The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-04-18

&OA OPCAAAAAE Ady OSoCHcSA4 ~
an institution among our kind.
The day is as much a fixture as
any of the ordained holidays.
Tomorrow the same teams play,
perhaps o better game Of ball,
but there won't be the color and
the crowd nor the band nor the
bunting.
Griffs Are Rated
BY its fondest wishers among
the exporting gentry, Washing
ton is being pegged to finish
fourth, but the cold, unbiased
analysts tell us the team is no
better than sixth, the notch
assumed by them last year.
/ believe the better part Of
judgment would be to set them
down for fifth. The addition of
Zeke Bonura to round out q
super-poWered infield, together
with an outfield personnel Of
seven men from which to keep
a virile hitting combination in
the game, certainly justifies tag
ging the Griffs a flight above
last seasons finish.
But who winds up fourth, flint
or sixth is not important in the
grand scale. The eternal cues.
ton again is: who's going to
stop the Yankees?"
Detroit and Cleveland seem to
be the nominees for this as
signment, provided indeed any
body can push the Yanks
aside.
Class of the League
Even without Joe DiMaggio,
who will eventually come stroll
ing into the fold on a two-year
compromise program no doubt,
the New York club remains the
class Of the league.
Gomez and Ruffing form a
pitching nucleus any team in
the league might covet. George
Selkirk is carrying on superbly
in the outfield while DiMaggio
pouts and Manager Joe Nc
Carthy has stamped Joe Gordon
as wearing becomingly the shoes
left empty by Tony Lazzeri.
So while the Yanks perforce
are experimenting in one spot in
the outfield and one in the in.
field, their main structure Of
the last two seasons is still in
tact with no signs of collapse.
Verify, they should again
march along in front, for the
caliber Is there.
Detroit has the batting punch
to make trouble, but can't match
it with pitching because School
boy Rowe has not been able to
stage his promised comeback
Tommy Bridges is also an un'
known quantity, being Temporal
rily on the shelf.
Vernon Kennedy has been i'm
ported from Chicago to give
hurting help to Auker and Law
son and may make up for the
doubt which surrounds Rowe
and Bridges. Gill and Selway
promising rockies, could tone up
the Tiger pitching to the point
where it might match the teams
admitted power, lead by the
amazing Rudy York.
CIeUeIonds Chances
{ Cleveland is the only other
club given the remotest chance
of thwarting the current
champs, because the Indians are
well off for pitching-provided
Bob Feller comes through-ano
their hitting is average and q
little better.
Rollie Hemsley has been i'm
ported from the Browns because
he has q way Of handling Teller
That leaves only the question as
to whether Manager Witt Car
handle Hemsley. With Bobby ar
irving in the dependable class
and Allen and Hudlin carrying
on as last year. the Indians
might menace Yankee suprem
acy. But that is most remote.
Meanwhile an interesting sit
uation arises in the National
League wherein the Cubs have
absorbed Dizzy Dean from the
Cards.
knocking at the pennant dool
for two seasons now, the Cubs
have fallen short before the New
York Giants, which themselves
lacked much of greatness. with
Dizzy Dean showing any frac
ton of his former effectiveness
the Cubs stand to sidetrack the
Giants and get back into the
World Series dough-.
While Dean won only l;
games last season, together with
Tex Carlton, Larry French, Bill
Lee and Clay Bryant, he figure!
to give the Cubs the best pitch
ing In the league.
In Dizzy's many flareupS witt
the Cards, he has ever asked X
be traded.
i He's gotten his wish at last