Imperial Valley press., 1932-06-24
SPORTS SPARADE'
OFFERS VARIETY
IN TCDAY'S NEWS
BY HENRY McLEMORE
limited Press Staff Correspondent

CHICAGO. June 24.-With the
season within a good mashie pitch
| of the halfway marker, the Nation
al league race continues to be closer
than two young things on park
/ bench.
Six games was that all that sep
arated the pace-setting Chicagos
and the tail-end Cincinnatis today
This is quite a contrast with the
American league where the YAM
KEGS have to use the long distance
telephone to talk with the second
place club, the radio to get IN touch
with the top of the second division,
and the rural free delivery to cor
respond with the Red SoX.
The Cubs are leading the Nation
al with the scrawny percentage OF
.557 This must prove something.
Just what, we aren't sure. One
school of thought has it that such
a skimp average indicates class up
and down the line. Another school
has it that when a club has won
but seven games more than 1t has
lost and can still top the process
sion. there is but one answer-a
decided lack of talent all the way
round.
The third school insists that the
Cubs are out to establish record
in the little matter of winning a
pennant with a hat size percentage.
The present mark is held by the
St Louis Cardinals, who, 1t Will nos
be remembered, won the flag IN
1926 with an average of .587, or 80
won. 65 lost This beat the .586
record of the 1908 Detroit Tigers.
A fourth school (P. S. No. II, cor
ner Oak and Main, Miss Anna Pea
body. principaD thinks that the
league is perfectly normal, with
but one exception. This exception
is the absence of a standout club.
This is the school to which your
correspondent subscribes. He sees
the national as composed OF eight
pretty good, fair to middlin, gar
den variety clubs. And he expects
to see them go neck and neck right
down to the wire.
Cards MISS fiayerS
Eight evenly matched teams in
a league is the exception, rather
than the rule, The usual lineup
calls for seven ordinary teams and
one hot number which, along about
the first of June, steps out and
starts cracking all and sundry on
the conk. or skull. The Cards did
this last year. The Yanks are do
ing it in the American right now.
Speaking of the 1881 Cards, what
a pushover they would have this
season had not the Messrs. Breardon
and Hickey been stricken with an
acute attack Of philanthropitis. II
st. Louis had the same team in the
field that kicked Philadelphia IN
the worlds series, they'd be out In
front by six WhoopS and a pasSei
of hollers. And what the current
edition of the Yankees would do to
the league if they were dropped IN
among the Reds and Phillies and
the Braves and the Giants would
be a caution.
In short a real ball club would
run off and leave the field stand
ing still.
Out here in Chicago the Cubs,
supporters take peak at the stand
ings each morning and wonder how
much longer it can last. Tney still
are trying to figure out whether
Hornsby is doing it with mirrors
or strings. They know it must be
one or the other, inasmIch as The
team has practically no outfiold at
all, and little or no catching staff.
But in looking for the teams weak
spots. the fans have overlooked the
downright amazing play Of those
youngsters Jurges and Herman, thc
great work of the reJuVenated
Grimm, a pitching staff which Is
Just about the best in the league
and the slimness Of the opposition.