Show w 6 R CE L EO DUROCHER hasn't the easiest easiest iest lest job in sport next year H He takes over rightfully a ball club that had its greatest year last sea sea- son The Dodgers have won pennants pen nants before but they never won a flag with so many spectacular thrusts they never played to a amany as many people and they never looked as good in any past world series Since Larry MacPhail and Branch Rickey were under fire last spring not Durocher hi his years year's suspension r was out of order older There was little 4 Rickey could rightfully right right- f f full fully Y do except P t g give iv e I Durocher another chance The Dodgers I x ers were supposed I Ito to be pennant win winners win I ners in 1948 no not in 1947 according to Rickey's sched sched- Durocher ule uie Burt Shotton beat the gun by a year The Dodgers should be better better better bet bet- ter in in 1948 than they were in 1947 Durocher has the same team with a ayears ayears ayears years year's more experience This can be a big help to the Dodger pitching pitching pitching pitch pitch- ing staff which is packed with young talent that only needed a few pitching pitching pitching pitch pitch- ing angles and better control It takes a year or longer for a thrower to become a pitcher buthe but bu the Dodgers Dodger's raw material has been exceptional Durocher should have five or six winning pitchers nex next spring including Ralph Branca who may reach the game 25 spot Durocher also discovered through his years year's rest that even bigger crowds will come out if there is less umpire-baiting umpire which is no longer required No one cares how hard the teams and the tho managers fight one another Crowds today are areno areno areno no longer interested in arguments with umpires H Has as Fire and Color I Billy Southworth one of the greatest greatest greatest great great- est of all managers has proved this for years So has Joe McCarthy another another another an an- other member of the time all-time greats Shotton proved this case beyond all al argument The crowd comes out to see a ball game not to listen to toa toa toa a dull and dumb debate between some manager and some umpire A fighting manager is all right right right- but why fight with umpires This type of baseball belongs with the Dodo and the Great Auk Being a pretty smart fellow Durocher has sensed the big change I believe No one can question the fact that Durocher isn't smart He has fire and color and a scrappy hustling ball club He also has one or two tough ball clubs to beat including the Braves and Cardinals Also the Giants if Mel Ott can get any pitching The Giants have everything everything everything every every- thing else The Cards who made a brilliant showing last year by forging into I I second place after a dismal start again will be a threat The pitching pitching pitching pitch pitch- ing staff stall will be the main worry coupled with the advanced age of players Only a small improvement on the part of Braves and Cardinals can make a big difference especially if ii the Dodger pitching staff doesn't move up and locate in a vague way the general direction of the home plate Lack o of 0 Control Along this line weve we've just received received received re re- re- re a letter from our time all-time favorite pitcher Grover Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleve Cleve- land Old Pete Alexander who isn't far from being the greatest allaround allaround allaround all- all around pitcher that ever threw a ball And this includes Cy Young Walter Vatter Johnson and Christy Mathewson Mathewson Mathewson Math- Math ewson also Carl Hubbell and Lefty Grove Grovel Here is Alexanders Alexander's letter Dear Grant I just finished readIng reading read read- ing hg your article on what is wrong with present day pitchers and thought I would drop a few lines No I am not looking for anything I am just dust trying to figure why they never have taken some timers old-timers on during spring training to work with these young throwers as you aptly termed them They teach bitting hitting hitting hit bit ting and about everything else but not pitching When I first came to Philly Pat Moran was the coach and about the first thing he said to me was this Kid you have a good arm but a heck of a lot to learn He took me in hand and he sure did teach me Pat was smart Of course it took work Hard work I never have been able to find out just what I did that put me on baseballs baseball's blacklist I tried several times to get back and even wrote Mr Chandler for almost anything to do I had a nice letter from him and then another one saying that there was no opening and they did not expect any I was j just st out Pitching means control By control control control con con- I dont don't mean the plate I mean one or two inches of the plate A real pitcher ought to be able to get the ball one or two inches from where he wants it not one or two feet Out But ut pitchers need instruction instruction instruction tion which few ever get What good goodIs Is stuff the tho greatest stuff ever thrown that cant can't cr cross s the plate This means hard bard work hard work and instruction learning how maybe the hard bard way which is generally generally generally gen gen- the only way G G. G C. C Alexander Wood River Ill I |