Sport: Scoreboard, Dec. 21, 1959

¶ On a practice run at Aspen, Colo., young (23) Buddy Werner, the U.S.'s best skier, crossed his skis, breaking his leg and the hearts of U.S. ski enthusiasts, who had counted on him to snap Europe's long dominance of the sport, take the U.S.'s first-ever gold medal in the men's events at the 1960 Winter Olympics, scheduled for Squaw Valley, Calif, this February.

¶ After a faltering start, the Baltimore Colts overwhelmed the Los Angeles Rams, 45-26, to win the Western Conference title, will match pro football's best offense against the game's best defense (TIME, Nov. 30) in the play-off later this month with the Eastern Conference's champion New York Giants. ¶ Looking for more batting power, the New York Yankees staged the biggest trade of the off-season by giving up aging (37) Outfielder Hank Bauer, erratic Pitcher Don Larsen (1959 record: 6-7), fumble-thumbed Outfielder Norm Siebern, and Reserve First Baseman Marv Throneberry to the Kansas City Athletics. To the Yanks in return: rising young (25) Outfielder Roger Maris, who in early-season was leading the American League in hitting before he was stricken with appendicitis and slumped to .273. The Athletics also threw in two other players, Infielder Joe DeMaestri and First Baseman Kent Hadley.