GENE BEARDEN, 25, was an Oaks newcomer in '47. He had been with Newark, Binghamton. While with the Acorns he was property of the New York Yankees. One of the Oaks' stars in '47, he was sent to the majors, where in '48 he pitched the Cleveland Indians to the American League pennant by winning the one-game playoff against the Red Sox.
His boyhood idol was Lou Gehrig. He learned baseball on the Tennessee sandlots. He picked the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals to cop the major league pennants in '47. He likes to hunt and play basketball.