| Show Giants Have Caught Pennant Scent By GRANTLAND RICE RICE- I IT TT T WOULD START a breezy argument argument argument ment if the Giants training at St. St Petersburg this spring should win the National League pennant Especially if it at the same time the Yankees training in Arizona and California should fail to win the American League flag lag The s sunny y state of Florida would F have something a to say say about a situation of this sort And the far farrL rL we western rebuttal would be packed Grantland Rice with alibis Whatever happens Leo Durocher Durocher Durocher Dur- Dur ocher expects to win the National National National Na Na- League pennant with anything like an even break from that cockeyed wench known as Dame Fortune No one can say what will happen happen happen hap hap- pen to any anyone one club from the draft Leo says But we haven't many young rookies Most of our squad have been around for some sometime sometime sometime time and we certainly shouldn't be hit any harder than anyone else Up to June 1950 the Giants have had bad less than their share of good pitching At least well we'll say our pitching has been spotty We were already out of the race last season when we got Jim Hearn from the Cardinals and Sal Maglie began to win I know from that spot on we played the best ball Inthe in inthe inthe the league For the first time starting this spring at St. St Petersburg we have the ball club Ive I've been hoping to get That means mean first- first class pitching with pitching with the probability probability probability ability of or six good starting pitchers We have a fine In Infield Infield Infield In- In field especially strong around second with and Dark We have a high-grade high outfield and we have our share of pow pow- er We can get runs The Dodgers will be good again this new season and so will the Phillies The Phillies will miss Curt Simmons more than a little bit Simmons would have been ready I Ifor for a big year Boston will be good I again Losing practically none of ot their veterans the Cardinals will ill willbe willbe be dangerous for fot a while at least But I like the Giants I like lik them better each week as the season draws closer The club Is well rounded as well rounded as the Dodgers Dodger and Id I'd rather have our pitching Hearn Maglie and Jansen Jansen Jansen Jan- Jan sen outmatch any three in the league on any single club Condition and Hustling You can rate one thing about Leo Durocher there Durocher-there there is no manager in baseball who handles his team better better better bet bet- ter on the field And there Is no manager who works harder for condition and the old hustling actIve actIve actIve act Ive I've seen Leo work many a team into a froth troth He is a great believer in condition and just as great a believer In hustling bustling all the way through No team that keeps hustling will willbe willbe willbe be outclassed I never thought the Giants of the last few years had any sort of ot chan chance to run 2 1 But its it's different this season season season-or or it willbe will willbe willbe be different when Hearn Maglie Jansen Kennedy etc get their working arms ready for the long grind You can use up a lot of pitching between April and October and this time the Giants have it in greater abundance abundance than any other National League club Last winter at this date Durocher Durocher Duro Duro- Durocher cher was confident that his improved defense especially at second and short would take care of his pitching troubles But it wasn't until Hearn Bearn and Maglie I got busy winning games that his shaky pitching problem problem problem lem was solved I It has been a long long time since the Giants had any intimate association with a National League pennant In the past 10 years the Dodgers and Cardinals have dominated dominated dominated dom dom- the older league and when any outside te teams ms broke into the pennant business they were the Braves and the Phillies not Phillies-not not the i Giants It can be different this year Horace Horace Horace Hor Hor- HorI I ace Stoneham has collected the best team he has known since Bill Bil Terrys Terry's day He and Durocher have bave havea a bunch of ot ballplayers who can hustle their way into first place with any needed breaks They still have the Dodgers Phillies and Braves to shove aside but tl this s is no impossible ible job lob At least Durocher Durocher Durocher Duro Duro- cher feels he has the eam he has bas wanted for tor some time Concerning the Customers Baseball said one of ot the best- best known club owners in in the game has one bad weakness It has never paid enough attention to the care and comfort of ot the customer or the fan tan Most of ot the stands are out of ot date Most of them are dirty The seats are too narrow and un un- comfortable There are arc many many thousands of ot women fans inthis in inthis inthis this country but they get little con con- Even racing is more thoughtful In this respect Now it may be impossible to tomake tomake tomake make needed improvements with the war scare over the land But the change is bound to come if baseball is to hold its place Baseball Baseball Baseball Base Base- ball today is getting more competition competition compe compe- than it ever knew before For example there is a little thing known as television Television is holding the attention o of almost numberless millions now |
