Second Contribution to Major League Pennant Winning New York, July 18.
San Francisco is far from the Major League, but it seems that the Golden Gate City again will play a big part in deciding a big league Pennant race.
San Francisco gave the Yankees Joe DiMaggio in 1936, and Joe made a second place team into a world championship outüt. San Francisco gave "the Chicago Cubs Joe Marty in 1937, and another second place club may be transformed into a pennant winner, Bill Terry, manager of the New York Giants, says the Cubs are the team to beat. Pie Traynor, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, says the same thing. So does Frankie; Frisch, manager of the St, Louis Cardinals.
The big chance in the Cubs is Joe Marty, a tall, red faced California of Swiss-German descent, In 1934 Marty lof: St. Mary's College to enter organized baseball and play with San Francisco. In his first season he played right-feld alongside DiMaggio. When DiMaggio went to the Yankees, Marty moved over to centre-field and step d into DiMaggio's shoes as the leading hitter of the Pacific Coast League, The Cubs gave approximately $10,000 and four players—not $75,000 as frequently printed—for Marty. The players were Gill, Lillaro Vitter and Flowers.
It was the manager, Charles Grimm, "who made the decision to buy Marty after Cub scouts had turned him down, "I need outfield strength," said Grimm, "and I hear some nice things about this Mart; Tm going to take a chance on hi Until May 23 Marty was floundering around in centre-field playing in-and-out baseball, Then he pulled a prize error in a game against the Giants on May 22, With New York ahead, 3-2, and Marty on third in the seventh inning, pinch-hitter O'Dea hit a terrific liner to centre. Marty stumbled all along the baseline and failed to score with the trying run After the Cubs had lost, 3-2, jovial Charlie Grimm decided to gamble 9n making a major leaguer out of Marty if he had it in him ro ruin him if he did not have big league timber in him, "You dreary-eyed blankety-blank.' L. Grimm in the locker room. "I don't want your kind of players around. Get ready to go home.
That is a mild version of what Grimm really said. But the w Marty took his tongue-lashing made Grimm readjust n of the 23-year-old rookie. Newspapermen asked Grimm later who'd play centre field the next day. He' boome "Marty stays in centre.
The Recovery Marty made three hits the next day, including a double and a homer, and accounted for four runs. He has been going like a house afire since, His batting average is topped only by eleven players, and he is No. 12 in the league in the number of runs driven im: Afield Marty is one of the fastest and most graceful outfielders in the league, His arm is one of the lezgue's truest. Charlie Graham, Owner of the San Francisco Club, says he can outthrow DiMaggio.
"When "he came up, Marty had a reputation for being a moody player Two things have happened to Marty to boist up his confidence and make him stop worrying when things go wrong, Grimm's talk was one of them. Tex Carleton, Marty's roommate, is the other, Carleton never stops talking about how good Marty "Joe, you're the best outfielder in this league," is Tex's theme song. He'll tell it to anyone who will listen, But Joe, called "Whang" by the Cubs, doesn't say a thing. He just sits around with a big smile on his face, and s "See, Tex, he's my mouthpiece."—United ' Press
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.