Show Good fall Ball Clubs Slump But Why I IBy II I By GRANTLAND RICE The Answer The Moving Finger writes and having writ I Moves l on nor any error or a hit Rt Nor any prayer can change a n single score Nor any tears wash out a game b from it L. L L Durocher Khayyam t The IThe I IThe Costly Slum Slump I New York May May No No one can explain ex ex- plain plain ex-plain a slump One can only take a flying guess One can only guess what actually happened to the thea Giants through the a 4 windy chilly April 4 days of 1951 A good many writers saw this squad train at St. St Petersburg g and the majority oPinIon opinion opinion ion rated Leo Durocher's Durochers Durochers Durocher's Durochers Durocher's Du- Du rocher's outfit either eith eith- er on top or close to the Dodgers The Grantland Rice Dodgers G Giants i a ant n t s land and Phillies were rated In the plateau country countr practically neck and neck I know Durocher worked his bunch into first class physical shape Condition has always been beena a big word in the Durocher dictionary dic dic- dic- dic He rates mental attitude just as high This club had no pennant faith itself last summer he said one morning until June had bad passed sassed Into July Then it began to believe it could win a avery avery avery very big factor From that point pointon on through July August and September we played the best ball In the league Now we are starting starling this season with a stronger faith raith in ourselves than we Tee had at any time last sum sum- mer The team has been strengthened by the additions of Noble Bowman and Wilson I feel sure we have a a. fine chance to win although I know also J how good the Dodgers are A r good start will be a big help Whereupon this hustling well- well conditioned ball club took a fast last running start and dived for lor the bottom bottom bottom bot bot- tom of the pit Here was v a better team than the sq squad d that outplayed the league for three months It was wasa a match for any team it faced all spring including the Indians But after picking up two games in Boston Boston Boston Bos Bos- ton the following moody events started taking place place- N No 1 The I-The The pitching became extremely extremely ex ex- erratic When the pitching improved bad outfield and infield play wrecked game after game I saw one outfielder turn a simple putout into a winning game-winning home borne run by misjudging the same ball twice No The 2 The 2 The consistent power at al albat I bat became extremely inconsistent I The Giants could hit only on days when the other team was getting more hits and runs They couldn't support the few well-pitched well games game they got No The 3 The 3 The team lost its hustle It If soon began to look whipped There Ther was a dazed look on practically every Giant face No The 4 The 4 The squad squad was It was drawn tighter than a dozen drums Apparently all itt its early faith and belief had been beeD wrecked The Rest of the Way WayNo No one can say just how far the Giants ragged start will crowd them then close to 1951 oblivion ion It certain certainly wont won't be any big help They are still only a few games back of the leaders and now that the losing skein has been broken it may b ba be bea a different story A few winning games could get them going again I ran across several se managers and veteran ballplayers who u-ho didn't believe Hearn and Maglie MagUe would do nearly as well with a pennant chance as they did when far out of the race There There- is a a. big big- psychological differ differ- ence It was important to win this spring It wasn't too important Important Important tant last summer when the team was far behind Jansen Hearn and Maglie l are still sUll three good pitchers Jansen has pitched two fine rine games and another another another an an- other good one Beam Hearn and Maglie so far haven't been nearly nearly nearly near near- ly as effective as they were last summer summer on a a. team practically practically practically out of or the running No one can lay any blame so fax fai faxon faion falon on Durocher He has picked th the pitchers he was figured to pitch He hasn't the relief hurlers which he expected to have back in St Sl Petersburg The poor on the club wasn't expected After Alter all Durocher cant can't do the hitting and the fielding I from the bench of the coach coachi box In the middle of a slump you become become become be be- come jittery and jumpy You expect expect ex ex- something morbid or melancholy melan melancholy choly to happen at any given mo ment meat You are looking for trouble in every inning You wear your collar cut low so as to be prepared foi fox the worst Finally the situation becomes becomes be be- comes so desperate you become numb numb and and then start winning again with most of the tension removed Field of Fun Yale's 1951 football team may not finish among the first five or first ten or first twenty next fall But we can an slip you one soft sure tip it it will have more fun and learn more football than any squad |