Bad Break

"I only wish," said Giant Outfielder Monte Irvin last year, "that I'd had my chance to play in the big leagues ten years ago. I was 22 then and twice the ballplayer I am now. I could run faster and throw harder. My reflexes were sharper, and I could make a lot more use of my power."

Irvin's performances in the Negro National League back up his modest boast. But not until Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line did fleet-footed Monte Irvin get his chance. By that time he was 28.

At first, his chances looked mighty thin. Brooklyn and Cleveland snubbed him. He was too old, they said. The New York Giants took him for their Jersey City team in 1949. Irvin hit .373 in 63 games, and the Giants brought him up to the majors for a trial. But Irvin was overeager to make up for lost time, and he failed by hitting a miserable .224. The next year he started all over again at Jersey City. He hit a fabulous .510 for 18 games, and the Giants gave him another chance. This time Irvin made it, hitting an even .300 in the 1950 season.

Last year, Irvin came into his own. He patrolled left field with the speed of a rookie, the finesse of a pro. Manager Leo Durocher called Irvin the most underrated player in the major leagues. To show that he meant what he said, Durocher recommended that his 1952 salary be doubled, up to a reported $25,000 a season.

Last week, in a meaningless practice game with the Cleveland Indians, Irvin, playing all out as usual, slid toward third base. He never got there. His spikes plowed into the dirt, caught and stuck. There was a sickening snap as Irvin's right ankle gave way under the strain of his 200 Ibs. As he lay writhing in pain, his ankle, as if in mockery of all the wasted years and the blasted hopes, stuck out at a grotesque right angle. Outfielder Willie Mays, Irvin's roommate and admiring fan, wept openly at the sight.

After Irvin's ripped tendons and broken bone had been firmly fixed in the cast, the doctors shook their heads. Irvin, they said, was probably through for the season--maybe for all time. It was not only a bad break for Irvin, but also for the Giants' pennant hopes. Speaking with the firm conviction of a man who has often rubbed elbows with hard luck, Irvin said: "This won't stop me, and it won't stop the Giants . . . I'll be back in July or August. I'll be playing by then."

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