Friday, January 8, 2010

1949 Frank DeCarolis BHS Baseball Pitcher




















Burbank High Hurler Boasts Whiff Mark

Burbank High School’s Frank De Carolis, a young pitching Feller with a firebrand fastball – has been making red-faced Caseys out of opposing batsmen all season long.

Little Frank, who measures at 5' 1/4 inch from hoof to head and totes a muscular bulk of 160 pounds, has compiled the enviable record of striking out 158 willow-wielders in 77 innings of work.

Further investigation reveals that his rifle-like limb, which manipulates from right side, fanned more than two a frame for labor in 12 Foothill League games and a pair of preseason practice performances.

Driving deeper into the remarkable, his arresting antics in a game against Burroughs High stands out like a black eye in church.

In this particular tilt the Burbank boy boomed ‘em by bam boozled batters to take a toll of 21 via the “thumb” route. The ump was yelling “strike” so much a fuzzy-wuzzy fan misidentified the arbiter as John L. Lewis. The game itself was an extra inning thing in which the Burbankers cashed in for a nine-frame triumph.

But this isn’t the whole of it.

Young De Carolis, whose time card registers 18 years, proves almost as effective a field and at bat than when mounting the mound. When off the hill during the recent league season, he covered at outfield patch creditably and poked the pill about for an average of .394.

His chucking chart showed a win-loss mark of 11-3. His team however, lost out to Montebello for the Foothill flag. But even in the role of “second fiddle” the Burbanks did themselves well statistically, cudgeling out 130 hits and 91 runs, as compared to opposition’s 46 base knocks and 31 runs.

Much of the young whizzer’ success must be given to another young Burbank flare – Catcher Johnny Varanese who hopes to go to Yale. As for De Carolis future plans, baseball, baseball and only baseball hugs the picture. A senior, he anxiously awaits a chance to hook on in the pro ranks following graduation in June.

Minasian describes his hiller as a calm, cool and quite confident lad. “In a recent game,” cites Minasian, “I put him in as a reliever with only one away and the sacks loaded. Finding himself in this mess, Frank oozed out of the jam by simply striking out the next two!”

In addition, Minasian points out his charge’s most effective pitch – a high hard one – and the marvelous control of a fast drop curve.

In conclusion, Minasian quirps, “There’s one thing for sure. The boy’s a whale of a whiffer!”
Note: This was from a Los Angeles Times article dated: May 12, 1949 by a Ron Snyder. I typed it as it was written so you can see how they wrote up sports back then. Unusal wording is used so thought you might enjoy it as is.



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