Evening star., 1938-04-18
OPENING EVE MOVE
|SUNPRECEDENTED
Deans Shift Upsets Senior
Loop Forecasts-Major
Pilots Optimistic.
BY GAYLE TALBOT.
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Of the games great pitchers. from the
et- Louis Cardinals to the Chicago
Cubs In exchange for three players
and cash sum estimated up to
el60.000 still had the boys standing
around with their mouths aiar today
as the big campaign got off to jerky
start at Washington and Boston.
Catching everybody except the two
clubs concerned flat-footed. the trans
action caused bookmakers to shatter
all speed records in revising their odds
on the National League scramble,
brought q hurricane of protest from
st. Louis fans. and generally scraped
the polish of the American League
previews. in which the champion Few
York Yankees engaged the Boston RED
Sox and Washington's Nationals en-
tertained Connie Mack's Philadelphia
Athletics.
Never so far back as anybody could
remember had development so vitality
affecting pennant race been
broached on the eve Of conflict. Dean
scarcely will have time to move and
find his fit in a Cubs uniform before
oil Is teams in the two leagues go of
In cloud of dust tomorrow.
Frisch Moody. Grimm Gloats.
Manager frankie Frisch of the
Cards maintained a moody silence on
the loss Of his crack right-hander,
refused to say how 1t would affect his
teams chances. In the past, Frisch
on numerous occasions has said pri-
vately that he would love to struggle
along without Deans eccentric serv-
ices. But Dean has been a much
easier gent to get along with this
spring and there was no doubt that
Frisch and the Card players had high
hopes "Ole Diz" was going to make q
comeback and help pitch them to a
pennant.
Charley Grimm Of the Cubs made
no attempt to conceal his delight at
acquiring such pitcher as Dean. II
Dizzy regains his olden form the Chi.
cago mound staff will be power
house.
I'm tickled to death We got him."
said Cholly. Il wouldn't say this will
mean the National League pennant,
but 1t makes us better prepared"
In the opinion Of majority, this
was putting it mildly. The average
reaction among the fans was, We'll,
that means that the Cubs are in"
But Bill Terry of the Giants refused
to make any such concession. He
doesn't think Deans got it any more
Terry Is Skeptical.
II don't believe for a minute that
the man traded to Chicago Is the
Dizzy Dean we have known" said Bill
Il don't believe that Branch Hickey
would have let him go if he still were
a potential 20-game winner. So this
deal doesn't necessarily make the
Cubs q favorite to win the pennant.
Until I hear that Dean still Is the
pitcher he was two years ago, I will
60 on picking the Giants to win
again"
With Dean gone and Curt Davis, OBJ
tanned from Chicago in the deal, his
only potential pitching replacement.
the Cards 60 into the race . crazy
quilt club, weak except in their hit
ting. Some think they might even
slip into the second division. Pitts
hlrgh looks the only outfit capable Of
mixing 1t with the Cubs and Giants.
We won't buckle this year." prom
ked Manager Pie Traynor OF the
Pirates. I'VE have pitchers who can
go the route and we're as strong or
stronger at every position than last
year. We're headed for high places"
No other National League pilot held
out pennant hopes. Following Is their
comment on the festivities now at
hand.
Casey stengel, Boston: I'VE have
the best pitching staff in the league
and are hitting better than last year.
I'm saying fourth place, with a chance
to do even better"
McKechnie Not Boastful.
Bill McKechnie. Cincinnati: THE
Reds finished in the coal hole last year
~ games behind the fourth place
Cardinals. Clubs don't improve ~
games overnight, so count us out Of the
first DIVISION
Burleigh Grimes, Brooklyn: Whats
the use Of my picking the spot where
the Dodgers will finish. They'll pick
their own spot. and I hope it's several
notches higher than last year"
Jimmy Wilson, Philadelphia: mo
reason we can't finish NTH with any
break In luck. honestly believe
have better team than last year"
American League managers quoth
o. follows:
Joe Mccarthy, New York: TT Comes
and Rufnng are Is good as they were
last season. most Of my worries will
be over. I'll get enough out of the
rest of them to beat Cleveland and
the other oontending teams"
Mickey Cochrane, Detroit: Hard to
cay where we're going. We've got Just
q much power ~ last year. but It's
the pitching that's an IT, II Bridges
and some Of these kids come through,
we'll b all right"
Oscar Witt, Cleveland II won't even
admit I've 90 . good ball club. But
those pitchers look pretty good and
then there's our new third beseman,
Ken Keltner."
Crsnin, Harris Hopeful.
Joe Cronin, Boston: We've got .
good hitting and fielding club, but
svesything hinges on the pitching and
catching. II we get some help from
our young pitchers, well make the lirst
division"
BucAy Harris, washington: I'VE
have perhaps the best hitting infleld
In baseball. II Wes Ferrell gets the
breaks he deserves and Monte Weaver
comes hack as We expect and my
rockies. Chase and KrakAuskas. come
througi1-look outl"
Jimmy Dykes, Chicago: Luke Ap-
pling's loas vas . hard blow to take.
II Lou Berger comes through In Ap-
pling's shortstop Job. wen be In the
tight. II he docs not frankly. wen
be in bad way"
; Gabby Street. st. Louis: "I'm not
making any rash predictions, but be-
Hgve the team win do better than It
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