OCR Text |
Show I SPORTUGHT . Loss of Simmons, Houlteman Felt I By GRANTLAND RICE : A FEW DAYS AGO we spent two successive days with two of the bet managers baseball has known in many years. One is a doctor doc-tor of philosophy with a Phi Betta Kappa key. His name is Eddie Sawyer. Saw-yer. The other was Red Rolfe, Dartmouth Dart-mouth graduate on the cum laude side. These may not be the only college col-lege graduates managing a big-league big-league team, but they are the high- I iif iV'l est up on the collegiate col-legiate ladder. Last year Eddie Sawyer led the National League while Red Rolfe ran second in the American, which is no knock at a college education. educa-tion. Now after their 1-2. Just at this date we like the Giants. There is time enough to switch before opening day. But when you get to the Phillies, Braves and Cardinals you stumble into an argument. Sawyer believes his team can run 2-3. He can't quite see another pennant with Curt Simmons wearing khaki. The two big problems are the Braves and the Cardinals. Both have high-grade pitching staffs and high-grade pitching staffs are major factors. The Cardinals have Red Munger, who looks better this season, Howie Pollet (an early hold-out), Brecheen, Boyer, Brazle, Lanier, Staley, Wilks, plus a young left-hander from Vinegar Vin-egar Bend, Ala., by the name of Mizelle. Young Mizelle might easily be one of the stars of the season if he is carried along into blj league action. Here are some of the doubtful spots. In the Cardinal infield, Red Schoendienst is a dependable factor. fac-tor. Nippy Jones at first is a guess. So is the suffering Marty Marion at short So is third base. Musial and Slaughter mean a fine outfield. The Tigers have a thin pitching staff and only fair catching, but the outfield and infield are high class. The Dodgers pitching is erratic. Their only dependable starters are Roe and Newcombe. The rest of the team is high grade everywhere. You never know which way an "if will move up or down, in or out. I'd say the Giants had fewer "ifs" than any other team in their league. -,,. , brilliant campaigns GrantUndRlce thrQugh 19MV ttey both have the same problem. Each has lost a star pitcher and neither has found a helpful replacement. "I have to gamble on Trucks or Gray or one of the rookies to help make up these 19 games that Houtteman won," Red Rolfe said. "I'll have to gamble on the rest of the staff picking up the slack," Eddie Sawyer remarked in a rainy-day fanning session. "It might be Ken Heintzelman. It might be Bubba Church. I expect better years from them both." Outside of the losses of Simmons and Houtteman, the two teams are Just about the same as they were last year. It so happens both teams race neavy opposition. The Phillies must grapple with Giants, Dodgers, Braves and Cardinals. Giants and Dodgers are dead sure to be tougher tough-er than uncooked buffalo meat. Braves and Cardinals with two flocks of able pitchers can be tougher tough-er than rated, with low-grade infields. in-fields. Or at least second-division infields. The Tigers have no one to mow down except the Yankees, bolstered-up Red Sox, and tougher looking Indians. The Yankees have also lost a star pitcher in Whitey Ford. But they had more to start with than the Tigers had. The Tigers and the Phillies are among the big guesses of the new campaign. I doubt that either can finish better than second.. They might finish fourth. But both are pretty sure to finish in the first division. di-vision. Doubtful Spots The doubtful spots belong to the National League. As far as you can see from this late lookout, Gians and Dodgers or Dodgers and Giants should run The Power Delegation Practically every member of the Red Sox delegation can break up a ball game on a split second's notice. They have no combination with the power that Ruth and Gehrig carried into action, but they have more destructive force. Williams and Dropo are not too far back of the Ruth-Gehrig class. And there is also a destructive force in the bats of Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, Vera Stephens. Coleman and others who give an opposing pitcher few resting spots. It makes a big difference when a pitcher can work on a dangerous hitter and then ease up on one of the .250 starters. But when he can't rest anywhere along the line it is a different story. Last season Bob Lemon had an ll-to-0 lead around the third in one game. But the Indians still lost. Williams, Pesky. Doerr, Stephens, Dom DiMaggio and Boudreau have bep-i around for quite a spell. They are rapidly getting no younger, as Mac Smith used to say. But they still have better than a single good season left. |