19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

For these three men we have received the following younger players, all of whom are now on the Rangers: Bob Nevin, 27, new captain of the Rangers; Bill Hicke, 26; Arnie Brown, 23; Rod Seiling, 20; John Brenneman, 22; Doug Robinson, 24; and Wayne Hillman, 26.

I have just one job as the new general manager of the Rangers. That is, to lead the Rangers to the top. The results of our trades are a good first step on the path up.
EMILE FRANCIS
New York City

Sirs:
I and many of the Ranger players found your criticism of the hockey fans in New York to be very unjust, as we feel they are as loyal and enthusiastic as fans anywhere. As far as we players are concerned, the living conditions in New York are quite satisfactory. The time spent on traveling to games, practices, etc. is not as inconvenient as you stated. Since coming here 13 months ago I could not have been treated better, and the other players hold this opinion also.
BOB NEVIN
Captain
New York City

MANILA DODGER
Sirs:
I enjoyed your piece on Joe Garagiola (The Sweet Sound of Success, March 15) as I have enjoyed your previous excellent articles on both Vin Scully and Mel Allen. The men who broadcast baseball games do an excellent job of helping to maintain interest in the pennant race all through the summer. After all, there are a number of clubs in both leagues that lose more games than they win. Further, not every game is filled with exciting or heart-stopping plays. Yet, by and large, the broadcasters manage to make every ball game an event worth listening to.
MORRIS FRIEDMAN
New Orleans

Sirs:
Joe Garagiola's shallow, inane humor may be vital to baseball. But when he is the "color man" on football telecasts, as he has been, it is a downright shame. Believe me, football doesn't need such claptrap.
LANNY R. MIDDINGS
Burbank, Calif.

Sirs:
Your article on Joe Garagiola was greatly appreciated, but your terse reference to his military police career in Manila during World War II failed to mention Joe's role on the Manila Dodgers, managed by Kirby Higbe. This was an Army team composed primarily of young players who were destined to make their mark in the majors. Sharing the catching chores with Garagiola was Joe Ginsberg. The pitching staff featured Kent Peterson, Vern Bickford and Jim Hearn, each of whom made it to the big leagues. But in Manila if one of these young pitchers ran into trouble during a game he would just trade places with the shortstop who would then take the mound and strike out the required number of batters. That done each would resume his normal position for the next inning. The shortstop's name was Early Wynn.

One day against Clark Field, a team composed mostly of Air Corps officers, Garagiola, who might have made Pfc. by this time, grounded meekly to the second sacker and was thrown out by a good 10 feet. As he passed the Clark Field dugout on the way back to his own, the fly boys let loose at the aggressive young catcher. Joe whirled at the enemy bench, kicked up a cloud of dust, spat and snarled, "I never saw so much brass in one junk heap in all my life." It could only happen to Americans!
W. J. DEEVY
Beaumont, Texas

DEAN'S TOWN
Sirs:
A newspaperman is usually at the receiving end of letters to the editor. However, this journalist would feel remiss if he didn't do an about-face to custom and answer Mark Kram's article about Dean Chance (You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country, March 8).

Mr. Kram, who evidently thinks anyone who doesn't live in a city of 500,000 or more is strictly hick, completely misjudged the character of Wooster. Ohio (a city of about 18,000).

If you judge culture (and I really don't think you can) by education and worldliness, I think you'll find that Wooster has more well-traveled Ph.D.s than almost any city in the country. The College of Wooster, one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the nation, and the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, one of the leading farm-research institutions in the world, make this a fact.