Show Sport light by grantland Crant land rice yanks conceded fifth straight strai pennant win despite american league s recent no trading legislation NANA service L LOS as ANGELES no major league club ever has won five pennants in in a row but if the yankees do not hang up their fifth in a row this year the american league race result will be an upset that at least is the way it looks as 1940 gets under way the fact that the percentage will be running against them again holds no terrors for the yanks one of these days of course the percentage is going to catch up with the yankees and flatten them because that is one toe foe nobody can outlast no club in the american league and only one major league club in the modern history of the game ever nad won four pennants in a row the yankees ran their string to that number in 1939 no club ever had won four world series in a row the yankees did that too having won the 1938 series from the cubs in four straight games and t 1 1 i i t 4 fl 10 A DICKEY AND GORDON they 11 ll help the yanks hang up their fifth in a row being faced by a supposedly stronger opponent in 1939 it seem likely the yankees granted that they would be victorious would win again in four straight but they did with red ruffing pitching biu bill dickey catching joe dmaggio in center field and fellows like joe gordon frankle frankie crosetti red rolfe george selkirk and charlie keller heller spotted through the lineup it looks as though the yankees can continue for a while longer in an effort to hobble the yanks the rest of the league made a rule preventing them from trading with the other clubs the yanks mind that either just by way of operating cooperating co ed barrow voted for the rule with newark kansas city and other clubs in the chain sending up players faster than the yankees can absorb them barrow and joe mccarthy arent interested in the other A L talent no threat in si sight ht the red sox who have made the best showing in the attempt to overhaul the yankees these last two years came up with some fine young players last year notably williams and tabor jp but they still lack a first rate catcher and they are wearing out in some other positions cleveland should be 4 stronger with bob A feller still moving boh bob feller toward the pa peak and destined to be one of the great pitchers of all time below those three clubs the tigers white sox and senators are bunched pretty closely below them the browns and athletics still are stumbling along As usual the race in the national league should be close the reds new to the sweat and fire a and nd tumult of a close tussle in 1938 failed where with a little more experience they might have won last year hardened by the 1938 1933 campaign they broke through but they broke through just ahead of the cardinals whose lot was similar to that which the reds had drawn in 38 this year the cardinals may be ready with better pitching than they had in 1939 and better luck they can win it took them quite a while to realize that they had a chance last year and then just about as the realization came to them they were ruined by injuries swinging along behind these two clubs are the dodgers they need more power and thought they were going to get it from joe medwick but with pennant chances gleaming bright again in st louis it look now as though branch rickey is of a mind to sell medwick if larry mcphail can come up with a power hitter from somewhere else watch out for the dodgers fro from these three teams the winner will be decided giants in bad shape behind the reds the cardinals and the dodgers there lies no pennant possibility as the teams look at this stage gabby hartnett has to start all over again with a team that all through 1939 failed to recover from the demoralizing beating it took from the yankees in the 1938 world series frank frisch having taken over the pittsburgh assignment sign ment from pie traynor has the same squad of ball players whom traynor shake out of the rut |