Evening star., 1939-07-14
From the
Press Box
Goodman Injury Leaves
Reds on Ragged Edge
BY JOHN LARDNER,
pecial Correspondent Of The Star.

BY JOHN LARDNER,
Special Correspondent of The Star.
NEW YORK, July IA N.A.N.A.).-I
Bill McKechnie, Cincinnati man
ager, goes around whistling mourn
fully through his teeth these days
to the tune of an old Ethel Waters
number: Hes a Goodman to Have
Around"
Miss Waters used to sing it, But
I Couldn't Pull the Trigger, the
Son-of-a-Gun Is a Good Man to
Have Around" In the all-star game
this week, Yankee thug by the
name of George Selkirk pulled the
trigger on Ival Goodman, the Red
outf1elder, and Ival, diving for Sill
kinks bullet line drive, busted his
shoulder. Now the rueful truth is
out. What does the Cincinnati out
Held amount to without q Good
man?
From the very beginning of the
season 1t was evident that Mr.. Nc
Kechnie's ball club, though primed
with pitching and loaded for bear,
was somewhat thin around the
edges. Bill had to buy himself a
new third baseman, William Werber.
at the last moment. He said that
his outf1eld would go with Good
man, Harry Craft and Walter Ber-
ger, but there must have been mis-
glvlngs In the good gray wizards
mind. Berger? No field. Craft?
No hit. Reserves. No soap. Good
man was his money in the bank.
Chance For Inspired
Second-strine
Now, it may happen, as it has
happened before, that a second
stringer like Bordagaray or Bongio-
vanni will catch fire in this ener-
gency, fill Goodman's boots till black
1val returns to the front, and hold
the Reds together. But it's
gamble that Mr.. McKechnie hates
to find himself taking.
The team which leads the Ma
tional League today is a pitching
team, with the most powerful staff
collected under one National League
banner since Bill Terry won the pen
nant in 1888 with Hubbell, Schu-
macher, Fitzsimmons and Parmelee
starting and Luque and Bell in the
bullpen.
Pennants can be won with pitch
Ing like that, and not much else, as
the '33 Giants demonstrated. With
Walters, Derringer, Grissom, Moore.
Davis, Wander Nicer and Thompson
the Reds hold a good hand. The
records prove 1t, for, outside of
pitching, McKechnie's team does lit
tie more than match the Giants of
1888, sometimes referred to as the |
worst team that ever won a major
league pennant.
The Reds with Goodman, McCor-
e mick and Lombardi, have a strong
one-two-three punch in the middle |
OF the batting order. The Giants
had only one-two punch, with OFT |
and Terry. But the Giants had a
fine all-around outfielder and dam
gerous hitter to pair with OFT in Joe
Moore. They had tighter defense
around second base, first with Critz
and Jackson and then with Critz
and Ryan. In Gus Mancuso they
had better catcher than lombard,
though Lombardi is plenty good.
And without Goodman? Well |
where would the giants have been
without OFT?
It's true that Goodman will not |
be out for long. The Reds still lead
the League, they still have the best
chance to win. This sermon is de- |
signed only to show that the club
has almost no margin of safety
and the same thing can be said for
every other National League club,
with the exception of the Pirates,
who have better than average re-
serve strength in the infield and out
field. The Pirate pitching? Skip it.
Mckechnie Stor Manager
Hos no illusions
Will McKechnie, the leagues best
manager, has no illusions.
mo one ever claimed we have the
strength and balance of the Yankees,
for instance" says the deacon, land
the Yankees 60 out and lose five
straight in three days. Those slumps
will hit the best of ball clubs, so
why not us? We haven't got much
edge on our field Just little. Well
be up and down before we win any
pennants in this league.
"The Goodman accident was a bad
break, but I've never seen the sea-
son yet where haven't had at least
one bad break. Why shouldn't I? I'm
in no partnership with Lady Luck.
The other teams have been hit, too.
That was bad knock the Cardinals
got when Pepper Martin hurt him.
self sliding. They were winning with
Pepper in there Without him, there's
q spark missing.
pittsburgh has had no luck with
Blanton and Bauers, who figured to
be their best pitchers. Tony Cucci-
nello got laid up at a time when
Boston was. going good. Bryant's
arm went on the bum, and the Cubs
haven't been winning the games he
Inquired to win for them.
IT Goodman comes back in good
shape, and nothing happens to the
rest OF my key men, III have no COM
plant. But I don't feel so good
right now," says Mr.. McKechnie,
sliding away, with a mournful tune
IN his teeth-for the son-of-a-gun
is Goodman to have around. |