The Washington times., 1934-03-30

fThtS Is the second OF ttD0 1rtt-
cLes By DGDtS J. Walsh, "hGrdic1p-
ping" the major league baseball
races, tollotDing tour OF the
Southern training cnmpS.)
By DAVIS ]. WALSH
NEW YORK, March 3O.-m-
stead Of only naming one
club as the best in the National
League, I've become very impul-
S1ve. I'm naming two, while others
proceed blindly along strictly con-
ventional and narrow-minded lines.
One Of the clubs is the New York
Giants, the best in baseball at the
cloje Of the 1888 season; the other,
the st. Louis Cardinals, may be the
best at the end of 1884.
Right now, they look remarkably
equal. One stands out in the in
field, the other has the hitting.
Both have great pitching. Anyway,
this IS the way the strength Of
the league seems to line up, with
the reservation that we are refer
ring to the only thing anybody
can hope to know about at this
time, namely, late March and
early April strength.
/. New York Giants and st.
Louis Cardinals.
3. Chicago Cubs.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates.
5. Boston Braves.
6. Brooklyn Dodgers.
2. Cincinnati Reds.
8. PhiIlies.
Hold Equal Chance
The Cardinals figure to me as
an equal chance because, frankly,
I don't see how you can do any
thing else with club that has
added a $50 hitter in Virgil Davis,
plus its general punch and the
pitching it must get this time.
Moreover, it figures to have full
time shortstop in there this time
for 154 games, and there's only
one reason the total testimony
can't be sure of carrying the Car
dinals all the way from fifth to
first. The rules don't allow two
firsts.
Hard to Realize
In other words, it's hard to Wis
ualize anybody in there in front
of the Giants. They looked every
inch the part at the finish Of last
year-tremendous pitching, one Of
the best infields in baseball Gt'u
be better this time), a good out
field and first-rate catching. They,
in fact, ought to win again, and
I'm not the kind of mouth organ
who's going to step out there and
say they won't. Nevertheless,
they're no better than man-for-
man stand off with the Cardinals
right now, although there's one
more reservation I'd like to weigh
in with.
The Cubs will have more this
time With Klein and his hitting,
but it won't be quite enough.
They haven't got the pitching. OF
the other pair and the defense
might not stand up all the way
notably in the cases of Cuyler,
Stephenson and Grimm. The P1-
rates somehow haven't quite got
it, either, although nobody can
saw exactly why. They might have
won last year. But they didn't
and the feeling is genera this one
chance was probably their last.
The addition of Red Lucas to
the pitching will help, the sub
traction of Piet from the lnfleld
won't. otherwise, the club is
pretty much the same, which may
come under the head Of unspoken
criticism.
No Batting Punch
That seems to go for the
Braves. They have fine pitching
but the outfield doesn't hit
enough and the infield doesn't hit
at all. I wouldn't be surprised to
see the Braves do some trading
before long, which, as a general
thing, means giving up what you'd
like to keep in order to get some
thing you'd like to have. So much
for the clubs that count.
Among those who don't are the
Dodgers, Reds and Phillies. and
I've rated them the way I have
for the following reasons:
Dodgers-Haven't really lost any
thing, except a manager who "a
vored corn flakes and calesthenics,
both Of them a bit too early in
the morning.
Reds-Haven't gained enough to
60 any higher.
Phillies- lost too much,
starting with Klein and v. Davis.
AS for the finish, 1 suspect they'll
be able to do that all by them
selves.