Show Sp eakin of sports vitt confident bell and allen alien will aid tribe by ROBERT Alc SHANE released by western newspaper union ta HOUGH the new york yankees grasp on the american league pennant seemingly is as tight as ever the remaining clubs of the circuit have by no means conceded them the 1940 championship like old man river the yanks probably will keep right on rollin along managers of the other seven teams in the junior circuit doubtlessly are making big medicine but most of it comes under the head of wishful thinking the cleveland indians tor for instance as yet cried uncle manager oscar vitt bashful in intimating that the tribe may trim the yanks down to size of 01 course this this is the best time to show confidence about beatin beating the yankees its almost impossible to get a black eye before the battle gets under way but vitt whistling past a cemetery ile he has a good team at least potentially double question mark alark much of the indians success or lack of it during the coming season will depend on two men johnny allen and beau bell both of them played topnotch top notch ball in 1936 and 37 and were stamped with the mark of true greatness however during the past two seasons their work has suffered now the tribe is count V PITCHER JOHNNY ALLEN stoics club resident president alta alt a bradley his ing arrn arm ing on allen alien and bell coming back and they know that unless these former stars improve there much hope for the cleveland cause it that bell and allen alien are the two outstanding players on the indian roster their importance lies in the fact that their services are necessary if cleveland is to have a good year right now both unknown quantities maybe they cant come through and maybe they can M you know what oscar vitt hopes in trading bruce campbell for beau bell manager vitt secured the services of a man who hit above in 1936 and 37 ile he slipped the next year and was used as an extra outfielder in 1939 the former st louis slugger seems to be redeeming himself this year lie he has been clouting the ball as hard as any member of the team in spring batting practice and his hits bits have been the fierce line drives to right and right center that characterized him in his great years johnny allen alien has been a 20 game winner only once in his major league career and only three times in the dozen years he has been pitching but he has set a phenomenal mark in the matter of winning percentage A great record he has won games and to lost A only 45 in eight years in the american league a record touched by very few pitchers in the history of baseball lefty grove is the only active pitcher who is a near rival of allen alien grove has a lifetime percentage of against johnnys this in spite of the fact that allens aliens percentage has suffered in the past two seasons while groves has been assisted an operation in december 1938 was too close to the 1939 season to prove its value to allen alien another redskin upon whom indian fans pin their hopes is lou boudreau a youngster who came up from buffalo last august and is today regarded as the best shortstop the indians have had in a score of years experienced newspaper correspondents feel that boudreau is much more than a flash in the pan they think lou will play an important part with the indians this year whether they end up where oscar vitt wants them to or close the season in the second division vitt admits the club could use one more pitcher in fact the search for one has occupied a lot of his time ile he knows he be can count on bob feller and is quite confident of mel biel harder but harry eisenstat at al malnar and willis hudlin are his bis only starting hopes it if allen alien comes back to be a consistent winner the indian pitching stall staff will be in the best condition of the past several years vitt knows the comfortable feeling which comes from having a hurler like feller on his staff |