The Washington times., 1931-03-04
YANKS, CUBS
OUT, SAYS
BURG
By COPELAND c. BURG

NEW YORK, March 4.-They
say it is too early to venture a
choice as to what ball clubs will
win the National and American
League pennants this year, but
even before Lent started we could
put our finger on a couple of high.
class losers.
There isn't bat boy in the
country who will agree with us,
but we think it has already
started to shape up that the New
York Yankees and the Chicago
Cubs will be the big upsets, or,
more properly written, the big
downfalls, this season.
Quite a few folks, have been
bending their ears to the ground
to become firmly convinced that
the Cubs will win the National
League honors and in New York.
where they believe everything,
from the Statue of Liberty to a
shoe shine in Harlem, is the best
in all the world, one hears the
Yanks are again about due to
glorify the metropolis.
But If our chances of staying
out Of Sing Sing depended on
what the Cubs and YankS are
doing at the end of September
we would start in right now
getting accustomed to parking
on a dime.
Manager Joe Mccarthy of the
Yankees has a pretty nice ball
club except for the fact he needs
an outfielder, a second baseman
and someone who can pitch. If
Sam Byrd continues to bite his
lip and refuse to quit sulking,
Mccarthy might bry an out
fielder to take the place of some
Of the misfits who wore down the
left garden grass last year.
He also has a fine chance to
make or break his infield by de-
Gliding whether Lazzeri, or Chap
man will play second. But it
looks like his pitching problem
will still be as apparent as a
radio announcer when next spring
rolls around.
Ruffing, McEvoy, Wells, Pip
gras and Pennock of the old
standbys and Weinert, Gomez,
Brown and Weaver, Ct the highly
ambitious new talent, are some
of the chief reasons Mccarthy
has no need for a Hollywood diet.
Even if the regulars should
actually astound themselves by
doing as we'll as last season and
one or two of the rockies develop
into pitchers worth lacking on
the payroll, the Yanks could not
possibly come through the wear
and tear and tears OF a real
pennant chase.
In a close race against the
Athletics and Griffmen they
would fold. up like an Aber-
deem pocketbOOk, because their
hurlers could not stand the
gaff.
The man they call one Of the
greatest players Of all times may
be the chief reason why the Cubs
won't click. We are thinking of
Rogers Hornsby, the new man.
ager of the Bruins.
HornSby has broadcast that he
and Mccarthy are a couple OF
old pals, yet the truth of the
matter is it may be two or three
years before the Chicago Cubs
get over the shock that rocked
the North Side when they kicked
out Mccarthy and butlered in
Hornsby.
The Cubs always have been a
fighting team and most Of their
fighting has been done between
themselves. Internal strife was
widely limited as one of the rea-
sons the Cubs failed to cop last
year and if HornSby is going to
prove oil on troubled waters then
you can make coffee sweet by
adding vinegar.
Hornsby started things beautl-
fully by planning to switch Hack
Wilson from center to right field.
Wilson broke out in a fever
when he heard of this because
the intimation was clear enough
that Wilson would do better with
out so much ground to cover.
In the event Hornsby sticks
to his plan to switch Wilson this
should be enough to start a fine
little row that undoubtedly would
split the Cubs wide I open as a
roof garden on Washington MOnu-
ment.
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