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Howard Awaits Yank Call Before July 31 Deadline Would Be First Negro to Don Uniform of World Champions By THURSTON SMITH United Press Sports Writer TORONTO, Ont., June 17.— Elston Howard, Negro catcher for the Toronto Maple Leafs, hopes to be called up by the New York Yankees before the July 31 deadline. Howard, a 24-year-old catcher from St. Louis, is doing all right for himself in his first year of International league ball and appears to be the most likely contender to be the first Negro player ever to play for the world champion Yankees. His league -leading .385 batting average and his strong catchers throwing arm, feared throughout the league, are more than a mite responsible for the Maple Leafs holding down first place in the triple A circuit. - The Yanks, who obtained big "El" in 1950 and sent him to their Muskegon Clippers for seasoning, have often indicated they would like to sign a Negro player, but never yet used one. They traded Vic Power, another promising Negro player, to the Philadelphia Athletics last year. But the Yankees have one of baseballs best catchers in Yogi Berra, a fact that doesnt help Howards hopes. An injury to Berra appears to be Howards best hope of wearing a Yankee uniform — and Yogis hurts usually have been minor ones. Last year Howard hit .295 for Kansas City, his first year of triple A ball. He played left field most of the year, becoming a full time catcher only this season after a strenuous spring training stint under Yankee coach Bill Dickey. "Of course I want to play for the Yankees," Howard said, explaining how he would like to cut in on major league salaries. • Howard, who spent the years 1951-53 in Japan in an Army uniform, pays tribute to Yankee scout Bill Skiff who first looked him up on the St. Louis sandlots. Elston still lives there with his family and plans to marry a hometown sweetheart at the end of the season.
