Show I I Giants Yanks Yaks Dodgers 51 T Teams earns By Bv By GRANTLAND RICE RICE- WITH the passing of another world series it might be time to ask this question what question what about the two pennant races next year What has 1952 to offer In the National League there are only two clubs who should again stand out They are the Giants and Dodgers rs And the Giants will have to duck another eleven- eleven game losing streak or sinking spell The other six clubs are from 16 to 33 games away from the top That's a killing kill i n g margin to wipe out in one season Or two seasons From the t h e Cardinals on down all six are 3 L fl packed with weak spots The Cardinals looked better than Ht the rest The Phillies were over 20 games away Grantland Rice from 1950 This T his h i s scant cant can't all be charged to Curt Simmons although part of it can Robin Roberts had another big season so the entire answer certainly wasn't pitching The T h e Cardinals finished a trifle stronger than the others but their play against the Dodgers was entirely too sour to have them rank close to Chuck Dressen's squad I II I cant can't see much hope for the Reds Cubs and Pirates They have BO so many wide-open wide gaps that filling half of them would be a big job The American League would have been far better if it hadn't been for forthe forthe forthe the near collapse of the Tigers and White Sox The White Sox Sax looked like pennant contenders up through June Then not even Paul Richards could keep them aloft any longer The Tigers simply imply didn't have it Art Houtteman's loss didn't help anyway but there were other flaws that Red Rolfe couldn't cure You can be sure that Cleve Cleve- Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland land will start the 1952 race with the best pitching staff The Yankees will be next The Red Sox cause looks almost hope hope- less An Ai old team got much old old- older older older er down the stretch It will be even older next season There are few young fellows fellow on the club coming along And what will the Red Sox use for pitch pitch- pitchers ers The White Sox will improve They The y can be dangerous The Athletics who played better than ball the thelast thelast th e last five weeks will be much tough tough- er Jimmy Dykes turned in a fine fin e job The race should be again between n the Yankees and Indians I cant can't cantsee cantsee t see the Tigers in there seriously menacing the leaders The National League race should be another Giant-Dodger Giant battle b The Th e Dodgers have too many good minor mino r leaguers to be too far away Tho Th o Giants will be just as good next ne year The Cardinals look to have some promise with young pitchers hanging around to help I cant can't see much hope for the Pi Pi- Pirates Pirates Pirates rates Cubs Reds and Braves Spahn is no longer a kid It takes quite an imagination to figure clubs from 18 to 25 games off the pace closing this heavy gap within a year or two I The prospect for a close race in inthe inthe Inthe the National League is poor This league has too many second-division second clubs Too few first-division first teams You dont don't rebuild second-division second teams into pennant winners over over- night There are too few major league ballplayers around to plug up too many open gaps S Battle of the Boroughs The Battle of the Boroughs mean mean- meaning meaning ing New York and Brooklyn was the past seasons season's greatest feature The old game has never seen more dramatic openings looking as far fat fatback back as early August AugustOn On August 11 Leo Durochers Durocher's harassed and almost hopeless young men were 13 games back of the Dodgers That's an anold anold anold old story But in the next 50 SO days the Giants won 37 out of their last 44 games for the incredible in incredible in- in incredible credible percentage of This was far beyond the pace the Boston Braves of 1914 set If these Braves graves were the Miracle e Team the Giants are the Double Doubt Miracle Team This stretch of the Giants led by bythe bythe b y the hustling Leo Durocher and sup sup- supported supported su p ported by his entire squad will never be forgotten It stands alone alon e against a team rated in August as a aone s one of the greatest in National League history What about the Dodgers They The had been front runners most of the th year Suddenly on Saturday September 29 they were in second place The Th Giants had won the afternoon game The Dodgers were now the pursuers They moved up even again On Sunday September 30 the th e Dodgers were in second place for fOI foran fo foan t an hour or so The Dodgers were e trailing 6 to 1 I then 8 to 5 5 Only brilliant defensive play by Palk Pa ko o and Robinson saved their weary wear y hides The Dodger infield is the best in ul inba baseball ba with something to spare spar e Campanella is a standout But even eve n all wI this didn't offset somewhat rag ragged ra g ged gad pitching Dodger pitching wasn't warn 1 bad but neither was it spectacular t or brilliant The Giants were extra good since sine e their springtime crash They ha hagood had d good pitching and good power There isn't much you can say for fOJ forthe fo r the rest of the National League in m spite of the Cardinals Cardinal's late splurge e Without a great pennant team the th o National League is still close to the th e best in the American |