European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 3, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                              1968 the stars and stripes Page 21 e amazing Story of the National league this season is not the astronomical Lead the cardinals have built up but those med it hard to believe but Here it is August and the mets Are i seventh place five and half games out of the first division. What s More they Are ahead of the once proud los Angele racers who just three years ago were world s champions. Six years ago the mets were the laugh of baseball. Now this one time Down act team is definitely getting in position to be a yearly c 3ier Herzog Nakrach Germany special Karlsruhe s spar tans whipped the Herzo base flyers Friday 3-1, in the com z league semifinal playoff opener. The game originally schedule for saturday was suddenly switched to Friday by com z officials because of military duties. A Herzo base team official said the flyers were not notified of dui in some of the Das Ith the old mets Alai s seems to cause a chuckle or two but More like a Hundred the 1962 mets season was a catastrophe. What happened that season left an indelible impression on All of those connected with manager Casey Stengel holding a hotel lobby seminar said everybody Here keeps saying How Good i m looking. Well May be i do. But they should see me inside. I look terrible  Casey had a right to bemoan his Fate As did High fielder Richi Ashburn and others. The mets set a record by losing 120 games. Ashburn called a Philadelphia advertising Agency to Tell them he would certainly like to retire from baseball and take their offer to announce the Philadelphia Phillies  t you making More with the mets Ashburn was asked. Yes quite a bit  Ashburn meant was that he was taking a big Cut in pay for the privilege of not having to go through another season with the mets. To. I comedy act the mets tried to play baseball and the players trying to do it were  the whole thing came out As great comedy and this was something that baseball needed. People did not follow the mets they loved the  fan could expect the unusual at nearly every game the mets played that year. Everybody wanted to watch them but nobody wanted to play with  was borne out during the season when Stengel and general manager George Weiss tried to sign Bob Garibaldi a Santa Clara Sophomore pitching Flash. The giants had offered Garibaldi $130,000, and the mets said they would top that  thanked Stengel and Weiss but said that there was no Money in the world that could make it Worth his while to pitch for the mets. That statement came to Light when the mets bullpen Ace Craig Anderson who was in the midst of losing 16 games in a Row needed a rest.,.for a replacement Stengel called upon Wilmer vinegar Bend Mizell to face the braves in a Relief role. Mizell came on to Wal the first three batters in the seventh. Mizell then decided to effect pin Point control and he served Upa pitch that Joe Adcock hit six Miles for a grand slam Homer. Out came Mizell and Stengel waved to the bullpen for some body else. Nobody came. They re afraid to come out everybody said. Watched mets to learn life i have a son Toots Shor once told a gathering and i make him watch the mets. I want him to know  s a history lesson Toots went on and hell understand the depression when they teach it to him in school.". The mets made a lot of errors that year either by omission or commission but the one thing that irked Stengel was the refusal of his pitchers to throw tight pitches and move the Batter Back. Against the mets All hitters practically stepped on the plat and remained there until they had either hit the Ball ouf of sight or reached first through an error. A t Stengel in a stirring talk one Day told his pitchers to Start thinking of their families and children and Start moving those batters Back. It was sound advice by Casey but a game against the re Slater showed the Way the mets advice or no advice played baseball All year. Before the game a Home run hitting contest was held an the reds Wally Post pulled four of five pitches thrown at him Over the Loftfield Wall to win the  in a contest like this the Batter tells the Man pitching to him just where to put the Ball. Then it is thrown at three Quarter Speed. In posts Case he wanted it a Little bit Over Belt High and a Little bit on the outside. As each contestant comes up opposing pitchers normally watch closely from the dugout. Whatever the pitch the Home run hitter Calls for is the one never to give him in a  in the Day in the eighth inning with two on and the reds head 5-4, Post was sent up As a Pinch hitter. On the Mound for the mets was Kenneth Mackenzie who is a graduate of Vale. Don t Ever let anyone Tell that a Guy can get into Yale jus because he has Money behind him. It takes More than that nost Vale men have to be Good spellers and readers. Mackenzie is no ounce. In fact he s a Bright boy.