The Life and Affairs of Mr. John Newman

This newspaper’s exclusive story (Page 1, Today) anent the conditional sale of Johnny (Roly Poly) Newman to the Buffalo Bisons has more implications than the late Howard Thurston could wave his well-known wand over. Whether or not the PONY League’s Sovereign of Smack shall ever return to the industry of creating home runs in Civic Stadium is a matter of grave concern to both the athlete and several thousand fans in this city, not to omit the others around the PONY League circuit who both cringe and cheer when Mr. Newman wafts his baseball baton.

We should rejoice, of course, with Mr. Newman in his good fortune. If he can make the grade behind the plate he may have a few years of Class AA ball in his system, and that would be decidedly to his monetary advantage, since they don’t pay off in peanuts in the International League.

While the fact, heretofore, has been known only to Falcons prexy Harry Bisgeier and maybe a couple of his associates, the Jamestown club very nearly dispensed with the services of the Belting Beauty about the time he found out his real home run stride and blazed the pennant trail for the Falcons. Some of the local “wolves” were howling that Roly Polky, despite his hitting ability, lost more games thru slow fielding than he won with his mighty hickory wand. Mr. Bisgeier heard the howls and apparently they got under his skin, because one day early last July, he offered to trade Newman, with $100 to boot, to the Batavia Clippers for Hank Zorko, a good power hitter and a speedy gardener, preferable from the standpoint of all-around ability, to Newman. As events turned out, the Batavia command hesitated so long that Bisgeier purchased Earl Rapp and dropped the Newman-Zorko deal.

Soon after the proposed barter fell thru, Roly Poly started shattering fences and rifling the ball over them and his splurge was all-decisive in Jamestown’s pursuit of the Pony League gonfalon.

That a vast majority of local fans thrill to see Mr. Newman, even when he shatters the ozone striking out, isn’t exactly a secret. Had he been traded last July, the jeers would have made the erstwhile howling of the wolves seem like a gently Spring zephyr aside a tornado. Mr. Bisgeier admitted later that he came close to the well-known faux pas. Newman not only took the lead in home runs, but led the loop in runs-batted-in, total base hits, bases on ball received, and runs scored. Unless Bisgeier had obtained Ted Williams or Joe DiMaggio in a swap for Newman, it’s highly improbable that the Falcons could have copped the pennant.

When Johnny Pollock was injured, Newman went behind the plate and did a fine job. He was, in faith, a catcher when he was promoted to the American Association some years ago when a broken leg relegated him to the loops of lower classification. As his case stands today, Roly Poly is 27 years of age and should have several years of ball left in his system. He can hit well enough to play Class AA ball, indeed he’s a better sticker than most major leaguers. If the Bisons can get him down to reasonable poundage and Johnny’s catching skills are burnished up to Class AA requirements, he should anywhere from 30 to 50 homers off International League flinging. The left field wall at Offerman Stadium is much closer than the barrier at the local ball orchard, and there are other convenient walls around the IL. Ollie Carnegie bled the IL in home runs for several years, but he doesn’t rock ‘em as hard or as far as Johnny (Roly Poly) Newman.

It’s fortunate that the sale is conditional, completion of the transaction hinging on whether the Bisons consider Newman worth keeping.

If they don’t want him, Newman’s contract reverts to the Jamestown club. If the Bisons consider Johnny an asset for their 1942 roster, the Bisons will be asked to pay off in players, President Bisgeier told us today.

If Newman has departed finally from the local scene, Jamestown is losing the most colorful athlete ever to wear Falcons regimentals.

Whether he’s coming or going, Newman has the best wishes of the Greater Jamestown fandom for new and bigger successes.