Lupien Sparked Scranton Nine To League Win, Claims Collins

What impressed me most of all about Lape Lupien when I began acouting him about three years ago as a Harvard Sophomore was his spirit and enthusiasm for the game of baseball. Lupe, or Teny, as we now call him, always gave everything on the baseball diamond the good old college try," said Eddie Collins, general manager of the Boston Red Sox ball club.

"He took that same spark and fire right out of the Harvard campus and transplanted it to Scranton (a Red Sox farm in the Eastern League) this spring." When Lupien joined the club immediately after the last Yale game, they were going nowhere in the league pennant chase. Suddenly they started to win the close ones.

Scranton Wins Flag

By the end of the season the Scranton club was leading the Eastern circuit, and they went on to capture the playoff finals from Springfield. "In addition, they attracted more than 275,000 paid customers, a new league record," Collins said.

In the official averages recently released, Lupien is credited with a .319 batting mark for poling out 99 base hits in 310 official trips to the plate. He participated in 83 games and scored 47 runs. His total base-hit figure was 134, consisting of 11 triples, 13 doubles, and 110 singles. As usual, his play in the field was well-nigh flawless.

Lupien, in jumping from Soldiers Field to Scranton in the Class A Eastern loop, took a man sized leap, and this makes the success of his season's play all the more pleasing to his Fenway Park bosses.

Lupe's Future Undecided

His immediate future is uncertain, but there are three alternatives for him, listed according to their degree of possibility. He may advance up to Little Rock in a Class A-1 circuit; he may remain in Scranton for another year; or he may skip up to Louisville in a Class AA league. All of these clubs, of course, are owned by the parent Red Sox organization.

One year ahead of Lupien on the minor league ladder leading to Boston is one Paul Campbell, plucked off the North Carolina campus. Campbell spent last year in Louisville and did a corking job at first base. Then, of course, there is always a fellow named Foxx on hand when the Back Bay Bombers trek south for the opening practices.

Charley Devens was the only Crimson athlete in the modern era who became a full-fledged big leaguer; and he quit baseball shortly after he got into the big show. Maybe Lupien will give Harvard another big timer some day.