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Show AIOST of the club owners and manageri in the National ' league are wondering how they can J keep the Cardinals in check through 1946. Many of them are hoping to get in on the big sale when said I Cardinals begin to shed some of their surplus talent. And it might be mentioned that more than a few of the ball players I - j r y Di Maggio who wore big league uniforms last season sea-son are wondering what minor league will get their services serv-ices when a new season starts. For there will be many a sad fare-Veil fare-Veil to big league glory when the serv-lc serv-lc em en start returning re-turning in groups some 200 of them who will be back when the bluebird starts chirping in the sun next March. The American league shows better bet-ter prospects of a hot scrap than the National. The Yankees will have DiMaggio, Keller, Henrich, Lindell, Gordon, Rizzuto, Johnson, Chandler, Ruffing, Eusso and several others In camp. This Is a formidable group. But don't forget that Joe Cronin of the Red Sox will also have on hand snch stars as Ted Williams, Tex Hugh-son, Hugh-son, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, Fesky at short, Harris and a few more who can play their full allotment allot-ment of baseball. Not overlooking Dave Ferris. And don't forget the Tigers will have Wakefield, Mc-Cosky, Mc-Cosky, Mullin, Greenberg, with a pitching staff that includes New-houser, New-houser, Trout and Trucks. ' The Three Leaders The Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers should be the three A. L. leaders as far as one can see now through the gathering winter mists and fogs. Most of the others will have a ! hard time matching this talent. They i won't have equal pitching or bat-I bat-I ting strength as it looks today. ( Things will be even rougher for j such teams In the National league j as the Phillies, Braves, Reds and i even the Giants. These have no 1 ball players returning with the class and quality of the Cardinal array. And they are already well back ol the Cubs. The Dodgers have the best chance to finish high up. They can't move back the Cardinals but by next spring with Reiser, Reese and other ' returning stars added to their improving im-proving young talent they will have quite a ball club. This will include i good pitching, hard hitting and speed. But they will also need a few more good men, especially on the i pitching and infield side. Mandarin Rickey could use a few of the stars he once controlled od the Cardinal farms. Fumbling Tigers j It was generally agreed, except for its pitching and Greenberg's ; hitting, the Tiger club was perhaps ' the worst that ever appeared in a world series. Trout, Trucks and Newhouser plus Greenberg's big bat should have planted the Tigers on top In four of the first six games. But the Tigers defensive play in the fifth and sixth game and part of its offensive play In the sixth game was something too terrible to look at. It belonged to the sandlot variety vari-ety where infield and outfield pop-ups pop-ups were not even touched, where they threw badly to the wrong base ) and where they otherwise committed com-mitted mayhem on the grand old game. Only their pitchers and I Greenberg kept them going against I a Cub team that was certainly no I world series prize. "The Cubs finished the seven-game seven-game series with a team batting average av-erage around .263, well ahead of the Tigers," one oldtimer points out. 1 "But don't forget most of the Cub hits should have been handled. Tiger Pitching was far better than it looked to be In the figures. With just fair support for Tiger pitching, the Cubs wouldn't have batted .200." Up to the closing game, the Cubs had no pitching to offer except Bor-owy Bor-owy and Passeau. The others were on the soft side, easy targets for Tiger bats. The Cubs also had no Power punch worth writing about. The two 1943 teams were far below 'he quality of the Cardinals and Browns a year ago. They were the worst of all the wartime teams in lmost every respect. But at least they kept things exciting with every one wondering what bum play or honer they would pull next. A good part of it all was a travesty on world series baseball, with the hlg spot and the big stake to be won or lost, yet Interest remained at high hb all the way through. Cobb on Batting Recently I asked Cobb If he had 'ny advice to give young hitters, w coming up. I 'Here are two main points," he ,ald "Stand well back in the batter' ox. Don't move up forward. By 'landing back you can see and judge better how a curve will break. Don't crwd the plate. Keep In position here you have the leverage left to an inside pitch. Too many hit-stand hit-stand too far forward and too "ose to the plate. |