindly, understanding manager, and
their fighter-manager combination is one of
the finest in the business.
After daubling in simon-pure matches, Tami
bowed into the pro ranks in 1939, registering
a one-round knockout over a lad named Vas-
ques at the Queensboro Arena. Then in rapid
fashion he stopped Jimmy McDowell in four
rounds, evened the score with Corky Delgari-
an, who had whipped him in the Golden Glov-
es, and powdered Frankie Velez and Larry
Esposito.
Tami’s crowning achievement came this sea-
son when he battled veteran Bob Pastor to a draw
in ten rounds at Madison Square Garden. Pastor,
known as the spoiler of youthful title dreams
although he, himself, has failed three times
against Louis, wa^ a 6-1 choice when the fight
began, and fans demonstrated their disinterest
in the match by staying away in droves. But
Mauriello apparently hadn’t seen advance
newspaper reports of his “impending defeat”
because he made a courageous stand, and al-
most drew the nod over his older foe.
Lions Advance to Softball Finals;
Face Winner of Cobra-Shark Tiff
Three teams are still in the
chase for The White Falcon
trophy, emblematic of the Com-
mand Softball tourney chain
pionship, but only the finalists
will remain after tonight’s semi
final clash between the favored
Cobras and the Sharks on the
Millers’ field.
The Lions, unheralded survi-
vors, are marking time in the
title bracket, having qualified
for the climactic game by virtue
of photo-finishing the suburban
Villagers, 3-2, this week.
In the semi-final contest
against the Villagers, the Lions
were held to a lone single by
the slants of Pvt. Robert Lobeck,
but capitalized on 13 walks to
eke out the close decision. Pvt.
Morris Masters, Lions hurler,
was equally as effective, limiting
the losers to two singles, neither
of which figured in the scoring.
The Lions scored first, clus-
tering their only hit—a single to
left field by Outfielder Ed Vanek
—a stolen base, passed ball and
Jong fly to centerfield. They
added two more counters in the
third frame when Lobeck’s wild-
ness filled the bags, and two
runners scampered home on in-
field outs.
The Villagers threatened only
once, in the fifth inning when
they scored their two runs. Load-
ing the bases with no outs, they
chased two runs across the plate
when Catcher Lukwitz, trying
to complete a double-play after
a forceout at home, threw the
ball into right field for an error.
Neither team was able to score
after that session.
The Lion’s # futile batting
against the Villagers establishes
the winner of the Cobras-Sharks
game as a definite favorite to
capture the trophy. On season
records, and the fact Don Harris
is the league’s outstanding pit-
cher, the Cobras are conceded
an advantage in their meeting
with the Sharks.
However, the Sharks sailed
through their preliminary sche-
dule without defeat, and flashed
signs of championship form
when they eliminated the Jacks,
2-0, in the quarter-finals, so
Harris & Co. will have to be at
their best to get past the Sharks
tonight.
Jim Turner
(left) returns to
Major leagues in
New York Yankee
uniform, after tra-
veling from Bos-
on to Cincinnati
to Newark of the
International lea-
gue.
And Dom Di
Maggio (right) of
the Boston Red
Sox soon will be
a member of Uncle
Sam’s Navy, pro-
bably when the
season ends.
Daffy Lads
Hold Lead;
Yanks Spurt
Nothing less than a cata-
strophe can halt the Yankees’
march to their fifth A.L. pen-
nant in six years because the
second place Boston Red Sox
are eight full games off the pace
with only 20 games remaining
on their schedule. And the Daffy
Lads of Brooklyn, having reco-
vered from a momentary lapse,
now hold a four-and-a-lialf game
margin over St. Louis in the
N.L. whirl.
The Red Sox have been play-
ing good enough ball to win any
pennant—excepting against the
red hot Yanks, who apparently
have forgotten how to lose. Capi-
talizing on a potent combination
of timely hitting and brilliant
pitching, the Yanks bowled over
Detroit four times in as many
starts, 7-1, 4-3, 8-3 and 6-1, then
trounced the St. Louis Browns,
3-2 and 6-0, in a doubleheader,
Wednesday.
A scoring discrepancy kept
Hank Borowy, Yankee pitcher,
from entering the Hall of Fame
as a no-hit twirler in Wednes-
day’s nightcap. The fans thought
Borowy had gone the limit with-
out allowing a hit, but the of-
ficial scorer ruled a grounder
to Joe Gordon in the first in-
ning had been decreed a single,
(Continued on Page 8)
Major League Standings
NATIONAL LEAGUE.
AMERICAN LEAGUE.
He startled the fans by dropping Pastor to the canvas in the first round, and only his Brooklyn .... W. 90 L. Pet. 40 .694 G.B. New York . . W. 88 L. 42 Pet. .677 G.B.
lack of ring knowledge kept him from ending St. Louis .... 86 45 .657 4'/2 Boston 82 52 .612 8
the fight then and there. He missed many New York ... 72 58 .585 18 Cleveland . . 67 63 .515 21
punches because of his anxiety to make good, Cincinnati .. 64 64 .500 25 St. Louis ... 65 65 .500 23
and absorbed plenty of punishment for the Pittsburgh . . 59 67 .468 29 Chicago .... 60 65 .480 25 Vt
same reason, but he showed skeptics that he’s Chicago 67 75 .444 32'/2 Detroit 63 69 .477 26
definitely a serious contender for heavyweight Boston 51 79 .392 39 Washington 49 78 .386 37 Vi
honors. Philadelphia 36 90 .286 52 Philadelphia 49 89 .355 43
The West All-Army football squad’s debut
this week was far from an artistic success.
Johnny Kimbrough, backfield alumnus of Tex-
as A&M., gave the Stars an early lead when
he dashed 58 yards to score on the second
play of the game. But Sammy Baugh’s pitches
to Dick Todd were too much for the Stars
and they bowed to Washington Red Skins,
26-7, in Los Angeles’ Memorial Stadium.
Meanwhile, the powerful Chicago Bears
trounced the Collegiate All-Stars, 21-0, in the
annual charity classic at Soldier Field, Chicago.
•
Cecil 'Isbell's touchdown pass to Don Hut-
son in waning mjnutes of the game brought
the Green Bay Packers a 21-16 triumph over
the' Brooklyn Dodgers in a National Football
League exhibition game at Ebbets Field be-
fore 11,083 fans.
•
Bob Zuppke’s College Stars couldn’t stop
Tommy Thomas’ passes so the Stars lost
to the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night
in Philadelphia’s Municipal Stadium. Thom-
as connected with two touchdown passes, after
Zuppke’s gridders had opened an 8-0 margin.
•
Enos Slaughter, St. Louis Card .outfielder,
today awaited call into the Army Air Corps
as an aviation cadet.
Slaughter, currently battling for the N.L. bat-
ting crown, enlisted this week as a reserve,
hut probably will he permited to finish the
season before reporting for duty.
• t
Roy Cullenbine is a mighty lucky gent. Tom-
my Henrich played his last game with the
Yanks Sunday, then reported for active duty
as a Coast Guardsman. So the Yankee front-
office purchased Cullenbine from Washington
for an undisclosed amount. He will be
eligible for the series, and will share in the
dividends, while the Senators are hopelessly
marooned in seventh place.
•
Judge Kenesa.w M. Landis met in Chicago
this week with Ford Frick and William Har-
ridge, president of the N.L. and A.L., respec-
tively, to formulate plans for the World Series.
Possibility of donating a share of proceeds to
War Relief funds, and proposal to play all games
in Yankee Stadium because of its greater capa-
city, were under discussion.