The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-04-15
B., GEORGE KIRKsEY

NUmtSU FfoSS St0m correspondent
 New York, April 15.-(UP) The Chicago Cubs will win the National League pennant in a ding.dong, hair-raising race that will make i: me of the close finishes of the past resemble runaways.
 Five teams have pennant poSsi- bilities Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. They all may be breathing on each ot.--r's necks in late August or Sep- tember. They're so evenly balanced the loss of one key man by any of them will be disastrous. The other three clubs-Brooklyn, Boston and Priladelohia-can be counted out of the race.
 Promising Talent
 The Cubs will win because:
 Rip Collins will prove a left- haader can hit in Wrigley field and add the extra base power lacking lest year.
 2.-Phil Cavaretta, converted first baseman, will be sensation in cen- ter field.
 3.-Augi4 Galan, back in left field again, will stage comeback.
 4.-Inficld of Collins, Herman TL-ges-Hack will prove to be the class of league.
 5.-Leroy Parmelee, a changed man, will offset Lon Warneke's ab- Sence.
 6.-Manager Charlie Grimm has read the riot act to the loafers and playboys.
 fJo. 6 is important. Grimm has told the boys that the next Cub w 3 entertains any thought in ad- vance of losing will get his walk ins papers. Last fall one of the Cubs h1d his automobile waiting at the park to take him to his winter home, figuring the White Sox would win the deciding game of the city series.
 Loss of Warneke, traded to the Cardinals for Collins and Parmelee, is counted by some as putting big c1imp in the Cubs staff. But it We mt pitching that cost the Cubs { , flag last year; it was lack of cleanup hitter and failure to hus- tie. They still have plenty of pitch ing left: Lee, French, c. Davis, Par- melee, Carleton, Bryant and Shoun. Warneke won only 5 more games l. st than Parmelee, whose arm is better than in three years as re- suit of an operation.
 ., e Giants, last years champions, m y have a better ball club than they won the penna1t with in 1936. T ey lack punch, but have the pitching and a tight defense to make a scrap of it unless Johnny Mo- Certhy at first, Lou Chiozza at third and Flank Leiber in center flop.
 Up from second division to crowd their way into the pennant fight will come the Cincinnati Reds, the yc-r's most improved club. The Rc'.s could conceivably win the pen mart if their three young pitching finds, Grissoni, L. Moore and Van- de- Nicer, come through and the i cid knits together.
 Uncertain
 The St. Louis Cardinals, over- whelming choice of the experts and t., favorites, are loaded with "ifs." They can win all right but only if Paul Dean stages a comeback, Mickey owen proves he's a major league catcher, Stu Martin comes back, Johllny Mize shakes off his sl' .mps, Lon Warneke proves he can stand the St. Louis heat, and Don Gutteridge plugs third base. Dizzy D n can't carry the Cards alone, that's been proven two years run ming.
 Pittsburgh doesn't look right in fi;'ll place, but what can you do With club that hasn't lived up to expectations in 10 years. This may be the Pirates year, but the odds are against them. On arms and legs the Pirates can win, but something al- ways happens to them. Plenty of power but they lack pitching and arr addicted to critical blunders.
 And then the three also rans, the Dodgers, Bees and Phillies. Brook lyn has Van Mungo, who'll win 20 to 25 games, and that's 8 running stcrt for sixth place. Burleigh Crimes who's outlawed the daffy {, If, will keep the rest hustling enough to get that position.
 The best thing to be said about the Boston Bees is that they have ' yl McKechnie for manager. They lac, punch and cohesion and have a yawning gap at third. The Phillies 1 ave more pitching but less punch. They may be slightly improved but hardly enough to get out of the eel lar