Evening star., 1938-04-11
BALKERS CONTROL
YANK, GIANT FATES
Di Mag's Ho|dout, Refusal of
Cast|eman to HurI Upset
Baseball Prophets.
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Associated Press Sports Writer,

NEW YORK, April 11.-One week
before the umpires get out their whisk
brooms the baseball forecasters are be-
ginning to feel an active sympathy
for the weather man, who predicted
fair and warmer" for the day last
week that saw S inches of snow settle
on Manhattan.
Even the most redoubtable of the
old-line experts are putting off their
pennant picks as long as possible, or
else they are naming the Yankees and
Giants to repeat and then filling up
the remainder of the column with ifs"
Almost equally responsible for this
uncertain state of affairs are two young
men, Joe Di Maggie of the Yankees
and Clydell Castleman Of the Giants.
Dl Maggie still refuses to report to
the Yanks for any such insignificant
salary as $4,000 a year. Castleman
has reported to the Giants, all right,
but he refuses to pitch. It's mess.
Di Mag. Castleman Key Men.
The Yanks. with Di Maggie in the
fold and satisfied, would be over
whelming favorites for their third
straight American League champion
ship. If Joe still is conducting his
h-and-chips shop week from today,
when the Rupperts open their season,
the race automatically becomes a
dinger, with the Cleveland Indians this
writer's choice.
The case Of Castleman and the
Giants is almost as clean-cut. 1t has
become obvious that Col. Bill Terry
will need barrelful of luck to beat
out Charley Grimm's Chicago Cubs un-
less he produces another starting
pitcher. and winning one at that.
A month ago the colonel thought
that Tom Baker would fill the role
and he didn't care at that time wheth-
er Castleman reported. He was very
sarcastic about Castleman's lame
back. and said fatty that Sticks"
ailment was imaginary But since
that time Baker has Topped and Hal
Schumacher went to pieces in the
middle Of game the other day.
Giants Lefties Need Help.
This leaves the Giants with a total
OF two dependable pitchers, Carl Hub
bell and Slim Melton. They are the
two best southpaws in the National
League and all that, but they need
help. Castleman, a potential 2O-game
winner. looms as the only answer.
Late last season Castleman under
Uonf q Io1ipo{o -.
back. According to the doctors. he
came out of it we'll man. But
Castleman, who insists that he knows
more about himself than anybody else,
refused to report and he ignored the
caust1c messages he received from
Terry Now he has Joined the club,
but he's taking things easy and says
he might not be ready to pitch for a
couple months.
II must be a sort Of judgment on
Terry. Since he took over from the
late John McGraw the Giants have
been singularly free of individualists.
Castleman Obstinate.
Castleman alone has refused to sub
NIT to Terry's will Two seasons ago
Terry, with the explicit approval of
Owner Horace Stoneham, forced his
wlllful right-hander to stay in the box
and take an awful beating from Gin
cinnati for nine innings He called it
discipline" Last season he sent
Castleman to Jersey City to cure his
"laziness." The boy came back to win
II games before his lame back forced
him to quit.
And now Castleman appears to hold
the fate of the Giants in his hands.
II ne is well again and Terry can
talk him into pitching, pick the Giants
II not, how do you like those Cubs?