Boston University - HUB Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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VARSITY BASEBALL Henry Gus Kieronski, Jackie Rotman and Captain- elect Johnny Yama,' Quinn all have retired from col- legiate baseball activities this season. Of this quintet, three are proven hurlers who would have bolstered the Terrier mound staff considerably. ltiel Sidmore, Johnny VVedemeyer and Gus Kieronski are all veteran pitchers. Jackie Rotman, who captained the basketball squad for lVIel Collard this past Winter at guard, has also quit baseball because of his activities in independent basket- ball after the Terrier court season was completed. He also desires to devote more time to his studies. Having played regularly at second base for the past two years, Rotman was slated to again hold down that position this spring. Yama Quinn, who had been regular shortstop and third baseman on the Scarlet and lvhite nine for the past two years, is ineligible for intercol- legiate competition since he signed a professional con- tract with the Boston Bees. They shipped him to the Hartford team last summer where he played regularly. Both liierrill Sidmore and Gus Kieronski have decided to forsake baseball and devote their time to studies. These boys were both valuable to Collard on last sea- son's diamond line. Johnny Wedemeyer's ineligibility because of scholastic difficulties was one of the severest setbacks Coach Collard received during spring practice. VVedemeyer was expected to be one of the finest hurlers in eastern intercollegiate ranks this spring and his failure to turn out will undoubtedly cost the Terriers quite a few victories. Last summer, he twirled for the Casey Club in tl1e Boston Park Department League and pitched his way to ten triumphs and two losses. He fol- lowed up this great record by winning the three playoff games to give the Caseys the city title. In addition to being a brilliant moundsman, Wedemeyer is also a Home sweet home Biting the dust powerful hitter. It is probable that Collard would have inserted him in the outfield when he was not pitching. Somewhat offsetting these heavy losses to the squad is the return from academic probation of Ralph Datt- man, brilliant outfielder of two years ago. Dattman is a lusty hitting fly-catcher who can be depended upon to come through i11 a pinch. At the beginning of the season Collard had first, sec- ond, third base, and center field open. As THE HUB goes to press approximately a week before the opening game with Brown on April 13, none of these positions is definitely settled. In addition to the fact that the Terrier squad needs outdoor batting and field practice, Coach Collard hopes to have his team out as soon as possible because he intends to do a great deal of shifting about of available material in order to find out for which positions each candidate is best fitted. At the present writing, Paul Halloran, who is a grad- uate of last year's Pup nine, on which he held down the initial sack, is the leading contender for the first base position. Halloran is a strong hitter and an excellent fielder. Bill Garvin, Charlie Blood, Jack Connolly, Johnny Chambers, Charlie Thomas, Whitney Cum- mings, J oe Conaty, and Walt Carroll will battle for the three remaining infield posts. With Jackie Rotman not reporting for baseball practice, several other candidates are fighting for starting honors at second base. John Connolly, a senior who has been on the Terrier squad for the past two years, veteran Bill Garvin, and Johnny Chambers, who played both the outheld and second base last year, are the leading candidates for the posi- tion. Whit Cummings, Joe Conaty, and Charlie Thomas will fight it out for shortstop. Both Cummings and H3061

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y VARSITY BASEBALL Collard Coach, Daltman '40, Sawyer '41, Rnwson '41, Hartley '41, McCuddyI'42, El:TiiS3l '42, Giblin '42, 0'Connell '41, Barry '41, Cummings '41, Fine '-42. Thomas '42, s s ' Z. :mc . gr. Hoax- '41, Hines '41, Poltrino '41, Clmmbers '41, Johnson '41, DeMt-rritt '42, Levine '40, Hallornu '42, McCarthy '4Z?, Leighton '42, Abrams '40 VARSITY BASEBALL activity was unfurled upon Terrier athletes Wednesda.y afternoon, March 13 when approx- imately fifteen battery candidates reported at the Bos- ton University gymnasium for the initial practice. Coach Mel Collard planned to have things going in full swing when infielders and outfielders as well answered his call, Monday, March 18. VVhen all candidates had appeared at the gym more than t.hirty Scarlet and White hopefuls were competing for the nine starting positions on the Terrier baseball squad. If we can get our pitchers in shape for the season, we should enjoy a fairly successful campaign, was Coach Collard's opinion as the baseball players were limbering up. Prospects for the current diamond squad shape up brighter than for last year's team which won only four games while being trounced in ten. It would be some- what difiicult to have a poorer season than that en- countered by the varsity nine last spring. Just as practice was becoming sharper Coach Mel Collard entered the Veteran's Hospital in Chelsea for a routine physical checkup on lllarch 18. The examina- tion showed that a minor operation would be necessary and this kept him in the hospit.a.l for slightly more than a week. Vlihile he was recuperating, freshman baseball coach Lou Ross took over the tutoring duties of the varsity diamond squad. He continued the pre-season limbering-up and conditioning exercises at the gym. Before entering the Veteran's Hospital, Colla.rd wist- fully stated with his tongue in l1is cheek, I hope to have the boys out at Nickerson Field during the spring vacat.ion if possible. If the diamond is suitable, I'll have them on the field VVednesday, hlarch 27, otherwise we'll have to wait until they return for classes and have I 305 them go out for practice Monday the first of April. Spring vacation quickly passed and the first week in April skipped by and still the baseball squad remained in t.he cramped quarters of the B. U. gym trying to pre- pare for a long 15-game schedule in which they tackle some of the strongest teams in New England. In addi- t.ion to the delay caused by unfavorable weather con- ditions which have forced the diamond men to remain indoors so late, still another setback has compelled them to stay intown to practice. The viaduct which cuts through a portion of Nickerson Field in WVeston is under construction. Because the viaduct will be bur- rowed under part of the Boston University athletic grounds at Riverside the water and sewerage systems were shut off temporarily in order to allow the workers to finish a portion of their project there. With this un- foreseen hindrance blocking the diamondmen's exodus from the St. Botolph street gymnasium to Nickerson Field, outdoor practice prior to the season's opening game on Saturday, April 13 with Brown at Providence has been cut to a minimum. Coach Mel Collard did not expect too much from the practice sessions at the gym when he first called his men together before working out at Nickerson. The limited room in the gym doesn't give the play- ers much opportunity to show me what they can do, but the squad has looked as good as ca.n be expected when you consider the crowded quarters in which We are forced to hold practice, said Collard. One of the biggest handicaps which the Scarlet and White baseball director will ha.ve to overcome is to find competent replacements for members of last year's varsity squad who were counted upon to be regulars this spring. lllerrill Sidmore, Johnny VVedemeyer, 1 .

