European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday january 31,1989 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary an appreciation of Carl Furillo by Roger Kahn Gil Hodges was the first to go. Then Jackie Robinson. Next after our Brief remission from death Billy Cox. And suddenly there stood a journalist asking pee wee Reese How does it feel to be the last person alive from the great Brooklyn dodger i gasped. I was not the one who asked that wicked question. Reese stood his ground and said in the full Flower of his poise i Don t think about things that Way. If i did i might go Carl Furillo s death commands such memories to mind. Even As it does i cannot believe Carl Furillo is dead. He was so skilled so handsome and so Strong i thought he d be throwing out base run ners some smart some dumb until he passed1 his 100th birthday. Furillo was granted 66 birthdays. That was enough time to brighten life for everyone who took the time to know him. Quite simply he was a great player. Some write about his Arm the human Cannon. He was Carl Furillo not the Man you d first ask to join you in a casual game of catch. Or How he played the right Field Wall at ebbets Field. That Wall a mystery of dead spots bounces angles and planes was a wonder of baseball before the dream destroyers wrecked it. Furillo never at tended High school. Plane geometry remained a mys Tery to him. But he knew every Angle every carom. The Way Furillo played the Wall describes an Artford. Carl Erskine says he was a Bible first pitch anywhere in the dirt or at the eyes Furillo took his mighty swing. Why was he then a Bible hitter Erskine says thou Shalt not num Bers 20. Furillo gathered 1,910 hits in 15 major league years. He pulled the Ball sometimes or went to right no one Ever banged a baseball harder up the Middle it Hullo Ever misjudged a Fly i never saw it. In the whispering Rush of memory i hear my fatties saying Well go out to the Ball Park Early son. They have a Feller who can and so the dodgers did. A Young Center fielder. Others came out thousands of others Long before formal Competition started to watch the warm up throws. You could hear gasps at ebbets Field and sometimes a hour before game time bursts of applause. The dodgers moved Furillo into right Fiel making him yield Center to the exuberant Grace of Duke Snider. Where a dandelion could not grow right Field in Brooklyn Furillo flowered. George Shotgun Shuba said when Billy Herman would hit fungus in warm up he would Tell Herman you better hit to left Field first. I m not going Tothrow after that doing a retrospective radio program with Roy Campanella i said campy How did you like that throw off wet grass Campanella remembered certain moist know he said i had to go to Carl one time and Tell him please Bounce the Ball closer to first base no one in the world can handle that one hop per the Way you re giving it to me " so there was i suppose an element of Awe. Beyond that there stood an extraordinary person i knew Furillo for 37 years. I do not believe he was capable of telling a lie. Early on he had a hard time accepting the integration of baseball. He grew up in All White country and was never schooled beyond the eighth Grade. But fun Flo changed and grew a quiet Man learning from his times. In 1953, the dodgers added Jim Gilliam to the roster and a few players complained about another Black m an ugly Way. I wrote a Story using no names and Buzzy Bavasi running the Brooklyn dodgers said who talked to you we Don t work that Way ill find out Bavasi said. By this Point Furillo was warming up each night by playing catch with Campanella. He had surpassed his boyhood and grown Colo Blind. Into the clubhouse i went and Furillo called me Over. That stuff was years ago he said. I was wrong. I got nothing against the coloured playing Dulli. I did t write that you had anything against Bavasi says you Carl i swear i never wrote that. I la show you you Don t have to swear and you Don t have to show me the Story just giving me your word is Good such seems to be the stuff of Friendship even love. Long afterwards a career later he mentioned that he was afflicted by chronic leukaemia. Some of the tests Are bad he said but you know i never made real Money playing Ball. So what can i do always worked. I got to when i last saw this elegant gentleman hews putting in four nights a week As a night watch Man fighting off leukaemia and not complaining. Hell Carl said we All have to work even writers. In 1987, i lost a gifted son to heroin. Roger Lau rence Kahn had just passed his 22nd birthday. The Telephone rang a few Days later and the caller said this is pee wee. You remember i was Captain of the i do remember. I just want to say Reese said for All the Feller that we Are very very our turns come and go. I mean Only to say for All the Fellers Carl May you walk in Green pastures. The new York times buckeyes stun cards As Ellison hurts knee Purdue s Melvin Mccants charges Glen Rice 41 and is rejected by Mike Griffin left by the associated press Louisville lost its Chance for no. 1 audits top player too. The third ranked cardinals unable to hold a Lead after Pervis Ellison was injured fell to no. 17 Ohio state 85-79sunday. Earlier last weekend no. 1 Illinois and no. 2 Georgetown lost. Louisville s defeat left no. 4 Oklahoma As the mini s successor at the top. This week s poll i sports wire Page 27. Ellison the team s leading scorer and rebounded sprained a ligament in his left knee while scrambling for a Loose Ball just before halftime. Or. Rudy Ellis Louisville s physician said he would de Termine the extent of Ellison s injury monday. I can t give any final word at the moment Ellis said. I Don t think he has a tear right now. He has Good motion and there is no fluid on the knee. I m optimistic about his Jay Burson scored 29 Points for the visiting buckeyes 15-4. In other games no. 6 Arizona 72, no. 19 Stanford 52 Sean Elliott scored 31 Points and his teammates shut Down Stanford Star Todd Lichti As no. 6 Arizona Defeated the no. 19 Cardinal 72-52 sunday to take a two game Lead in the Pacific-10conference. Elliott who entered the game with a 21.7 average got 18 of his Points in the second half after Arizona led 31-21 at intermission. He was 9-for-13 from the Field hit 12 of 15 free throws and had nine rebounds. The win left Arizona at 9-1 in the Pac 10 and 15-2 for the season. Stanford fell to 15-5 Overall and 7-3 in the conference. Elliott s performance gave him 2,198 Points for his career second in Pac-10 career scoring to Kareem Abdul Jabaar then of Urcla who finished with 2,325. No. 8 Duke 92, Clemson 62 Danny ferry and Quin Snyder led a 32-5 spurt As Duke broke a three game losing Streak by beating a team without six players who were suspended for the game for what was called violation of basketball team policy regarding Aca Demic study Hall no. 10 Michigan 99, Purdue 88 Glen Rice had 34 Points 20 in the first half As the wolverines broke a two game losing Streak and improved to 16-44-3 in the big ten. Rice Michigan s no. 4 All time scorer missed Only one of his eight shots in the first half. The 6-foot-7 senior Forward also had five of his team s 13 rebounds in the first half which ended with Michi Gan ahead 48-33. Steven Scheffler had 19 for Purdue which fell to 9-11 2-5 in the conference. No. 15 . State 90, Maryland 67 Rodney Monroe and Brian Howard each scored 21 Points and no. 15 North Carolina state overcame a slow Start to defeat Maryland 90-67 in the Atlantic coast conference. The Wolf pack fell behind 9-0 in the opening two minutes but rallied to Send Maryland to its ninth straight loss. Chucky Brown scored 18 Points for the Wolf pack 14-2 and 5-1 in the acc. Tony Massenburg scored 19 Points for Maryland 6-12 and 0-6