-4he threw a pitch a Little bit Over Belt High and a Little bit on Side to Post. Wally hit it exactly three Miles Over the left Fiji re Fence. Was the mets of old. Local sports Marne league do or die Wuerzburg closes with Kitzinger by John Williamson staff writer it s for All the marbles in the Marne league As the Kitzinger Kolts and the Wuerzburg warriors face each other in the final three games of league play starting saturday at the Kolts Home  Kolts Are on top of the Loop standings with a 13-2 mar while the warriors 10-5, Are the Only team with a mathematical Hance to catch them. But they will have to sweep All of the three remaining games to do so. The Kolts lost a Chance to Clinch the Pennant outright on wednesday when they lost an8-2 decision to the Schaffen Burg cardinals at Aschaffenbur while the warriors were Idle. Following saturday s game at Kitzinger the two teams will shift to Wuerzburg for a sunday Wiesbaden unbeaten in Ruth tourney Bremerhaven Germany special two Wiesbaden pitchers tossed impressive shut outs Here to give the defending champions a Strong Start in the1968 Germany babe Ruth league tournament. Steve Spearel struck out 18 Bat ters including the last 12 in a Row As Wiesbaden opened witha 7-0 Victory Over Ramstein. Then Doug Mcnulty retired the first 11 Karlsruhe batters he faced and finished with a three hit 5-0 Triumph. Other unbeaten other unbeaten teams through thursday in the double Elimina Tion tournament included sout Bavaria Heidelberg and Kaiserslautern. Hector Heise of Karlsruhe pitched a no hitter against Bremerhaven for a 3-1 win. The run against him was scored on an  was later eliminated with two losses. Other team knocked out include main Valley Mosel Valley Lanau Rhein main and Mannheim. Bremerhaven. R a m s t e i a Frankfurt and Stuttgart All have one loss  tournament is scheduled to continue through sunday w it the Winner advancing to the european Bri. Title meet aug. H-18in Augsburg Germany. Encounter. The final game of the season is scheduled for next wednesday at Kitzinger. The weekend games Start at 2 . While the wednesday tilt get Sunder Way at 4 . Elsewhere in the league the cardinals and the Schweinfurt crusaders engage the two cellar dwellers in their race for third place or a possible second should the warriors falter badly. The cards 8-7 Host wild Flecken 4-11 on saturday travel to the wildcats Lair on sunday and Are Back Home on wednesday for the curtain closer. The crusaders 7-7 take on bad Kissinger 4-11 at bad k on saturday and then come Home to wind up the season against bad Kissinger on sunday and wednesday. Herzo base 7-10a non Divi Sion entry has a Bye this week end and is playing in tournament to determine the com z representative in Theu Sarteur playoffs. The standings won lost pet. Go Kitzinger. 13 2wuciv.burg10 5 the change until Karlsruhe steam arrived Here Friday by  change also involves the second game of the playoff which will be played at Karls Ruhe sunday at 1 . Instead of monday. If Herzo wins that one a third game will immediately follow to Settle the Best of three  Winner will Advance to the com z finals next weekend against Giessen in a Best of three set to determine com z s entrain the Usa eur tournament. De Piotrowski set Down Herz Friday with a five hitter striking out 16 and walking seven. The spartans scored All thereof their runs in the fifth inning. Hal Samuels walked and stole second before a bunt single by Eddie gift put runners on firsthand third. Throwing error then Piotrowski s bouncer to second was thrown past Home plate and Samuels scored. Gift also tried to make it Home but was thrown out. Willie Rogers followed with single to score Piotrowski who had taken second base on the play at the plate and Manny Troncoso doubled to Loftfield touring Home Rogers. Herzo got their run in the Bot Tom of the ninth when Ray Degenfelder doubled and Jim Broc singled him Homo. Piotrowski then worked out of the  Jam by getting a strike out and a game ending double play. Karlsruhe 000 030 0003 5 1 Herzo base 000 000 001 1 5 1piotrowski and Erle i o a l Bla Kunc la. W Riu Trow i v2i. L Desisto 5-4 i _ s pet .s67 .667 .533 10 11 11 .412 -257 Aschaffenbur Schweinfurt orzo base bad Kissinger Wil Flecken saturday games Wuerzburg at Kitzinger 2pm Schweinfurt at bad its Winpen Wil Flecken at Aschaffenbur. Herzo ease by sunday i games Kitzinger at Weer Burg 2  bad Kissinger at Schweinfurt Aschaffenbur at Wil Flecken Herzo base Bye . . Grier to work with youths in san Francisco san Francisco up massive Roosevelt Grier. Former defensive lineman for the los Angeles rams has been sworn in As member of the California delinquency prevention commission Here. I dig kids i really dig pm he said. I m sure i la enjoy helping kids i trouble and helping keep other kids out of  Iron men 1st brigade tangle in 3rd army showdown today by Ben Abrams staff writer the 3rd army div will deter mine a second half Champion for sure and possibly a league Champion in a 2 . One game showdown at Gellhausen Batur c the 2nd brigade Iron brigade plays Host to the 1st brigade scorpions in a game that will break the second half deadlock 210th arty tourney Ansbach Germany special the 1st in 33rd arty beat has Battery 210th arty do her Friday in the opening of their Best of three series 3-1. The series Winner will Advance to the Vii corps battalion level tournament next weekend. That was created when Bot clubs posted a 6-2 record in the five team  2nd brigade won the first half championship and a win saturday would give them the league championship and a Berthin the Usa eur championships scheduled to begin aug. 17,against Berlin. However if the scorpions pre Vail a Best of three series be tween the two clubs will be necessitated. Thus a 1st brigade win saturday would set up game for the next Day 2 . Sunday at Kirch Goens with the second and if necessary third contests saturday and sunday aug. 10-11, at Gellhausen