The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-28
CARDINALS WERE BIG 1884 SURPRISE
 IN BASEBALL RACE
Astounding Drive For Pen- flant and Championship
 Proved Thriller
By JACK CUDDY

Cardinals electrifying end surge to the National league pen nant, after one of the most topsy- turvy campaigns baseball ever knew, and their thrilling World Series victory over the formidable Detroit Tigers overshadowed by far any other phase of major league play in 1884.
 Dizzy Dean, clowning braggart of 8 pitcher, proved such an im- portant factor in the Cardinals success and such a likeable show man that he virtually replaced the fading Babe Ruth as the na- tion's abseball idol, temporarily at least.
 Guided By Frisch.
 Player-manager Frankie Frisch guided the Cards from fifth place to the world championship in his first full season at the helm, dup Heating Bill Terry's 1888 feat with Cochrane, also in his first season as Detroit's catcher-pilot, boosted the fifth-place Tigers to the Ann erican pennant.
 The Tigers wound up with an ususually high club batting mark of 300 and their most clorful pitcher, young Schoolboy Rowe, provided plenty of thrills during the season as he clicked off Is victories in a row to equal the American league record.
 Dizzy Dean established no marks for consecutive victories, but he became the first finger in his circuit to achieve 30 victories in one season since Grover Cleve- land Alexander turned the trick for Philadelphia in 1917. He was the first Cardinal hurler ever to register more than 27 wins. Dizzy 8 brother Paul won 19 games. Thus the Deans provided 49 pitching victories for the Cards. In addi- ton. Paul pitched the only no-hit game of the National season a. gainst Brooklyn on Sept 21. Dizzy not only replaced Carl Hubbell of the Giants as the National cir cults best won-and-lost pitcher, but he was given baseball's most valuable player award for the sea- son. Hubbell, however, retained his supremacy in allowed runs, with a percentage of 2.30 a game.
 Remarkable Drive.
 The Cards, whom few experts accorded pennant possibilities in preseason predictions, appeared deJtined for second division in mid season as they staggered along apparently hopelessly torn by dis sension. But on Sept 2. when seven full games behind the Giants, they launched one of the most remarkable drives ever rec- orded. While the Giants faltered because of poor hitting and un- certain fielding, the Cards forged ahead and clinched the pennant on the very last day of the cam paign.
 Meanwhile the American league race developed into a two-team contest between the Ranks and Tigers. The latter were full game behind on July 4, but see- sawed for the lead until Aug IA, when they opened Crucial ser ies' with the Tanks at New York and won three of the five games. They were never headed after that Washington, 1883 pennant winner. slumped from the top to seventh place-beset by injuries, weaken ed by uncertain pitching and be- sieged by hard luck.
 Red Sox Comeback.
 Ranking next in importance to the rise of the Cards and Tigers, was the jump of the Boston Red Sox from seventh to fourth place. despite the failure of Lefty Grove, the $10O,000 pitching beauty pur- chased by Owner Tom Yawkey from the Athletics. It was the first time the Red Sox wound up in first division in 15 years. However this rise did not hold for Bucky Harris his job as Red Sox man. , ager.
 deals in years, Clark Griffith of the Senators made post-season dicker in which Joe Cronin. play er-manager of the senators for two years, went to the Red Sox for about $150,000 in cash and Lyn Lary, Boston shortstop. Cron- in became player-manager or the Red Sox, and Griffith appointed Buck Harris his successor at the Washington helm.
 Although the Yankees slumped in the closing stages of the cam- paign, and Babe Ruth wound up his career as a regular player. the Tanks slugging first baseman swept batting and home run hon. ors in the American league. Also their ace pitcher. Lefty Gomez, corralled mound honors with 26 victories, for the most games won. and the low earned run average of 2.23.
 Three managerial changes oc- cured during the season. Third Baseman Pie Traynor became player-manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, replacing George Gibson in June. Chuck Dresser succeeded Catcher Bob O'Farrell as pilot of the Cincinnati Reds in July. In the American circuit, Third Basez man Jimmy Dykes replaced Lew Fonseca as player-manager at the helm of the Chicago White Sox, in May.
 No dramatist could have con- ceived a grand finale more in keep ing. with the tumultuous season than the turbulent world series which wound up in a near riot after Duck Medwick slid into the Tigers third baseman, Marvin Owen in the seventh and final game. Pop bottles and other mis- sIes were hurled by fans at Med- wick. and the situation became so aggravated that Commissioner Landis ordered the Cardinal play CT from the field, to restore order.
 A feature of the mid-season was the American leagues second straight victory over the National in the all-star game played be- fore 50.O0O fans at the Polo Grounds in New York. In that game, Carl Hubbell galvanized the fans by striking out five American circuit sluggers in a row: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx' Al Simmons and Joe Cronin.