European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 16, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday september 16, 1980 the stars and stripes Page 23 dimag recalls ordeal in bid for .400 George bretts quest la become inc first major league baseball player in 39 years to Bat .400 strikes a familiar chord in the memory of Joe Dimaggio the fabled Yankee Clipper. He underwent a similar experience but one with discordant note. The year was 1939. We had the Pennant practically clinched 12 or 2vi games ahead and Only a couple or three weeks to play the great Center fielder of the new York Yankees recalled when the matter was brought to his attention. I remember i was batting More than .400 Ai one stage and saw his average plummet to the,38qs. Brett the siege gun of the Kansas City royals boosted his average Over .400 earlier this month creating the exciting possibility thai baseball May Ting a single off Cleveland s Bob Feller his longtime adversary in inc fourth inning and going two for four. A correspondent at the time wrote that Dimaggio got so excited Over his slump ending hit Hal he Al most went to sleep at first base barely escaping a Pickoff. Humor of the Day commented the quiet austere Yankee superstar with an appreciative laugh. Dimaggio finished the season at .381 and was the individual Star of the four game sweep of the Cincin Nati reds in the world series batting .438 with is slur a to a -4�� have the first hitter to reach that plateau since Ted free Homer and six runs batted in ?r0""d,d 21. A to run Aoth a be allergy Williams of the red sox in i94i. But Brett suffered he ha7aca? averse of 325�.in my left Eye my batting Eye and i could hardly see out of it. But you know How it was in those Days. Joe Mccarthy Yankee manager did t believe in cheese champions. So he made me play every Day. Nobody would dare ask to sit out a game. So i went into a terrible slump. I m not sure about the details exactly. Don t write it until you Check. Be sure and look it  we did. Joe was pretty close to being right on All counts. On sept. 9, records show Dimaggio was batting .409. The Yankees were so far ahead of the second place Boston red sox 16 games on sept. 12 you could t recognize them without a Tajc scope. His left Eye half closed and in severe pain dimag dutifully took his turns at Bat went 0 for i an injury to his right hand and his average fell to .396. Brett was promptly taken out of the lineup until inc ailment could heal. Dimaggio experienced no such sympathetic treatment. I loved Joe Mccarthy dearly the clip per said in reviewing the episode during a visit to new York Over the weekend. He had to know the agony i was going through. 1 will never understand Why he Didiw t give me a couple of Days off. But he did t. It was the Rule of the Day. You played with anything Short of a broken leg. I look a shot of novocaine before every Gumc. I was in Terri ble pain. I could t even Sec the Ball but i kept  baseball history reveals that Dimaggio ended his hit less Streak on sept. 14 at Yankee stadium get he had a career average of .325 and hit 361 Home runs. He was three times most valuable player of the american league and in 1941 set a record of hitting in 56 straight games an achievement most observers feel will never be duplicated. I have always predicted some one will come along and beat it said the stylish slugger now a popular to commercial personality Al age 65. I am More convinced when 1 Sec How the Ball scoots and bounces Over that artificial turf. 1 saw Reggie Jack son hit one in the infield last week and i thought it was going to Bounce Over the Wall. "1 think it should be easier for players today. Playing games on this kind of surface to Bat .400 and get a Good Streak going. Brett looks like a Fine hitter. I wish him  Nelson Piquet of Brail gets the Check ered Flag u by zooms across he finish edges out Gant Chequers for Piquet line to win be italian grand prix in Imola Italy. Australia s Alan Jones finished second and Argentina s  was third. A i photo Wai trip takes Dover 500 Dover. Del. A Darrell Wall rip out Duelcy Harry Gant to the finish line and ended a three race slump with a Victory in the grueling Dover 500 grand National Stock car race sunday. The 33-year-old Driver from , tenn., gained his fifth Lascar Victory of the season but his first since june 8, taking the Lead for Good with 52 laps remaining. Gant hoping for his first grand National Victory finished second for the second Lime in hit career trailing Waltrip across the finish line by Abou two car lengths. Buddy Baker inc Only other competitor on the same Lap was third with Cale Yarborough fourth. I was Lough Waltrip said. Harry was c handful but i was t going to Lei him pail me. We be had a lot of bad Luck lately and we be had a lot of Bud Luck Here. Bui this is the Best we be Ever done Here All Day  a crowd estimated at 35,500 at Dover Downs International Speedway was on its feet most of the last 15 laps As Gant tried repeatedly to pass Waltrip s Grcen and White Chevrolet. But Waltrip never trailed in the final 32 trips around the banked Oval. Gant took the Lead on Lap 313 and built margins of up to 19 seconds before the eighth and final yellow Flag of the race proved his undoing. The caution Flag came out on Lap 441 when the engine of Travis Tiller s car sprayed the track with Oil. Gant wound up coming into the pit Isicc during the caution to change All four tires and came dashing out still holding a narrow Lead. The race restarted on Lap 447 and both Wall rip and Baker zoomed past Gant on Lap 448. The Winner picked up about s25.000. Most of the caution flags in the race were caused by harmless spins. The Only Driver to really clobber a Wall was Kenny Hemphill who spun coming out of the fourth turn and hit inc Cement Wall along the main straight away. Hemphill walked away uninjured. Wall rip dominated the first half of the 500-Lap race leading five times. Donnic Al Lison pole Sitter Yarborough Richard Petty Baker Hemphill Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Allison All led at least briefly until Gant went on of with Waltrip waiting in the wings. Niagara and resigns Niagara Falls . A Dan f Askin has resigned As athletic director of Niagara University to take a sales and pro motion Job with the Dunlop sports co. Ras Kin was dismissed As Niagara s basketball coach last february while retaining the Job of athletic director. Hancock wins Hof title with final round 70 Pinehurst. , a Phil Han cock fired a 1-Undcr-p.ir 70 and scored his first career Victory sunday in the Hall of r ame Golf tournament. Hancock a Leader All the Way in the final round became the ninth first time Winner of inc season with his 275 total nine shots under Par on the famed old pin Hurst no. 2 course in the  Carolina Sandhill country. The 26-Ycar-Otd Hancock who has a journalism degree Frum Florida started the hot humid Day with i Fine stroke Lead Bir did he first Hole my led by two or More unil he took a meaningless bogey on the final Hole. Hancock sidelined with a variety of ill Nesses and ailments much of the year came into the tournament hoping Only to gain a spot on the list of the top 60 Money winners and thus secure an exemption for 1981 events. He More than made that. The s45, 000 he collected from the total purse of j250.000 pushed his winnings for the year to si05,134. A group of veterans poised just off Han cock s shoulder Al the end of the third round failed to present a Challenge Over the last 18 holes and Young Scott Simpson vaulted Over 13 players with a spectacular 64 to claim second with a 276 total one shot Back. Simpson played about an hour in front of Hancock and did t gel close until Han cock made bogey on the 72nd Hole. Howard Twitty was alone in third with a 70-27 7. The group at 278 included Lanny wad Kins Bill Rogers and Tom Kite. Former masters Champion fuzzy Zoel ice matched Simpson s 64 As the Best round of the Day and headed a group at 279. Also at that figure were Larry Nel son. Jay Haas Ben Crenshaw and Jerry Pale. Haas had a final 68, Nelson 69, Crenshaw 70 and Pate 72. Tom Watson who won this tournament the last two Yean had a closing 69 thai left him Well Back at 283. Wagon still rails Lee Trevino in their race for the Vardon trophy which goes to the pea tour player with the Low stroke average. Watson now has a 69.98 average. Trevino who did not play Here has a 69.91 Mark. Each has one More event to play this sea son