Wilson Vocational High School - Columns Yearbook (Jamaica, NY)

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paufgunyan goaab .xdf Mon Y tale starts about eleven years ago, the spring of nineteen forty. A tall, good looking, well built, athletic type of fellow, walked into the office of the general manager for the Zonium Club, a farm club of the Cincinnati Reds Baseball organization. I was just leaving after talking with the managerg I saw the fellow and was curious to know what he was up to. Little did I know that this was to be the start of a career which might have been the greatest in all baseball. He introduced himself as Mills Roth, and said he wanted to play baseball with the club. The manager asked if he had played for any other club, he was quick to say he had not, but that he could play as well as anyone. When asked what position he played he was prompt and strong in saying he was a pitcher. This interested me very much, as I was the pitching coach. I per- suaded the manager to give the boy a try-out. If he was good, we'd sign him up. I took the boy to the playing field. There I introduced him to some of the players and the coaches. I was anxious to see the boy pitch, and what I saw was amazing. He warmed up, and pitched to some of my bench warmers. Then I saw him pitch to the regulars. Not one of his pitches was foul tipped, he was fast: had a beautiful curve ball with several speeds, and an assortment of other pitches. We signed him up immediately. After pitching with the team for a month, Mills compiled a record of twelve wins and no losses, in twelve games pitched. He allowed no hits and walked. none. What's more, he struck-out every batter that faced him. The Cincinnati Red heard of it and called Mills up for a try-out. This meant a jump from class triple D to the major leagues, which few, if any, ballplayers ever make. Cn the trip to Cincinnati, Mills hurt his arm when the train he was riding on made a sudden stop. He fell upon his arm and damaged the elbow, the elbow of the arm with which he pitched. When the arm was examined, he was informed he could not pitch for at least two or three months, this meant practically the entire baseball season. This accident would discourage almost any young man, but it only strengthened Mills' will to achieve a successful career in baseball. As the months went by Mills watched the Reds compile a poor record, and soon saw their pennant hopes die. The season was not yet over when the club doctor re-examined Mills. The doctor assured Mills he was now able to pitch again. Mills started practice as soon as possible. He soon discovered he did not need much practicep he was as strong and sharp as ever. lt meant he could go out and show the club management he was real maj or-league mate- rial. This was his big moment, if he could do well it would mean a start to- Twenty-two

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wards a baseball career. While the manager and coaches watched, Mills pitched to the regular starting players. He showed his minor-league greatness and was soon signed. He finished the season with the Reds much as he had started with the Zonium Club, back in 1940. He had eleven victories against no defeats in as many games. He showed a truly phenomenal strike-out record of three hun- dred and twenty-four strike-outs at three hundred and twenty-four batters he pitched to. He showed another truly phenomenal record of twelve shut-outs. Sportswriters all over the country raved about the feats of Mills Roth, and were predicting a sensational career for him in the future. Before the war broke out in the month of December of that year, Mills was vacationing in sunny California. He was called to duty shortly after the New Year. After twelve months of training state-side, he was shipped to France. In France he received an arm wound which forced his retirement from the service, and of a short successful career in baseball. His name will lighten sport pages for a long time to come, and will live in the minds of sportminded people for a long time. IAMES MUNOZ W 'k 'k sl' k i' Y ambition, like that of any other boy around, has always been to be an All-American like lim Thorpe. I was born in Alaska, my nationality is Chinese, I live in a little hut along the Alaskan coast. This story begins when I was getting a little exercise, swimming from Alaska to San Francisco and back. Though I didn't know it, my coach from Igloo High had clocked me. He praised me, saying I had completed with ease the greatest feat of all, swimming 8000 miles. He urged me to join the swim- ming team,-which I did. Later, to my great surprise, I became excellent in all sports-baseball, basketball, snow ball, track, swimming, and last but not least, bull throwing, which I was exceptionally good at. I had won valuable trophies for all the activities I entered. My followers were numerous. Girls would faint, or throw roses at me, dogs would bark, my name was frozen on the lips of everyone in Alaska. I entered the Olympics and brought home fame for my college and country. Then came the tragic day, I received a notice that all my trophies were to be returned-I had received money for playing baseball. This was not true. I had won the World Series for my college, P.U. CPenquin Unitedl, and in gratitude the student body had thrown rocks, chairs, and finally when every- thing that was not nailed down was gone, they threw money. I made two million dollars which I, noble in heart, gave to the Frost Bite Drive. I hope some day I will get everything back that really belongs to me, in- cluding the two million dollars. LEO RUGGIERO Twenty-three