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As you regular listeners know from time to time on this show, I dip into our mailbag and answer a few questions sent in by certain members of our audience.
Today is the day I'm going to catch up with our mail and I'll get to that happy chore right after this important message.
Now let's begin with a question from Joel Strand of Utica, New York. Joel wants to know how many different coaching signs a player must learn before he's able to play for a major league baseball team.
Well I want to say to Joel that it isn't absolutely necessary for a fellow to learn any signs. I play with fellows who couldn't learn the first one in the major leagues.
But mainly I think that the signs that the managers and coaches like to give is the take, the hit and run and the but.
They steal naturally as another sign that the person must have but you don't have to learn many more than these things because there's no need to have the hit sign, there's no use to have a lot of excess signs that will only confuse a ball player.
Here's an interesting letter from a 15-year-old lad in Detroit, Michigan, Will Peterson. Will writes and I quote, Dear Jackie, last year I tried out for my high school's ractine.
I was pretty fast in 100 but when I ran the 220 I seemed to get winded. What can I do so that I can build up some endurance?
Well first of all I would certainly check diet, I would find out whether or not Joe smokes or does any of these things. These are important for a kid that's growing. Not to smoke, not to drink.
Things that will curtail his growth I think can hurt him pretty badly. But as far as training his concern if he would run longer distances and really concentrate on it I think that will help build up his endurance.
Mrs. H. Keenan of Hartford, Connecticut writes, Jackie I happen to be a hockey fan but I believe the rules of the game are ridiculous.
I've seen two players swing in at each other with their sticks and then getting into a fist fight. When it was all over the referee gave them both minor penalties of two minutes.
One for high sticking, the other for cross checking. I personally believe that any player who deliberately goes after a man with his hockey stick should be thrown out of the game.
She wants to know if I agree. I've seen so many what I consider serious accidents happen where fellows maybe accidentally swing this stick and hit a fellow over the eye or in the eye.
I've seen some awfully serious things come out from fights that have happened. I think certainly the rules ought to be a bit stronger.
Whenever blood is drawn a fellow is given a five minute penalty I believe it is and this to me actually is ridiculous also.
I agree with you Mrs. Keenan there ought to be much tougher rules as far as these hockey violations are concerned.
Well I guess we'll have to stow the mail away for another day. Our time has just about run out.
So that just about does it for now fans. See you soon.