Sports pay tribute
Roosevelt’s death curtails program
NEW YORK (UP) – The sports world joined the nation today in mourning and tribute to President Roosevelt.
Baseball, preparing for its fourth wartime season, called a halt to its final tune-up activities in respect of the man who had been responsible for the perpetuation of the sport since Pearl Harbor.
Many exhibition games were called off, but in Washington, it was announced that the season’s opener Monday against the Senators and New York Yankees will be played on schedule.
Presidents Ford Frick of the National League and William Harridge of the American forwarded to their club members a request from the advisory council to cancel all games tomorrow, the day of President Roosevelt’s official funeral.
In commenting on the president’s death, Harridge said: “Baseball had lost one of its best friends and greatest boosters.”
Today’s exhibition game between the Pirates and the Cleveland Indians at Muncie, Indiana, was called off, as were the Brooklyn Dodgers vs. the Yankees at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, the city series between the Cubs and White Sox in Chicago, and the Braves vs. Red Sox exhibition in Boston.
New York University officials announced that the Saturday baseball game between NYU and Brooklyn College had been moved ahead to Monday.
Promoter Mike Jacobs planned at first to hold a fight card scheduled for St. Nicholas Arena tonight. Later he announced, however, that the card, featuring Jake LaMotta vs. Vic Dellicurti would be postponed until next Friday.