Show Pennant Hopes Spring Eternal By GRANTLAND RICE TT IT HAS been said that hope 1 springs eternal in the baseball players player's breast until around June Then it begins to wither and fade But hope sprang with greater alac alac- alacrity alacrity alacrity rity in April than it has in some years At least it was springing in more places For example after a rabid dis discussion as to whether the Dodgers Braves or C Card Car a r d i- i nals were to be the th selected sons son s o n s of swat this his t h i s season we ran into Art rr Rooney of Pitts V t burgh Art Rooney owns the Pittsburgh football franchise He also has a few horses and he is al- al als aIs s o 0 interested i n Grantland Rico Rice baseball as a fan Braves D o 0 d gers g- g gers gers ers or Cardinals he said Lis Listen Listen Listen ten the entire population of Pitts Pitts- Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh burgh has picked the Pirates to win I agree with them Pittsburgh is much stronger than it was a year ago Murry Dickson will make a difference of 10 games Bob Ches- Ches Chesnes Chesnes Chesnes nes will be even better Kiner is due to hit better You can al make a note that Pittsburgh wm wID w outdraw every team in the Nation Nation- National al League as it did a year ago I mean the Giants Dodgers Braves and Cubs And Im I'm not being comical or funny when I pick Billy Meyers Meyer's bunch on top I dont don't believe every every- everybody everybody everybody body in Pittsburgh can be wrong In the course of the next hour or so wandering here and there we ran into seven ex ex- experts experts experts who had been in hi Florida Here are their selections two I Ifor for the Dodgers two for the Braves two for Cor the tl Cardinals and one for Pittsburgh The Giants Since this crop of selectors had come up from Florida Flor Flor- Florida Florida ida they knew nothing about the New Yorkers But Horace Stoneham and Leo Durocher are being quoted to the general effect that Giant pitching will be quite sufficient coupled with the power that Giant bats have carried This means that at least five teams have the hope eternal torch blazing these April days And you can be certain that the Cubs Phillies and Reds will sup sup- supply supply supply ply more trouble than usual es es- especially especially es- es especially if the Reds can shove Ewell Blackwell into the picture Even without the human pine tree the Reds are an improved collection collection collection tion of ballplayers With Blackwell and Vander Meer working the Reds Red are a menace Here in April we ve had five National league ball clubs who believed they could win the flag ag and three others ot I who be be- believed they had a chance to move up and win their share of games At this spot the Dodgers odgers Braves Cardinals and Pirates are closer than two The Giants must show they belong with this group The National league up mix-up this season can cnn be one of the closest races among more teams than any scramble either league has known so far It could be that way it U vou you study the eight teams that will wil soon get down to serious work The Trouble with IFS The main trouble with IFS is that they seldom work out any too well Bob Feller is a big IF in Cleveland but Feller is getting along Even Boudreau is worried over his ability to keep his curve or his fast ball burning Lemon and Bearden have yet to prove they are game 20 20 game winners over a period of time Joe DiMaggio and the Yankee in in- infield infield infield field have yet to prove they are up to winning pennant-winning play This of course means DiMaggio's DMaggio's at- at afflicted heel To have this heel in shape all season would be a big boon to baseball in general just jus' jusas justas as much as it would be to the Yankees DiMaggio has been too brilliant a star to be missed with with- without without out mourning No one can say this far in advance that the Red Sox Sot pitching staff will be any better than it was a year ago Joe McCarthys McCarthy's spring s p r i 1 n g attitude makes you yon think everything is O. O K but Hughson Harris and Ferriss still stilt have to prove they are the pitchers they were in 1946 Billy Meyer is i more than worried over Pittsburgh's full and firm be be- belief belief belief lief in a pennant year In a race such as the National League has on hand this season Meyer knows his team can play good baseball anc and finish fifth He knows mows the number of good breaks any team needs to win in a race of this type Billy Southworth knows he will wil need a better Warren Spahn than the left-hander left was a year Vear ear ago So many rumors of dissension will wil wilnot not be inclined to help his club Any outfit that would turn against Billy Southworth cant can't be pennant- pennant minded |