Show G RICE A A NOTHER big league baseball season is well on its way We were thinking about this as we we sat on the Yankee bench with Art Fletcher Joe McCarthy's McCarthys McCarthys McCarthy's McCarthys McCarthy's Mc Mc- Carthy's field mar mar- Art began his baseball ll career 38 x 1 years ago and he is y still a a. a spark plug spark plug vy nearing 60 lean hard and full of fire i We soon started talking about the Yankees and the new American America n K league pennant race This should be a great race he told me I know many are picking picking picking pick pick- ing the Browns to win again and maybe they will win as they haven't suffered much from the draft so far But if we can keep the lineup we have today I still believe the Yankees have a great reat chance No complaining you understand but the Yankees have taken the worst beating from the draft in baseball base base- ball Dickey ball Dickey Gordon DiMaggio Henrich Ruffing Rizzuto Keller Hemsley Johnson and I could give you ten more mare Now we start a new season with a pretty good club A ball club good goad enough to win win win-or or finish close But suppose we lose lase Johnny Lindell Etten and one or two more Then we are pretty well shot No one knows what will happen for the Browns are pretty well set and they are the team to beat with beat with what they have on hand right now I I I I I Over in the National After leaving Art Fletcher we called on two other pilots Mel Ott I and Leo Durocher cher Mel who makes several records every time he walks to the plate refused to concede anything to the Cardinals and Pirates picked to run run 1 2 Maybe they will Mel said But only maybe The Cardinals look best on copy paper and the Pirates look next best But ball games are won on the field not field not on copy paper All I can say is that our 1945 Giant team w will give them all a battle We have an improved team all along the line Well We'll have better pitching and a better punch You know what that means You dont don't have to tell me what the Cardinals and Pirates Pirates Pirates Pi Pi- Pi- Pi rates have But I am conceding them nothing Well We'll give them a scrap all the way moving on with what we have What well we'll have later later later lat lat- lat lat- er no one knows I happen to know that Frank Frisch disabled all through the spring campaign has full faith in his Pirates We were good enough to beat the Cardinals nine straight games down the stretch Frank said and they wont won't be any better this season If as strong But the fact remains that the CarI Cardinals Cardinals Car Car- are still the team they must mustI all worry about and about and they all know it whatever it-whatever they may say As Leo Durocher put it Any team that can beat out the Cardinals Cardinals Cardinals Cardi Cardi- nals can win this pennant The Dodgers No We are the guess team of the league and Im I'm not going going go go- going ing to try any early season guess guess- ing In talking over the 1945 rating with witha a number of ball baU players managers and old timers who have been around I I picked up this order of finish for the two pennants National League League Cardinals Cardinals Pirates Pirates Pirates Pi Pi- rates Giants Reds Cubs Braves Dodgers Phillies American League B Browns r row o w n s Yankees Tigers Red Sox Athletics Indians White Sox Senators In any event the main problem seems to be St. St Louis and its two 1944 winners They are the teams to stop II I I Army Sports Program The army is going to do all it can canto canto canto to provide entertainment and physical physical physical phys phys- ical fitness for the fighting men in Europe who simply cant can't be rushed home Here is the general idea in behalf of the millions left in Europe temporarily at least as given to me from the war office in Washington Washington- The Commanding Generals of the European and Mediterranean Theaters have estimated that over GO 60 GOper GOper per cent of the soldiers within their commands will elect to participate in the new athletic program In General Eisenhower's command alone alane plans call for participants participants participants pants in track and field events in hi organized baseball approximately approximately in informal softball games in volleyball and in informal football and touch- touch football The entire program will assist in inde de de Ide personnel scheduled scheduled sched sched- for demobilization by replacing the combat skills it was necessary to teach during the period of mobilization mobilization mo mo- mobilization with competitive and recreational recreational recreational rec rec- sports Purchasing equipment and supplies supplies supplies sup sup- plies for bor the program presented serious serious serious se se- se- se rious problems Funds priorities I sources of supply production schedules schedules schedules sched sched- ules rail transportation and water shipping space were but a few Upon approval of the plan the Special Services Division set the wheels in I motion |