| Show P CE MANAGER TAN A ACER Eddie Dyer of the v J-v-i Cardinals has about all the pitchers two teams could use Your guess would be that Eddie has nothing nothing noth noth- ing to worry about But the first section of any manag managers manager's rs r's Job is fa ta to worry about something Two of Manager Dyers Dyer's worries now are arc Johnny Grodzicki and George Munger r Johnny Grodzicki fro Pa Is fa an paratroop ex er who Is still e working on a shrapnel shrapnel nel net wound in his x right leg George Munger pa passing the officers officer's officers officer's R. R cers school test in inthe inthe inthe the Pacific area has made such a Eddie Dyer fine finc record the army doesn't want to let lct him go The main point of this yarn is that thai Dyer believes both men could have been two of the best pitchers in baseball When I had Grodzicki at Colum Columbus Columbus bus in 1941 19 Dyer says I thought cOlum 1 he was the best minor league pitcher pitch pitch- er I ever saw Six one pounds he had what you might call calli everything That season Johnny won 19 games and lost 5 when his record record record rec rec- I ord might Just as well have been 22 wins and 2 defeats In addition to tc toa toa a fine arm he had both head and heart but an uncertain right leg due to a shrapnel wound which has been healing slowly But he is still undiscouraged In shape Johnny might easily have been a 25 or 28 game winner 28 1 book isone is isone isone George Munger in my one of the best pitchers in Cardinal history In his last season with the I Cardinals in 1944 Munger won 11 games and lost 3 3 But Bu Buhe he was Just beginning to find himself He is now i ion on duty in the Far East and I dont don't know when well we'll get him back Munger Munger Mun Mun- ger is another who might have led the league These two are not the only cases The game through 1946 1948 will give you many others from other clubs Vets Will Dominate The pennant races of 1946 will feature largely returning players from the service forces Among those I might mention are Bob Feller Feller Feller Fel Fel- ler Joe DiMaggio Ted Williams Tex Hughson Joe Gordon Bobby Doerr Bill Dickey Phil Rizzuto Johnny Mize l Hank Greenberg Dick Wakefield Spud Chandler Charlie Keller Johnny Beazley Howie Howle Pollet Pollet Pollet Pol- Pol let Peewee Reese Pet Pets Reiser Country Slaughter Terry Moore Dave Ferriss Dom DiMaggio and many many more It Is from Crom this ex service list that you will find the pennant winners the leading hitters and the leading leading leading lead lead- ing pitchers They will dominate the double show There will be others who were not in service Benice who will play good ball balI Here is an example In 1945 led the American league hitters with a seasons season's average average average aver aver- age of Yet it is the opinion of many smart baseball men that it will take a mark of or to lead the punching parade this season in the junior circuit I put this query up to six American league I veterans including Bill Dickey and George Selkirk who know their way I around There were four or five I others from American league clubs It was also their opinion that the I 1945 1915 winning mark of wouldn't finish in the first 12 Pitching g Wont Won't Matter What about the better pitching that is coming In I asked I mean such men as Feller Hughson Hugh- Hugh son etc This will make little difference one veteran an ered Hitters Bitters like Ted Williams Wakefield Greenberg Greenberg Green Green- berg Keller 3 and aad d many others will still keep on hitting the ball baHt Good pitching can wreck the ordinary hitter nut Cut It never wrecks the true hitter who knows how to swing a bat and get his hits hUs The National league with Phil Cavarretta Tommy Holmes and others was far ahead of the American AmerIcan Ameri Amen can league last season That wont won't happen again Watch and sec see The American league will take back its old spot as the hitting harder-hitting league and it will have to face pitching that is just jut as good S. S American Baseball No one can shake Larry MacPhail MacPhail MacPhail Mac- Mac Phail the Dodgers' Dodgers owner loose from the idea that baseball is headed headed headed head head- ed for a big boom in La Latin tin AmerIca America Amer Amer- ica lea and that what we often call The National Game will soon be the national game of Mexico Panama Venezuela Colombia Cuba and other other oth er tropical spots The answer Is simple enough MacPhail says with emphatic gestures tures tunes The kids of these countries are arc baseball crazy It is the only game most of them want to play It ItIs Itis Itis Is the only game most of them care to talk about Their knowledge of Baseball today is amazing Im I'm not guessing about this for lor Ive I've been In the middle of at least part of it To my mind this will be the best possible up build-up for any good good- neighbor policy for Latin American friendship Baseball could do more good in this respect than all the dip diplomats diplomats we could evor ev r assemble i |
