Evening star., 1940-03-18
From the
Press Box
Some Hope for Reds,
Even Though Unsound


Even Though Unsound
BY JOHN LARDNER,
Special Correspondent Of The Star
TAMPA, Fla, March 10 (NA.NA).
The Yankees proved last fall that
the Cincinnati Reds are an unsound
team. Under heavy pressure, the
Reds cracked infallibly at the weak
points-around second base, in left
field, and in the hitting department.
This certainly doesn't mean that
the Cincinnati club won't win the
pennant in the National League
again. Unsound teams have won the
National League pennant for the last
several years. It's a weak league.
The last really sound and balanced
ball club to gain the World Series
from the National side was the st.
Louis Cardinals of 1890 and 1881.
Remember them? They split a
pair of World Series with a great
team of Athletics. They had real
pitching down the line-Grimes,
Haines, Hallahan, Rhem, Derringer.
They had couple of catchers youd
60 far to match-Jimmy Wilson and
Gus Mancuso. The infield was fast
and tight-Bottomley. Frisch, Gel
bert and Adams, with enough slug
ging from Bottomley to keep another
slugger like Ripper Collins on the
bench. The great Chick Hafey was
in the outfield, flanked by competent
ballhaWks like Blades, Watkins and
Douthit.
No Even Strength Seen
In Reds This Year
There is no such even strength
In the present National League
champions, the Reds, Wally Berger
betrayed the left-feld weakness in
the first game of the series. The
Cincinnati batting order called for
strong hitting by Harry Craft, never
a true hitter, and in this series Craft
was the all-American out. In the
closing game, when the Yanks had
run out of starting pitchers and the
Reds could easily have won, the
faulty second-base combination fell
apart, and double mechanical error
by Frey and Myers presented the
Yankees with game, set and match
On strong and sound team the
catcher should be quick and alert
as we'll as hitter. lombard has
his valuable points, but he's neither
quick nor alert. Harsh though this
back-seat judgment may sound,
think the Reds had only three men
who really belonged in a world
series - Frank Mccormick, Ival
Goodman and Paul Derringer.
I'll grant you that ball team
can win a World Series, a shor set
of games, with nothing much but
two pitchers. The New York Giants
proved that in 1888, with a mediocre
team bulwarked by Hubbell and
Schumacher.
Walters Greet Pitcher
Only in Own League
The White Sox OF 1906, the hit
less wonders, turned the same trick,
though they had three pitchers
Walsh, White and Altrock.
The Reds had only one real series
pitcher last year, Derringer. Bucky
Walters is fine pitcher in the Ma
tional League, but his gifts are
specially adapted to that league and
there always is better than even
chance that they won't stand up un-
der World Series pressure. The way
it happened the pressure of great
ball club was too much for every
Red but Derringer and Mccormick
and the team fell apart.
Right there is the answer to the
National League race of 1910. The
Reds can win if they get no stronger
competition than they did last year
They have certain assets including
q fine manager who follows the turn
of every card in his league. They
don't figure to be any worse. The
World Series did not break their
spirit completely.
But place them under the steady
pressure of year-long race with a
good team and they'll break at those
same fatal seams.
Fast Stort Apt to Mean
Pennont for Cards
That is quite likely to happen this
year if the st. Louis Cardinals get
away we'll in motion" as they say
at the race track, and make it a
contest from the start.
Last year Branch hickey under
rated his Cardinal club and failed
to bring up certain minor league
operatives who were ready to win
for him-Max Lanier, for instance
Then, too, the new manager, Ray
Blades. knew nothing about his
team, and it took him a couple o1
months to find out what he had.
A slow start by the Cards was al
that won for the Reds. A quick
start by the Cards this year car
be fatal to Cincinnati.
would say it was in the satche
but for the fact that no team man.
aged by Bill McKechnie is easy fol
another National League team te
beat. McKechnie is by all odd:
Cincinnati's greatest asset. HI
knows the track, he has a sense o1
pace, he can rate his amount alons
and he will get everything out o.
the animal it has to give.
The people of Cincinnati shoule
build a statue, or at least a birf
bath, to this sterling character
They have something there.