Crosby's Bat Clinches Varsity Catching Job

There are no pari-mutuel windows beneath the stands on Soldiers Field. This is a situation that might well be considered by gentlemen fond of turning an easy buck or two, for the baseball team has so far proved to be about as consistent as a Lincoln Downs two-year-old.

In eight games to date, the team has delivered into the loving hands of dour Dolph Samborski a conglomeration consisting of three wins, one tie, and four losses, well mixed and generously soaked with New England precipitation.

Thus the possibilities of the team are still pretty vague. Dolph has one pitcher he can call good--Ira Godin, who went into yesterday's tilt with a two-one record, and who leaves the impression that he is still somewhere between the top reliefer of last season and a steady nine-inning pitcher. Beyond Godin, Red Connolly, highly rated but so far not startlingly effective; big Ralph Hymans, who has looked good against mediocre opposition; and lefthander Barry Turner have done most of the work.

The catching situation, always vital to a team and usually dubious in college ball, has ironed itself out quite nicely. Cliff Crosby, who whaled the ball in the south before collecting an injury, has returned to the lineup in explosive manner, collecting basehits wholesale and standing at the top of the Crimson batters currently with a .478 average. It remains to be seen whether he can handle his pitchers well under pressure.

Crosby, who caught the southpaw heaves of Johnny Hansen for the Freshmen last spring, has not had too much work behind the plate. He understudied the present Yardling receiver, Bill Rosenau, when at Andover, and spent most of his time as a utility infielder on a series of excellent teams in that locale. However, Crosby's lack of background has not shown to disadvantage so far, and his enthusiastic attitude towards a bat has made the overall setup pretty rosy.

Behind crosby stands Army Essayen, who hasn't seen much duty--he worked only two games--but who seems a reasonably good replacement. He lacks authority at the plate, but handles pitchers well and has an arm which, when used, is capable of nipping a runner or two on a dull afternoon.

Inspection of the farther statistical reaches reveals that Myles Huntington, mild-mannered second baseman, has handled a total of 36 chances without error. Huntington is no slugger--his average stands at .222 now--but his fielding is still at the same high level that made him an asset to Exeter.

Prospects for a decent season look relatively bright at this point; but what will happen when an ivy league opponent reaches the local bowling greens is a meet point. Last year's team, while unimpressive in overall performance, managed to finish second in League play. Yale's Frank Quinn was the stopper last year; if the Varsity gets to him in June with the rest of the league safely under its thumb, all may be well.