A Salute to the '74 Baseball Season

In the tradition of last season's LEAVE IT TO BEAVER awards (if you don't remember them it's just as well) it's time once again to hand out more soon-to-be-coveted kudos for some of the great unsung college baseball events of the Harvard season. So without further ado, could we have the proverbial envelope please...

THE BIKE MEMORIAL CUP, for the second year, of course goes to the entire Harvard baseball squad for its dramatic fourth straight Greater Boston League title.

THE EDDIE KASKO AWARD goes to MIT coach Fran O'Brien for leaving his starter Mike Royal in against Harvard through an inning, during which 11 Crimson batters faced the Engineer ace and banged out six hits for six runs to break the game open. And no one was even warming in the bullpen.

THE DOCTOR STRANGEGLOVE TROPHY goes to the entire Northeastern infield for the squad's performance in its two games with Harvard. In the first game, the Huskies went into the eighth with a 2-1 lead but managed a couple of errors including a dropped pop up in the infield to lose, 6-2.

THE GET-THERE-ANY-WAY-YOU-CAN MEDAL is awarded to Ed Durso for scoring in the first inning against Brandeis without the aid of a hit or a ground ball. Durso walked to lead off the inning, took second on a passed ball, advanced to third after he tagged up on Ric LaCivita's foul fly to first and scored when the throw to third from the first baseman went astray.

THE BABE RUTH AWARD goes to Boston College freshman phenom Tom Songin, the only man to hit two home runs off Harvard pitching this season.

THE FASTER-THAN-A-SPEEDING-BULLET CITATION goes to Leon Goetz, for successfully stealing second on a pitch-out against Northeastern.

THE HAPLESS JUMBO BOWL is once again traditionally presented to Tufts.

THE COSELL MOUTH, presented for candid comments and pithy phrases, is awarded to trainer Dick Emerson, who had the best dugout commentary this season.

THE BARTLETT'S FAMOUS QUOTATION PLAQUE will reside in Durham, N.H. this year in the home of New Hampshire mentor Ted Conner. Conner takes it for his statement to plate umpire Bill McDonald during the NCAA District I playoffs, "You Stink."

THE GET-THERE-ANY-WAY-YOU-CAN RIBBON goes to UNH catcher Dave Bettencourt for being the only Wildcat to reach base against Don Driscoll in last Monday's NCAA championship game. Bettencourt's 'hit' was a hard shot off Driscoll's leg that LaCivita could not possibly make a play on in time.

THE PINHEAD AWARD (voted on by the team itself) goes to Barry Cronin, who informed Driscoll that he had a no-hitter going the inning before Bettencourt spoiled it.

THE CURT "SUDDEN VICTORY" GOWDY SPORTSCASTING SILVER MICROPHONE without a doubt belongs to the Dartmouth College radio crew, for broadcasting the second game of a Harvard-Dartmouth doubleheader from Cambridge. The Crimson won the game 2-1. Lots of action in Hanover.

THE FICKLE FINGER AWARD goes to Princeton ace Scott McHenry for displaying his at the Harvard dugout as he walked off the mound.

THE FICKLE THUMB AWARD is presented to Harvard's official scorer Arnie Graber for his outstanding work behind the screen in back of home. If you watch him closely, you'll see that when an error is committed Arnie will raise his hand with a "thumbs down" indication.

THE OSCAR for most dramatic acting while cast in the role of a baseball umpire, goes hands down to Giles Threadgold for his colorful style on the field.

THE BENNETT CERF CITATION once again is given to the entire team for solving Embry Riddle on the Southern swing yet another year.

THE WHERE-WAS-BARRY-CRONIN-WHEN-WE-NEEDED-HIM TROPHY goes to Yale's Don Gallagher for throwing a no-hitter at Harvard while giving up 12 walks in a seven inning contest.

THE HOT DOG PLAY OF THE YEAR came in the NCAA playoffs against UNH when hurler Milt Holt fielded a hard grounder at his waist, then straightened his cap calmly before throwing to first in time for the out.

THE HOW-COULD-WE-MANAGE-WITHOUT-YOU CUP, to no one's surprise, will be given to manager George Russeli, a two-year veteran on the squad.