| Show otton Gets Dodgers Hustling Rivals Had Better Beware n r. r I IDail 1 Doily Dail Sports Editor i iOrI Fla March 29 29 29 OrI t saId caid Burt Shotton mek me mat make a recording I over O er to where all was his words to Pick up hiss ea asked Would IS h M operator fhear what Jackie Robin- Robin hear heard to l e z I Iton it back back- H d Ill I'll play i ii ton listened ened while his star tar told an unseen i f baseman audience h i how the D Dodgers would win urn the 1950 pennant whereupon Brooklyn's grizzled pilot began bean be an his r speech I If If Jackie says well we'll win that's good enough for me l I Ill I'll Jl go along with him Hes He's all right and if hes he's all aU right were we're all all right It would be unnatural I if Brooklyn Brooklyn Brook Brook- lyn wasn't the team to beat again this season The Dodgers will wm have the same re P power and speed they had in mj 1949 and it is Shotton's ShoHon's opinion I. I I that the pitching pitchin 1 which so often bo bogged ged down a year ear a ago o will be better I Lon Long Strain There were several times in 49 49 I when hen Brooklyn looked to be all washed up They were under a season long strain under which they often orten bent but didn't quite break Most of ot the players give e Shotton credit for a terrific job of oC manag manag- ing Not because o of any particular strate strategy y or masterminding tout but because of oC his implacable faith in tomorrow Hed sit beside us on days when things were going from bad to worse said one veteran And never ne show the slightest indication of panic or indecision He He- might have been carved out of oC a rock We Wed We'd d get beat and his voIced rip through the clubhouse Forget it Its iti Well We'll win Y Y tomorrow He held us together with the maturity of oC his judgment i Jackie Overweight O Things haven't gone too smoothly this spring In the Dodger encamp encamp- ment Robinson for instance re reported reported reported re- re ported late and 20 pounds overweight over over- weight IGil I Gil Hodges the first sacker acker was behind schedule getting to camp The team didn't pull itself together the first few weeks of drill and one day Shotton decided it might be bewell bewell bewell well to speak out Youre fooling yourselves he said This attitude of Well VeU be read ready in April is false optimism Youre You're not ready in March you wont won't be in April and if youre you're not read ready in April vou you wont won't be in May This is serIous serious every erv other club in the National league is is ready to tear us down One talk wasn't enough He had to make a few more But the team which played the Yankees here over the week end was approaching approach approach- ing first grade performance The string first-string infield of Hodges Robinson Pee Wee Vee Reese and rookie Bob Morgan was playing as asa asa asa a unit for only the fifth filth time T Two vo outfield jobs are set those of Carl Furillo and Duke Snider Left field I is a tossup between Hermanski and I Shuba Pitching Problem I Pitching is the problem Right now Jack Banta who came along fast near the end of oC last year seems ready to take a starting turn aon along with Ralph Branca Joe Hatten Rex Barney Dom Newcombe and Preacher Roe That could be a formidable staff starr I If If they all aU get off good od beat us s a admitted Coach Milt I Stock Are the Dodgers the Notre Dame of oC baseball Every mans man's hand Is Js raised against them so to speak but everybody comes out to see them They Ther outdraw the Yankees with Joe Toe DiMaggio and the Red Sox with Ted Williams No one or two men carry the Brooklyn banner When you play the Dodgers youre you're in a gang fight like the old Cardinals used to put up Team Teams Match Shotton's only concession to uniform uniform uniform uni uni- form Is to don a Dodger cap and if H necessary a jacket His warriors rush hither and yon until sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times Burts Burt's head wags from side to side as if he were watching a tennis match He Hey there he called to one me Dodger who kept right on going Ten or 15 minutes later the guy came back You wanted me he asked the skipper Shotton sighed I I must have he said B But t I can cant can't t remember now for what It H may be tough for tor the rest of or orthe the league to keep up with the Dodgers in 50 They might run I away They might get tangled up in a mess of or complacency But theres there's little question they've they taken the play pay away from rom the other club as an attraction I You know what 7 asked an observer observer observer ob ob- ob- ob obI I server the other da day The They pa play seek hide while the other team counts to a hundred Y I |
