The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-10-29
TODAY'S
SPORT
PARADE

Detroit, October 70. - (UP) -
With the opening of the next base
ball season only a little more than
five months away I'm sorry to be so
late with this analysis OF Detroit's
chances of successfully defending
its American League championship
in 1941.
It's a simple analysis, too, be-
cause boiled down to its essential
oils it is nothink more than this:
The Tigers have just about as much
chance Of repeating as Hitler has
of winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
AL they lack in the way of equip
ment is three-fourts of an inf1eld,
one-third of an outfield, and a
pitching staff strong enough to
give Bobo Newsom time enough to
get a shave, shine and haircut once
a month.
No team ever won an American
League championship with as bad
a second base combination as the
Tigers did this year. All Bartell
could do toward the close Of the
season was to holler, and Gehringer
was too tired and too full of aches
t odo even that. Nevertheless, the
Tiger combination of 1941 figures
to be even worse, what with crou-
cher replacing Bartell and Meyer
taking over Gehringer's old setnd.
Croucher has talen enought to be
a whale of shortstop but he Is
scared to death of a major League
Uniform. Throw him against minor
leaguers in spring exhibitions and
he is sensational. But he gets buck
fever when working against majors.
AS for Meyer, he is a victim Of
the football he played in college.
He is muscle bound about the
shoulders and chest and can't
throw. The Detroit Club has en-
gagged an osteopath to work on
Meyer each day until he reports for
spring training in the hope of loos-
| ening him up. If this doesn't work
the Tigers may have to bring up the
osteopath and play him, infielders
being as scarce as they are these
days.
The big Indian, York, is the only
man really set in the Tiger infleld,
Higgins had great year at third
but he is getting no younger, as
who Is?
Two Thirds ok.
The Tiger outfield Is fine as long
as you don't look toward right field.
Greenberg will be in left and the
best young outfielder in baseball,
McCoskey, in center. The Tigers
used four right fielders this year =
Averill, Campbell, Fox, and Stain
back. Next year they'll probably
have to use five.
The catching will be all right.
Better than all right, as a matter
of fact, because in Sullivan and
Tebbetts the Tigers have the best
pair of catchers in the league.
The pitching staff has lots Of
names but little stuff. Newsom,
of course, is terrific. He'll probably
be better next year than he was this
season, now that he has finally
learned to do more than just rear
back and chunk the ball past the
hitters.
Rowe's World Series collapse in
dicated that he may be through for
good. Trout's collapse indicated
taht he may be through for good.
Trout's collapse indicated that he
never did have much and that only
the patience of Manager Baker has
kept him around this long. Bridges
was a onece-a-week worker this
year and probably viii need fort
night of rest next summer.
The pitching White Hope is Gle
bell, the youngster who whipped
Cleveland In the game that clinched
the pennant for the Tigers. No one
around here feels that Hutchinson,
for whom the Tigers gave $4,000
and five players, ever will be ball
of fire.
The only way, the Tigers could
defeat would be for the Yankees
and the Indians to refuse to i'm
prove themselves over the winter.
That is, to say jusT as inept as
they were this year. The Yanks are
cinch to refuse to be this consider
ate, and the Indians, given new
manager to fight with, probably
win be tougher.