| Show SPORT LIGHT I Home Run Competition Is Keen By GRANTLAND RICE 1 PRODUCTION in home MASS runs will be a hustling business this with keener competition than we've known in some In past seasons it has been the custom of Ralph the Pirate's big first to take In his last five years with the Kiner has struck off and 47 This leaves him all alone in any five-year But things are quite different In new season of Kiner's main challenger for the new campaign should be Gil the powerful Hodges is only 27 years He Is six feet and weighs It s e e m s that big Gil has set an increasing home- run tempo year by lit f full season with the Wjk mm Dodgers in he hit tinly 11 In 1949 hC th'S nfl I he moved it up to So far as 1951 Is Hodges is off flying well ahead of Ted Williams and other leading sluggers from past If Hodges could hold his opening clip steadily through the he would have the best chance yet of reaching Babe Ruth's famous landmark 60 in one Gil was born in not New where he could have made the Tiger squad one of its best tackles or He is normally a hitter but he expects to do better this Hodges is a leading part of the powerful Dodger Any pitcher who has to face well over Robinson and Hodges Furillo due might as well stand with his back to the wall facing a firing They can all pulverize any ball thrown In As fine a home-run hitter as Kiner the big Pirate can't afford to lose too much ground to a hitter of Hodges' And while Ted Williams is hitting so far as his baiting average is he still retains his old Westlake has been giving Hodges his closest hit 23 home runs in 1949 24 In He is moving well beyond this pace in The Relief Handicap Pitchers working overtime in relief roles can have a year or two of but they pay Joe Page had a terrific pennant- winning year in He had a bad year in He came back with another big winner in He fell apart once more In So far In 1951 he has had a hard time winning for Kansas Page worked In 60 tough games In 1949 which is more than the average arm can carry when you consider the long hours one spends in the bull The same fact has now apparently overtaken Jim the 1950 Iron man of the Konstanty worked In 74 games last This means he was In the bull pen every warming up for almost every There was considerable doubt last winter that the Phillies relief star could return with anything like the same stuff he had last He may have had a rubber arm or an iron arm last but there is always a Without Konstanty last Eddie Sawyer's team could never have Kon-stanty's Inability to hit his 1950 pace has been one of the main Philly plus the loss of Curt This is like losing two star Any team that catches and holds the Dodgers this season will need everything it can reach If you picked an all-star team from the National outside of the few could break Into the Brooklyn Who In the older circuit Is better than Snider and could get Into this but not many The Ail-Star game this summer Is likely to be the Dodgers the American League unless some drastic changes take place in the next few Racing's Boom Golf is facing one of its greatest spectator The Masters at Augusta broke all past have never seen such Bobby Jones told were beyond But actually racing appears to be the sport that Is enjoying the greatest Crowds at Jamaica have been well above last year's gathering and the same increase is promised at Belmont and In 1949 racing drew visitors to various In 1950 the crowds numbered only a But in 1951 the Jump has been The rise started at Santa This forward movement took a neat leap in Florida and It began to spread this spring when the northern tracks |