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Conaty saw considerable action at the shortfield last spring but sophomore Thomas, who has already re- ceived letters in football and basketball, will provide sparkling competition. He was probably the best freshman prospect on the yearling nine last season and it is not unlikely that he will replace both Cummings and Conaty at shortstop this season. At third base Charlie Blood will probably win out over the other can- didates seeking that post. Blood substituted for ' 'Yama Quinn in several tilts last year when the ineligible cap- tain-elect was moved over to shortstop. Blood will re- ceive his keenest competition from Walt Carroll, last year's Pup third sacker. There seems to be plenty of promising ma- terial to form a strong outfield trio on the Ter- rier nine. Among the outer-gardeners upon whom Coach Mel Col- lard is depending are John DiNubla, Bob Hall, VARSITY BASEBALL who won two and dropped two last year, is the outstand- ing returning hurler. In four games last spring he de- feated Boston College and New Hampshire but was shelled twice by Harvard batters. The Crimson nine won the opener 44 to 1, although Braun allowed only 'five hits. The Jawns took the second tilt in which he pitched, 5 to 3. Veterans Charlie Red Hoar and Clement Mackay will aid Braun in carrying the hurling burden. Newcomers who have looked good in practice are Bill DeMerritt, Dan Lieberman, and Larry Harris. With Captain-elect Johnny Quinn ineligible, the Terrier baseball squad is without a field leader. Coach Mel Collard intends to have members of the diamond team elect a captain for each of the fifteen con- tests since there are so ff, many seniors eligible for l a ? the honor. Four games have been dropped from last year's schedule which contained fourteen opponents. The s Walt Williams, and Bud Hines. Hines and Di- Nubla are veterans from last year and if Johnny Chambers is returned to the outfield, Collard will have three veteran field- ers ready to step out on the diamond. Hall and Williams should give this trio plenty of fight be- fore any of them clinches a regular outfield berth. Several clever receivers are ready to step into the first-string catcher's post vacated by Johnny Walker, regular backstop for the Scarlet and White baseball squad for three years. Johnny O'Connell is the most experienced of the group and will probably open the season as varsity catcher against the Brown Bears on April 13. O'Connell re- ceived catching experience last year when he replaced Walker and caught the last half of the schedule when Johnny was injured. Other promising candidates shooting for the catcher's job are Jim McCuddy, trans- fer from Dartmouth who has shaped up very well in the opinion of Collardg Duncan McLennon, veteran under- study from last year, and Morrie Levine another trans- fer, have both looked mighty good in practice. Graduation of three veteran hurlers, Captain Bob Leahy, Dave Abrams, and Stan Stocklosa somewhat depleted the group of experienced pitchers Coach Col- lard could count on. With the additional losses of Gus Kieronski, Mel Sidmore, Johnny Wedemeyer, the hurl- ing staff has been practically shattered. Carl Braun, l Uncorking the scrrewball 307 quartet of baseball squads which the Ter- riers will not meet this spring is Colby, Worcest- er Polytechnical Insti- tute, New Hampshire, and Springfield. In the present line-up five new teams have been carded for the '40 diamond nine. New squads which the Scarlet and White bats- men play this season are Brown, Middlebury, Vermont, Norwich, and Wesleyan. The team will go north on a four-day trip to play Middlebury on April 26, Vermont at Burlington on April 27, and Norwich University at Northfield on April 29. The Terrier nine will play six of its Bfteen games at Nickerson Field. Ed. Note: Because the State's aqueduct project through Nickerson Field at Weston had made it im- possible for the varsity squad to get any outdoor prac- tice, the athletic department has been forced to cancel the opening games of the season. Tilts with Brown, Rhode Island State, and Tufts which were carded for April 13, 16, and 17 respectively have been indefinitely postponed. Athletic authorities of the University doubt whether it will be possible to ply these games later in the season. At the present writing Coach Mel Collard is desperately hoping that he can take the squad out to Riverside for its first outdoor practice Monday, April 15. But even this will give the B.U. nine only five days before the contest with B.C. on April 20. We mustn't be surprised if B.C. smears us. I