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Show IP1F iff :wtT; Nejct Season's Top Stars t HUDDLING with a group of veteran vet-eran ballplayers and managers ; we finally steered the argument in the general direction of headline head-line makers for 1950. Who would they be? From the American league you start right off with Ted Williams, Joe Di-Maggio, Di-Maggio, Tommy Henrich and such pitchers as Mel - Grantland Rice Parnell, Ellis Kinder, Kin-der, Joe Page and possibly Rae Scarborough, Scar-borough, Bob Lemon Lem-on and Ed Garcia. In the national league you had Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, Ralph Kiner, Enos Slaughter and Such pitchers as Don Newcombe, Preacher Preach-er Roe, Ken Heintzleman, Howie Pollet and one or two others. "There won't be much change among the top bunch," Frank Frisch said. "Ted Williams still has a few big seasons left. DiMaggio has one or two after 18 years In baseball. In the National league, Jackie Robinson will be bard to head off again. He has shown Musial Mus-ial and Slaughter, who are not getting any younger (who is?), that both will have to have even bigger years to beat him. Some of the fellows out front last season may not repeat. Kinder at 35 or 36 is no kid. Neither is DiMaggio. For that matter Robinson will be 31 in January." "The younger fellow with the best chance is Don Newcombe," another an-other manager cut in. "This big fellow has had less than a year in big league baseball and yet they are all talking about him. If we are going to have any 30-game winner in 1950 it will be Newcombe. He'll be the best pitcher in either league." What about Mel Parnell? Parnell Par-nell is only 27 years old. He is with the best run-making club in either league. "I'll bet yon 10 dollars Parnell Par-nell finishes above Newcombe," New-combe," an American leaguer cut in. "I mean that he'll win more ball games." The two shook hands. "How can you tell?" another said. "Kell has a lifetime big-league average av-erage of .297. Ted Williams has one around .354. Yet Kell outhit Williams Wil-liams last year. "He won't come within 25 points of Williams this year," a Red Sox entry cut in. That led to another 10-dollar bet. "And I'd like to bet that Stan Musial gets more M.V.P. votes than Jackie Robinson," some outsider out-sider said. "Robinson is good but he isn't any Stan Musial." There are not many Stan Musials lying around loose. After all, Musial is only 29 and he has known only eight big-league seasons. That's little more than a warm-up. Or at least it should be. Other small bets made: Kiner Kin-er to beat the 50-home-run mark again; Williams to hit over .350; Robinson not to lead the NX. at bat; Newcombe to win 25 games. Two bets on Joe DiMaggio to play in 120 games. Dyer and the Cardinals Eddie Dyer, the crack blocking back from Rice some years ago, feels that his Cardinals are about due again. Eddie won the pennant his first year out in 1946. He finished fin-ished second to the Dodgers in 1947. He ran second in 1948 and last year he was beaten on the final day by a lone game. "We'll have at least four .300 hitters next season," Eddie said. "Who are they? Musial, Slaughter, Jones and Schoen-dienst. Schoen-dienst. It's true that Jones and Schoendienst bit only .299 and .297 respectively last year but they'll pick up those extra points sure. They are really .310 hitters. As a matter of fact we have another good kid who should hit better than .300. His name is Ed Kazak, our third baseman. Ed hit .304 in 92 games last year before he was hurt. This would give us three infielders and two outfielders out-fielders in the .300 or better class." "What's the doubtful side o. your outfit?" I asked. "The answer is nearly always the same," he said. "Pitching. Last season we landed Lanier and Martin well into the season." . For Double Platoon "A year ago I was dead against the double platoon," Wes Fesler oi Ohio State said. "Since then I have changed completely. I'm all for it. I believe those coaches who dislike it haven't given it a fair trial. 1 know I hadn't when I was against it. Since then I've discovered mosl of the players want it. That's J big reason for liking it. I know it produces faster, better football. also know it gives many more stu dents a chance to play football." |