The Washington times., 1933-03-31
WALSH NAMES
PIRATES n. |.
FAVOR|TES
BY DAVIS ]. WALSH
International News Service Sports
Editor

international News Service Sports
Editor
NEW YORK, March 81. - If
this particular outburst had been
committed 48 hours ago, it
would have been necessary to
consider the Chicago Cubs as a
ball team with a man by the
name of Cuyler playing a great
deal of centerfield.
He will not play a great deal
of centerfield now or, In fact, any
at all, the gentleman having
broken a careless leg, which only
goes to show how penetrating
the press boys are. They did not
seem to know, even as much as
a few hours in advance, that
CuyIer intended to break his leg,
yet are able to say with absolute
assurance just what will happen
to entire ball teams six months
hence.
Kicked BY Horse q
I'm unable to do this, having
once been kicked by a horse, so
all I can do is talk about the
National League in relation to
its known or admitted or sus-
pected strength, as of March 81,
1888. Thus:
l. Pittsburgh Pirates
2. Chicago Cubs
3. PhilIieS
4. Brooklyn Dodgers
s: st. Louis Cardinals
6. New York Giants
Z. Boston Braves
8. Cincinnati Reds
AS it is, the loss of Cuyler for
six weeks or more, changes the
Cubs outlook without greatly al
tering their status. 1t only con-
firmer my impression that they
did what winning was coming to
them in 1892 and are not due this
time. Few teams come back off
the beating they took in the last
world series, anyhow. Besides,
Charley Grimm is victim of lum-
bago, which is pretty close to gout,
which is closer than that to old
age, and the slathering those
pitchers got from the Yanks was
significant. You don't make
cricket scores unless you're facing
cricket bowling.
Hysterical Infield
The Pirates aren't fool-proof.
Their infield got Mysteries and
their pitching went wire-haired in
the stretch last year but they al
most had enough then and, with
the addition of Lindstrom, they
have even a little more now. Per
haps, too, the young men have
been able to master their compos-
ure in the meantime. Anyhow,
they look the part of the best
club in the league right now.
Perhaps I've got the Phillies
too high and the Cardinals, Giants
and Braves too low. Naturally,
don't think so. The Phillies, out
side of pitching, have everything
a ball club needs, even a fair Sec
ond baseman where last year they
had a minor Lacquer. It isn't
going zoo far with them to take
them from fourth to third place
under these circumstances.
The Giants? No Shortstop, or
at least none until Jackson proves
that he can go again. Likewise
almost no second baseman: any
how, not the last time I heard.
Furthermore, one pitcher. I can't
see the Giants as having i'm
proved their sixth-place rating Of
1882.
will Miss BOttOmley
The Cards? Great pitching,
good hitting and an infield that
only Joe Cantillon could appre-
ciate. Hornsby, who wasn't good
enough for the Cubs. Slade, who
wasn't good enough for the
Dodgers, Bottomley gone: they'll
miss his hitting. Colbert prob
ably out for the year; that young
man alone represents the differ
ence between real contender and
the second division.
The Braves? Same old story.
no punch, plus the fact that
Maranville, the spark. is finally
beginning to flicker. They've al
ways been spring winners. This
time they're not. That isn't
necessarily conclusive but I don't
suppose it has caused anybody to
wire on ahead to the committee
of welcome, either.
The Reds, in fact, may come
on to beat the Braves or even the
Giants or even both. They may
be just another ball club but
Ia nankndHl1s