Evening star., 1938-07-04
ODDS ST|LLFA
| YANKS T0REPEAT
Experts Also String With
Giants-Reds Surprise
Club of Year.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

BY GRANTLAND RICE.
NEW YORK, July To-day the
ma jor league teams round the turn
and head for October 2. Half the
season lies behind them and the other
and more important half lies ahead.
OF course, a game won in April or
May or June counts as heavily, in
the final summing up, as game won
in July or August or September. But
winning them from now on is likely
to be tougher, especially when the
races are as close in both leagues as
they are this year.
Then the pressure will be on In
fun. with the leaders struggling to
hold Or improve their positions and
knock their rivals of1-with the DAYS
clicking by rapidly and time drawing
short. In every pennant race there
is period Of loosening up, of learn
ing to coordinate, Of trying rockies
under fire for the first time. Then
the teams begin to settle into their
stride, and then, usually Just around
the Fourth of July, the race is on
in earnest and the managers are
driving their charges hard for the
wire.
There is an old tradition that the
team in first place on the Fourth
OF July will win the pennant. It
isn't an idle tradition. 1t has worked
out many times. 1t has lent hope
TO teams not so sure Of themselves
AND nPrchinU iy
place as the red rockets fared. II
has disturbed good teams that have
struggled hard through May and June
without reaching the top. This year
the fateful day finds the Indians
leading in the American League and
the Giants in the National-which
may mean everything or, considering
the closeness OF the races in both
leagues, nothing.
Strength Of the Indians.
No matter what happens the rest
OF the way, this has been the best race
IN the American League for some
years. The Yankees. having won with
such ease last year, generally were
expected to be holding reasonably safe
leao IN this years race by this time.
The Indians and the Tigers-or the
Tigers and the Indians, in the order
that some Of the experts rated them
were inquired TO give them their stiffest
competition. although the competition
was not expected to be stiff enough
10 mold them back very long.
Yet the Yanks have faltered at
times and been held up by injuries.
Inc Indians have been even stronger
than they figured to be and. with the
llgers fading, the Red Sox and the
senators have come on 1t has been
1ourcluo race, with any Of the clubs
strong enough to win. The Yankees
sClli are the favoriteS, but the prices
against the others have shortened and
the Yankees know they are in q touph
ana threatening spot II thev ever
expected to win as easily as thev did
a year ago. they do not expect to do
SO now. I have hunch that most of
them would settle right now for a
four-game edge at the finish.
Giants Are Tenacious.
Inc Giants. holding the lead In the
National League most of the vsv. have
oeen harrled by determined foes and
raked with injuries and illness But
the Giants are game and stubborn and
tenacious. They have patched up
thelr wounds and struck back At their
Toes and, on their showing 20 far. still
must be ranked as first choice IN th.
last. long run to the wire.
early indications were that the
Cuns would give the Giants tn.
closest rub-even might rub them o,,t
completely. The Reds? They looked
as II the top of the second division
would be their ceiling. The Pirates,
Good enough to wind up somewh.r.
IN the first division. but not ouit.
gooo enough to make real stab ar
the pennant.
But. one way or another. the cuhs
the Reds and the Pirates have shot
the dope full of holes The cuhs
haven't been as good as they appeared
on paper and the Reds and the Pirates
nave been better.
Inc Reds. OF course, have been the
surprise club Of the league. WELDING
solid punch and fielding we'll be-
hlnd the fine pitching of JOHNNY
wander Nicer and Paul Derringer. thew
have fired Cincinnati with high hone
OF q pennant. They are the fastest
most spirited and aggressive club on
the circuit. They may be outdis-
tanced in the rush from here on-b,t
losing them isn't going to be easy for
the other contenders.
The Pirate Surge.
Lately the Pirates, who looked nnt.
hopeless for \ brief time, have coma
surging toward the top Of the League.
Ihs Is q team that has looked ersat
Tor three or four years without ever
really getting anywhere. Maybe this
is the Pirates year, if not to win then
to come close enough to winning m
scare the wits out of the team that
does win.
Anyway. the signs are up that this
Will be anything but q dull summer
along the lanes where the big league
clubs swing. At the halfway marh
1t Is just as hard to. pick the two
winners a. it was when they were
lined up for the start in mid-Aur4l
tCopyright, 1888. By the North A.ns,,e.,
Newspaper Alliance. n,e.)