Tiger Pitching Staff Still A Question Mark With Opener At Ft. Wood Nine Days Away

(Columbia Daily Tribune, March 25, 1954)

There's at least one man around who isn't too sympathetic with the farmers about the drouth situation, and that's John Simmons, coach of the university baseball team, who would be quite happy over a long dry spell.

The Tigers' opener at Ft. Leonard Wood on April 3 is just a little more than a week away and Simmons hasn't been able to give his squad enough outdoor work to find replacements for a depleted pitching staff.

Bert Beckman, a junior righthander, is the only veteran back from last year's mound corps, and he was used mostly in relief. Simmons lost his top three hurlers - Don Boenker via graduation, John Jenkins, who dropped out of school, and John Willingham, who signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Otherwise the Tigers are pretty well set. They lost two veteran catchers in Herb Gellman and Bob Mohesky, but Sophomore George Gleason and Lloyd Elmore are expected to fill the bill behind the plate.

The infield is three-fourths veterans, with Bob Schoonmaker on first base, Buddy Cox on second, and Dick Dickinson at short. Ray Uriarte, the 1953 third baseman, has withdrawn from school and Todd Sickel, a shortstop on the freshman team last year, is getting first crack at the job.

Jerry Schoonmaker, a regular last season, and Sophomore Bob Musgrave appear to have two outfield berths clinched, with three veterans, Lee Wynn, Vic Swenholt, and Jim Doerr battling for the third spot. Swenholt lettered as a freshman in 1952 when he hit .303, but was out of action last year after a knee operation.

In the pitching department, Simmons rates Beckman, Bob Bauman, Emil Kammer, and Ed Cook as his top candidates. Two others working out with the staff are ex-basketballers Med Park and Norman Stewart.

Missouri finished third in the Big Seven conference last season, behind Oklahoma and Nebraska, with a 9-5 mark.



Coach John ``Hi'' Simmons knew he had hitters, but there was a pitching staff to be constructed. Right-hander Bert Beckman was the only returning starter. Sophomore left-hander Ed Cook and Emil Kammer, a converted third baseman joined Beckman in the regular rotation.

Kammer had not pitched in high school, but he had one prerequisite. ``I could always throw the ball hard,'' Kammer said. ``We just needed pitching. We had
third basemen.'' He also hit well enough to play the outfield when not on the mound.
(Columbia Daily Tribune, May 14, 1994)


Tiger Baseball Squad Has New Batting Cage
(Columbia Daily Tribune, March 27, 1954)

The University of Missouri baseball team has a new portable batting cage for use in practice sessions and pre-game hitting on Rollins Field, Coach John Simmons announced today. The cage, mounted on wheels, was used for the first time today.

Simmons also said that a wire screen, 15 feet high, will be constructed on top of the grandstand sometime before the Tigers open their home season.


FBI Warns Police to Watch Out for Midget A-Bombs


WASHINGTON, March 23 (INB) - The White House today confirmed reports that the FBI has warned police throughout the nation to be on the alert for midget atomic bombs, which might be smuggled into the country by saboteurs.

In a covering letter to police officials, which supplemented the circular describing small atomic devices, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover cautioned that "no attempt be made on the part of an individual law enforcement officer to dismantle an apparent atomic device."


Columbia police said today that they have received no request from the F.B.I. to be on the lookout for midget A-bombs.