| Show SPORTS fr MIRROR p By Y JOHN MOONEY 1 Sports Editor Competent lt baseball observers have bays ave professed amazement at the Salt Lake Bees ability to remain atop the standings In the Pioneer loop Joop 1 Many Miny ny times times times' while white peering front from the darkened confines confine of at the dove cote laughingly called the pre press box by Commissioner s oner Fred we have held this thie view ourselves What wt does keep the Bees wInning The pitching even though the won and lost bet marks are favorable doesn't stack up a as championship hurling when you consider r the earned run averages everage of ot the th which Is la the true yardstick yardstick of at pi pitching The Tho batting hasn't been sensational and rarely have havo the Bees had haJ a as many as two batters hitting hitting- The tg fielding h hasn't n t been anything to make old timers recall Tinkers Tinkers' to Evers to Chance Chan And yet the Bees never were were out ut of first place from froni the start of f the league e race until they clinched the gonfalon Wednesday night lIght It It is Ii favery very true truc that the Pioneer league this year is a far tar cry from fromI I t last Jut years year's classy circuit In many ways the Uie league is the worst its it's been since the wartime year of 1942 and that was wa awful bad Then Tiler in contrast to the 1916 1946 league which actually was wa at least an an A league in fn rating the 1917 1947 circuit must pale Look at Salt Lakes Lake pennant I winners winner of last Jut year In the outfield was a Joe Joo Brovia who had little trouble stepping Into the Pacific Coast Triple A A. league this thia year Also Alo In the outfield was aa Willie Enos who led the Coast Iea league e In hitting bitting home runs and EBIs tho the year before On first base baM was vas Chuck HenIon Henson Hen Hen- son lion who would have been the Seals Seals' regular first sacker Backer this thia year ear except for sickness On third was waa Joe Just out of the majors majora and behind the plate was var BUI Bill Leonard who ho la Is working working- most of the games forthe forthe for forthe the Seals And of course on the mound was waa the one and only Bullet Bob Chesnes the best pitcher In the P peL C L this year Look at that Five players with ability to play Triple A ball and the other a major leaguer Nor wonder onder the nee Bees dont don't look as flashy as al last year There never will ill be a class C ball club with the abl ability of the 1946 1916 Bees I But getting back to the 1947 1917 Bees Bee what does make them click Granted Grant d the players arent aren't in the class with last years year's club Well Wen then the credit for winning must be given to Rup Rupert rt Tommy Thompson the h ha hard r d working ke keeper per of the Bees Bee A veteran of ot the National league lugue Thompson Is making the co conservative run play policy policy pol pal icy pay dividends You may argue th that t Thompson do doesn't nt use this system but a check of the official r records cords certainly must show how the Bees to be leading in sacrifice bunts bunt True the Bees in recent weeks have been sewing up games in one or two big Innings but even evenin evenin evenin in these innings Inning it its it's Usually started by someone being bunted into scoring position to start the merr go round go Now this bring up another rea reason n for the Bees Bees' winning winning- their them ability to bunt In fact we should say MY that never has the league seen a team of such skilled hunters bunten Theres There's at least half aU of the batting order capable of laying the ball down good goodenough goodenough enough to advance the runner ronner And how many times timea In past years have ewe ha we seen een one scoring opportunity after another fizzle because of the 1 Inability of a batter batter batter bat bat- ter to bunt the runner along 7 Another factor the B Bees es are ready to p pounce 0 D e uPon upon the slightest break and capitalize on onit it They are opportunists and for proof we ask you to check and see lee how many times the Ben Bees are and yet outscore outscore out- out score core the opposition The Th Bees certainly mutt must lead the league In lo fewest number of men lefton lefton left on OD bases bues In ID proportion to the number vho get et on bas bess The immortal John McGraw considered one of the of managers manage once summed up his success formula something like this Give me three to throw it it four tour to hit it and two to make the doubis play in other words three good pitchers four good hitters and a good second base bue combination tion Now this WI would seem to answer the question of What keeps the Bees Becs up While neither Con Dempsey Dempley Bob Drilling Bob Sevier Vern Kohout Ted or Bob PInck rates as ti a great pit pitcher her on the average the club can count Its Ita pitching adequate The double play combination of at Mike Dalton I and nab Bob ob Robb is fa as asgood asgood asgood good as 81 any i in the league and slid Al Jacinto at third and Diamond Cecil at first give the Hive a first first- rate inner defense In the same light Rip p R Rymer er in center can go after em as as' as fast tast and as es u sure as anyone In the loop As for tor hitting the Bees have a funny club Thompson ompson is a cagy hitter and Cecil and end Charley Chancy Luis can hit the long ball ban Jacintos Jacinto's speed makes him a threat and Brocker Dalton Robb Rabb and Ryn Rymer Rynier er are always dangerous None of at the batters make opposing pitchers tremble em le when they approach the plate but as a counter balance none is a exactly a lamb at the platter either So the Bees Becs have been making the most of f their hits getting them when they count for tor runs anc ancone and andon andone on one one reason for this has been T Thompsons Thompson's on drilling into the batters batters bat bat- tera th the v value iu of at the sacrifice bunt t. t 1 |
