Show I 1 ITS artis around the halfway mark to in the two big league pennant races looking back there have bave been any number of unusual features beyond all april bredle tio ns hen the 18 10 clubs were gling through the coldest spring in many years if any one should care for our top nomination from the ranks of the unexpected it would be the showing of the phillies under the smart handling of Grantlan dRice bucky harris second choice on the bizarre line would belong to senators who were not expected last april to be ba within 12 games of the yankees at this sultry summer spot the third nomination would go t to 0 the dodgers who have been crowding the cardinals most of the way with a pitching staff that has been packed with kinks off and on back around the middle of april when there was still frost in the cold winds we figured the cardinals and yankees had enough material to pull away from the two packs by early june both had lost many stars terry moore johnny beasley enos slaughter joe joa dimaggio DIMagg lo red bed ruffing phil rizzuto and others but both still had enough left to take charge so far it happened that way the real If miracle iracle it if there Is any such thing as a miracle the award must go to the phillies they looked moth eaten in 1912 1942 they looked even worse as they faced the present scramble when bill cox bought this franchise there was a general belief that he would have to wait until tift war was over to get any part of ills his money back after all you cant eat a franchise or play it in the infield or outfield bets were made that the in their 77 home games draw out customers but the phillies have already passed their 1942 total in the way of admission and they are sure to double the turnstile count of other years while the yankees with a number of star veterans back plus a good food looking pitching staff were rated well above all american league opposition few gave the senators any first division chance chanca the old slogan was again in evidence washington first in war first in peace next to last in the american league the browns and the cleveland indians were supposed to be on yankee heels only connie mack and dark clark griffith refused to concede the yankees any winning margin manager bluege came popping in with such pitchers as candent and carrasquil Carras quel some pretty fair hitting and a club of hustlers I 1 so tar far no managers have turned in a better job than bucky harris and ossle ossie bluege both old washington stars in some way these two have sidestepped the well known washington muddle applying to everything else apparently outside of general marshall and his staff bluege has put out the best job in washington another high spot there has been another high spot at the halfway mark a high spot from a low spot this is the sad picture of cubs and giants battling for the tall end title to have the senators and phillies up op there here punching with both hands bandit as giants and cubs cabs trail rail the entire field is something no one has yet seen at least as far as we can recall any such national league turn the cubs at least with what looked to be a good pitching staff have been the main shock to most of thi the soothsayers after johnny mize and other giant mates departed mel ott given much of a chance to go anywhere except downhill the two races have been more interesting and have produced better baseball than many expected with so many stars absent in service uniforms but for all that the fan crop has seen good baseball end and two of the c closest pennant races la in many years baseball will have a little trouble through the rest of the 1913 1943 season the unbeaten all the super horses of late years have been beaten once or more this in includes man ol 01 0 war count fleet ailsab and Whir laway but there are till still five unbeaten horses in the records that go well back pc cording P to clem mccarthy here Is clems list norfolk 1861 1864 asteroid 1864 tremont 1886 el reo rey Bey 1889 coun colla 15 races 1807 1907 and 1908 |