The Washington times., 1932-04-06
PICKS GIANTS
To FINISH
SECOND
By BABE RUTH


My selection as the 1882 flag
winner in the National League
Is the St. Louis team, which al
ready has won two consecutive
pennants and four in the past
six seasons. 1 do not expect to
see Streets team win by any
such margin as in 1881 when the
Cardinals had something OF a
walkover and finished 13 games
ahead of the Giants. But I am
convinced that this team carries
too much all around strength TO
be beaten out in the pennant
race which opens next week.
AS has been my custom or
several seasons l have doped out
the order in which l think the
teams should finish. Here it IS:
/. st. Louis 5. Chicago
2. New York s. Boston
3. Pittsburgh 7. Philadelphia
4. Brooklyn 8. Cincinnati
In the above group four teams
are placed in the same position
as they occupied at the close OF
the 1881 race. They are the
Cardinals, Giants, BrooklynS and
Reds.
Pirates to Press Cubs
The four other clubs are
changed, as I expect to see the
Pirates force the Cubs out of the
first division, and 1 believe the
Braves and Phillies will reverse
their finishing positions of last
fall.
I believe in the case of the
St. Louis club that the young
blood, brought up to the majors
from the developing fields of
the Cardinal system in the mi
nors, will make up for the
changes which have taken place
since the world series. Grimes
is gone, and so are Andy High
and Wally Roettger, all of whom
figured in the big success last
October. But all the other head
liners are still with the Cardi-
nails. and the team has acquired
the winning habit. New and
younger talent has been added
and Streets team, with world
series success to spur it on,
looks best.
Giants Nearer Top
I look for the Giants to finish
closer to first place than they
did last season. They tell me
Koenecke is quite a ball player
and I am quite sure Critz will
be far more valuable to the
team than he was last year.
Then again Vergez and Mooney
should improve as a result of
their experience in the 1881
pennant race McGraw still has
Terry, Jackson, Lindstrom, OFT,
Fitzsimmons and other headliners
of the past and his team should
be in the fight all the way.
But don't look to the Giants
to finish ahead of the Car
dinals.
I have picked the Pirates to
finish third this year, and the
Cubs, who we're third a year ago,
to top the second division. It
may be just a hunch, but that
is the way it strikes me. Lloyd
Waner was ailing last spring
and he is now in good health,
and they tell me Traynor looks
great. I have looked over the
Pirates roster and 1 cannot fig
ure this team as a Second-division
aggregation
Brooklyn is picked for fourth.
This team has undergone more
changes than any other team in
either league. 1t has new man.
ager and several new players, in
clud1ng Hack Wilson, Joe Strip,
Tony Cuccinello, Clyde Sukeforth
the Dodgers will finish higher, but
I can't see them above fourth.
They have some good talent, but
they lost some good players as
well. Babe Herman is likely to be
missed many a time before the
season is over.
Wilson to Be Missed
The Cubs for fifth place is my
guess. This team was a pennant
winner in 1929, second in 1880
and third in 1881. I think the
Cubs are bound to skid some
more because Hack Wilson is no
longer with them, and Hack fig
ured prominently in their success.
Their leading pitchers are not i'm
proving with age, and the team
as whole does not impress me
as it formerly did, though Hornsby
will keep everybody huStling.
The PhillieS beat out the Braves
b, two games last season, but I |
am picking the Braves to finish
sixth this year. Boston has added
some hitting strength, but is like
ly to miss Maguire's great field
ing. 1 can't see the Phils. with
their pitching. beating out the
McKechnie boys, though I know
the QuakerS excel considerably |
on the attack.
I must pick the Reds for last
place in spite of the addition of
Babe Herman whose hitting is
likely to win many a ball game.
Cincinnati lacks both hitting and
pitching strength.
WTs Hr su