Evening star., 1938-03-20
American League Flag Race No Runaway This YearDykes
PLACES NATIONALS.
WITH TOUGH CLUBS
Traynor SHES From Naming
Senior Loop Winner, but
Figures Four Teams.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

sSNs w WI ~ShbsSe
BY GRANTLAND RICE.
LOS ANGELES, March 19.-There
Is a brace of challengers fluttering
around this now golden Southern Cali
fornia air who insist they are going
to bother the leaders quite bit, even
If they don't win pennant. They
happen to be the Pittsburgh Pirates
and the Chicago White Sox, who are
not being picked to finish better than
third in either league by their leading
rivals.
Well take up the case of the Pirates
first. We happened to drop in with
Ring Lardner on the Pirate camp at
Paso Robles 13 years ago. when Pie
Traynor and Glenn Wright were pair
Of young ballplayers and rookie
named Paul Waner had just blown in.
Pie Traynor told me then that Paul
Waner was the best-looking rookie
he'd ever seen-especially as hitter
which makes Pie fair prophet any
how. Pie went along to become one
Of the great third basemen of all time,
but so far he still has to win q pen-
nant after four years up in the front
seat.
How It Looks.
"The same old story" he said, sin
our league-another -cornered
race. The winner? I only wish I
knew. It's anybody's flag among the
top four. I'm trying out Johnny Rizzo,
a hard-hitting kid we got from Colum-
bus, with the Waner brothers, and, if
he comes through as he really should,
It will make big difference.
I'VE ought to have more than our
share of the old wallop with the
Waners, Arky Vaughan. Rizzo and one
or two others, so it gets down to the
pitching again. Pittsburgh hasn't won
q pennant in 10 years-So We are about
due.
I'VE have Cy Blanton, Bill Swift,
Red Lucas, Ed Brandt and several
others, but to win pennant today you
usually have to have pitchers who can
win more than 20 games each. You
know what happened when the two
Deans picked up 40 wins one year and
A the next. You know what happened
when Carl Hubbell and Cliff Melton
gave the Giants more than 40 victories
last year. Tow standout pitchers can
carry ball club along. They keep you
out Of slumps and losing streaks. They
keep you up there. We've missed that
part of it.
This should be another hot finish.
We know both the Giants and Cubs are
good again. The Cardinals might be
just as good if the Deans come back
or if Dizzy has another big year with
Lon Warneke around. I think we'll
hold up better than we did last year.
Few teams have Paul Waner and an
Arky Vaughan on hand to score and
drive in runs. But we need one or two
20-game pitchers-which are some-
what rare today"
Jimmy Dykes Speaks.
Pie Traynor has the Cubs, Giants
and Cardinals to think about. But
Jimmy Dykes has to look in the gen.
eral direction of Joe McCarthy's New
York Yankees. That's something else
again.
Il don't have to tell you," Jimmy
said, that those Yankees are some
thing to beat. But you never can tell
when a great club suddenly will start
to slip. No one can tell that. It lust
happens-and it happens to them all.
Maybe this Is the year. If SO. the
White Sox will be out there again
hustling for the top spot So will the
Tigers and the Cleveland Indians
washington will be improved-a better
ball club. If the Yankees are getting
ready to slip little there'll be several
OF us ready to crowd in on the main
show.
I told you just year ago they
might beat us, but none Of them would
outhustle us. That still goes. We've
hustled our way up for two years now
What About the White Sox?
The White Sox? I feel sure Gerald
Walker and Marvin Owen will help us
lot. They'll help us in places we
needed help. We have bunch of good
ball players on this club-Luke Ap-
pling, Rip Radclif1, Monty Stratton,
Johnny Whitehead, Ted Lyons, Mike
kreevich and now Joe Kuhel. Like
every other club. we could use one or
two more good pitchers. But they are
hard to get"
CLARK Griffith told me-" I said to
Comdr. Dykes, that he thought the
Yankees were about due to hit the old
skid-too much winning"
I hope the Old Fox is right" Dykes
said. Hes one of the smartest in
baseball. I'll say this, though, I don't
oelieve there will be another runaway
race IN the American League.
I'm not saying the Yankees are 90
Ing to blow wide open and hit the
soapy chute. They have too many OUT
standing stars still left. Lou Gehrie
still looks pretty healthy. Joe Di Mar
gio Is just a kid. They tell me Young
Gordon at second Is another star. It's
still what you might call a fair ball
club. taken one way and another, Just
imagine ball club that happened to
nave Babe Ruth and Gehrig together
then Gehrig and Di Maggie. Plus
the rest of the cast.
Il honestly think we'll have a real
race this year." Dykes continued. mot
another romp. Oscar Witt will bring
that Cleveland club along-especiallv
II young Bob Feller has a good year. I
think the Tigers will be stronger. and
they may be poison If Rowe can kick
IN with his share. know we'll be bet
ter. Boston and Washington will be
improved. We've still got to keep those
Yankees in check. think this time
we have the chance to make it much
better race. Anyway, we'll have a lot
OF innocent fun out there trying,
Don't forget there are no sure things
In sport"
tcopyriEht. 1898. BY the North American
Newspaper Alliance, 1nc.)
SUNDAY LEAGUE CALLED
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