Show 0 T 1 o ol l 0 u J MUCH UCH to tg the surprise and shock of several Am American league managers plus their supporters the thelong thelong theof of long time lowly Browns have refused refused refused re re- fused to crack They have kept coyly ly away from the soapy chute under the smart direction of my old Titus Ala friend na James Luther Sew- Sew 4 instructionS instructions instructions in in- e ell Lukes Luke's main have been to keep them rolling And the Browns have kept rolling h for lor about the second i time in over forty years dating back 1 to the days of George Grantland Rice I No one will stand standup I up and say that the theany Browns have I any shining set of stars They But they have a set of I steady going ballplayers including s Vernon Stephens George Mcquinn Chester Laabs and Al AI Zarilla plus at least a good war mid-war pitching staff They claim no outstanding stars c but their average certainly matches snatches I anything else in the American AmericanS S league In Luke Sewell they have a I smart and well-balanced well manager who has earned their liking and their then respect Luke ought to know his IDS share ol of baseball He began catching for fOI Cleveland back in 1921 a matter matteI of 23 years ago Luke stuck with Cleveland for 12 years before he moved on to Washington Washington and and later to Chicago He was only a hitter hit ter but he always knew how to handle handie handle han han- dle die that big glove and direct his pitching staff When he drew the job of managing manag manage ing Lug the Browns it was something like being sentenced to Siberia What difference did it make make might be managing the Browns I talked with Luke early this spring and his only comment was We have just as good a chance as any team in the league Just Justat Justat Justat at this spot there are at least five teams that are evenly matched It Its It's the sort of race where it might he be important to get the jump That's what we are shooting for The team that gets the jump will have a big advantage with so many other clubs J killing off g any y single Ig challenger n ger How It Worked Out It has worked out just as Sewell predicted The Browns got the jump Just back of them were the Red Sox Yankees Indians etc There was little difference Luke Sewell had called the turn as far back as April showers Get the jump The Yankees and Red Sox Indians Indians Indians Indi Indi- ans Tigers and White Sox all began began began be be- gan clawing each other or one an an- other Once in a while some Brown challenger wot would d win four or five in a row then drop the next four The Red Sox and the Yankees both kept making threatening moves Then th the Indians cut in But when the dust had settled on various fields and the smoke had blown away there were the Browns still out in front along and still winning their share and protecting that early jump that Luke Sewell worked for It is a much tougher proposition for lor a leading club to have only one moving fast-moving pursuer on his heels When you have three or four they keep taking care of the chasers and dragging them back The charge has be been n made that St. St Louis hasn't supported either club Cardinals or Browns Browns that that St St. Louis is not a two club major entry This is all true St. St Louis for one reason or another another another an an- other is only a one club entry in inthe inthe inthe the major leagues and not any too hot as a o one club spot There are any number of cities including Los Angeles that would be a big league gold mine in comparison But this has nothing to do with the ballplayers composing the double double double dou dou- ble ups line-ups of Cardinals and Browns But the facts are that the ballplayers working for St. St Louis Louia fans have dominated both leagues sa so far The Cardinals were a romp before be fore the first ball was thrown back 41 in April The Cardinals would be an even bet against a team picked from the other 15 clubs in both leagues But one might have thought that thai the uprising of the Browns would have bave churned up the old town in Missouri In place of that the ors rs in last place in the National league have been outdrawing the leading Browns This has soured the baseball crowd In general taken from the map at large arge against the Browns It has been my belief belie that the two best baseball cities in the country are Brooklyn and Detroit when you con- con uder ider their population The main point in early August Augusts s that the Browns Brooms were supposed to w crack some time back back and and they I lavent avent cracked yet And these Brown ballplayers can cani i till still use the coming world series I noney as well as ns any other club even ven if their home town isn't any oo O ke keen n about baseball |