Show Behind The P Sports Mirror By JOHN MOONEY I Editors Editor's n note te While Frank K K Baker is on vacation this column and Topics From the Tepee will replace Backseat Driving Theres There's a 50 SO chance that Joe Medwick the stormy petrel of the St St. Louis Cardinal baseball system will go goon goon goon on the selling block in the very near future and the thc buyers are very likely to be the Brooklyn Dodgers Laughing Larry MacPhail who wouldn't any sooner win the he National league pennant than he would find a million dollars dollars dollars dol dol- lars extra in his checking account some bright Monday morning has las long been interested in Medwick but the Cards always have been in a position to pooh-pooh pooh any reasonable offer Now however the shoe is on the other foot and the Cardinals picked by many to replace the Cincinnati Reds as the senior loop champions this season are staggering along six and a half games out of first place while the Dodgers are coasting merrily along with a record of 11 wins against two losses The situation is even worse for the Cardinals have an I infield that would make a battered sieve pale in comparison comparison comparison com com- parison while the Dodgers have the best inner defense in inthe inthe inthe the league Only Johnny Mize at first base has any an claim to being a Cardinal infielder and injuries have sapped whatever hopes several of the Redbirds had of ever de developing developing developing de- de above the bush league class The Dodgers on the other hand are so well situated that the he than better-than-average Johnny Hudson has seen a lot of action this season but its it's all been from the obscurity of the Brooklyn bench Now Hudson is without a doubt the best spare infielder in the majors at pres present nt and St. St Louis needs him like that word we arent aren't allowed to print In fact the Cardinals need an infielder so badly that they'd grudgingly give up Medwick's two or three runs batted in a game in an effort to plug some of the infield gaps that are allowing a half dozen enemy counters a contest The used oft-used headline last year Mel Hurls Another Another An An- I An-I other Victory still is likely to see service again this year in Salt Lake City newspapers but it it wont won't be referring to Mel Marlowe as much as previous since little Mel Mcl has stepped into the pitching picture Considered a doubtful quantity by the Bees before the season season season sea sea- son started Mel el has shown yn more stuff tuf on the mound even even than the highly talented Marlowe was out of baseball completely completely com corn last the season season the result of too much experimentation with a screwball delivery and thi this year the Bee management adopted a very much Were from Missouri attitude about his comeback claims already has received credit for two v victories victories- one more than Marlowe has registered and has allowed f fewer hits in each appearance than Marlowe With both these ace shaping up well its it's no wonder that Owner Eddie Mulligan is less worried about his mound problems than he was at any time last fast year Marlowe and therefore appear to be definite starters along with Alvin Nig Tate a holdover leaving to Manager Tom the unenviable task of selecting one pitcher from among Paul Bob Creighton Jack Bowen and Larry Jensen to go home for more seasoning Just who else will be dropped has kept kept- several rookies on their toes thus far and now with Ray Alves seeing action at both first base ase and the outfield the problem has been doubly difficult While Alves cannot compare with either as asa asa asa a first baseman or as a hitter he is a handy man to have around especially if if Manager gets thumbed to the showers by bythe bythe bythe the little men in black And speaking of those little men who are always there when the c boos os are loudest take it from one who's done his share of razzing theres there's a lot more goes on out there on the the diamond diamond than meets t the Y e average fans fan's eye II r Of Often in the clubhouse after a close and bitterly contested contested contested con con- tested game Jve Ive Ive I've heard a player confide that on that much disputed d. d play he really missed the man sliding in in although for the world he wouldn't admit the ump had called it okeh the in the where the baseball only world But that's b baseball sport your four-bit four ticket includes the privilege of expressing verbal opinions of almost anybody or everybody I guess that's why baseball was such a failure in Germany because Adolf wouldn't play unless he could umpire that too and his bodyguards cluttered up the diamond too much to distinguish the aides from the players |