| Show Detroit's Hopes i Hinge on Staff By y John P. P Carmichael Chicago sn asio Daily N News w Sports Editor LAKELAND Fla The The husky guy Kuy lIY was vas pitching batting drill until the sweat rolled off oll his flushed forehead and ran down his wrists Near the plate stood Tiger manager manager man- man ager acer Red Rolfe his eyes fixed on the mound Behind the hill clustered coaches conches Ted Lyons Dick Bartell and Rick Ferrell Even en some of the thc players eased cased their individual ind in- in d work ork to watch For that was Virgil Vacil Fire Trucks in throwing the ball the man who pulled l a tendon In his arm May 19 In last t season and never ne pitched another game for Detroit whIch lost the pennant by three games Barnes If It you OU could believe what you saw the other day It was as theold the theold theold old Trucks too too loose fast ast following following following fol fol- lowing through each ench pitch with the theold theold theold old free wheeling I hope so I hope so pra prayed ed Rolfe Hes got ot to be right ht again or else else But he couldn't bring himself to sa say it H. With Art Houtteman Houtte- Houtte man game n-game winner in 1950 gone to war wai it is up to the old guard Trucks Dizzy Trout Fred Hutchinson 1 and Prince Hal New New- houser I I I I I Over Exertion Overexertion O from rom the strain of seating heating the Browns 1 10 in 11 frames that May 19 brought about Trucks' Trucks injury I was so tired that l if we hadn't finally scored I couldn't have nave gone another inning he said Diathermy and whirlpool didn't didn t help it Finally I took X-ray X treatments treatments treatments treat treat- ments and I swear now that it feels as good as it ever did But Im I'm not going to pitch any exhibition games down here I m timing myself to be ready for three innings or so by April 1 Im I'm no good to the club in training I Ive I've ve got ot to be he ready when Im I'm needed when the games ames count Besides Ive I've got a 25 pay cut to get back Wage Slash Trucks accepts the maximum wage age slash as provided by player- player owner agreement with understanding under- under standing even though he was re reminded reminded reminded re- re minded o the plea o of infielder Johnn Johnny Berardino of oC the Indians a few years ago when Bill slashed lashed him 25 No no no begged Johnny Let me salvage age a little of my pride Make it only 24 so I wont won't think I was totally incompetent Trucks chuckled appreciatively They e been all aU right to me at Detroit he said I want ant to get back ack in good standing en E New- New houser took a cut for winning winning win wm- nin ning only 15 games last year which brings bring's him down to He and Trucks won 18 IS games combined while Houtteman and T Trout r o 0 u t bagged 32 Yet for Hal comparatively comparatively comparatively com com- poor season he has averaged 21 1 wins per season for forthe forthe the he last seven years cars and his 12 year ear total rests at t triumphs Great Southpaws In the bracket o of great southpaw hurlers hurlers Hal is only four wins short of f the time all for Lefty Gomez of the old Yanks and needs only 19 more victories to pass both Rube Marquard and Rube N I I Waddell and thus win recognition recognition among the games game's great left handers Moreover Moreo is only 30 10 years ears old in May and conceivably has ms three to five more years ahead of f him although he sa says s that if this isn't a good season it'll be bemy bemy my last Hes He's still under medical I surveillance for the bad heart I which kept him out of oC the last war Rolfe's hope that Trucks will be himself again that Trout will come I close lose to duplicating his 13 wins win of oC last ast summer and that Hutchinson and nd might split 40 38 james games between em has prompted him urn to try and make it as easy on them hem and the rest o of the team as possible this spring I |
