The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-04-02
BY GEORGE KIRKSEY

BY GEORGE KIRKSEY
 United Press Staff Correspondent
 St. Petersburg, Fla, April a. (UP)-If pennants were won on hit ting alone, the St. Louis Cardinals would run away with the National League flag this season. They have power personified with four definite contenders for the individual bat ting title in Mize, Padgett, Slaughter and Medwick, and team that can't miss winning the club batting cham pionShip.
 But pennants are won on pitching and are sometimes lost by a poor defense. The Cardinals have large question marks in both departments. Potentially, they have a pennant winning pitching staff, but the Car dinal system of handling pitchers has yet to prove its merit. Ray Blades had only one pitcher, Curt Davis, who worked in as many as 10 complete games last season.
 Pitchers Not Happy
 Blades daisy-chain design for handling pitchers keeps the staff upset from April until October. The star of the corps doesn't know when he'll be hauled off the bench to try and get another moundsman out of 8 jam. It is not a happy pitching staff, and my authority for that statement is Cardinal pitcher.
 The Cards superlative punch might yank the pitching staff along with ii, but the St. Louis inf1eld isn't of pennant winning class. Blades spent 26 days in St. Petersburg trying to find the right infield com bination, and left with the problem more ocuate than when he rarived.
 He knows that Johnny Mize will play first base, and that Jimmy Brown will play some other spot in the inf1eld, but he has no idea which it will be. The Card boss had hoped to play the scrappy Jimmy at third, but events in camp indicate he would do better at second or short. Where ever he plays, Brown will do bang up job. He's probably the most un- derrated ball player on the Card squad.
 For second base, Blades has to pick from Stu Martin, Jor Orengo, and Bob Repass. For short he has a choice of Martin Marion, Eddie Lake and Lyn Lary. Apparently Don Gut teridge, last years third baseman, has lost his job. Whatever combina- tion Blades picks will lack class. as g. unit and is certain to be slow at- taining the smooth coordination a pennant winner must have.
 The outtield is the leagues best but there may be tempest in left field before this season ends. Joe Medwick signed a contract he didn't like, and he seems to be in a mood to put no more into his play, than he thinks he is getting paid for. Terry Moore in center is a fielding marvel and he has improved his hit ting to such an extent that he may land in the 300 class. Enos Slaugh- ter, who hit 1920 last year, is definitely improved hitter and may get right into the scramble for the batting title.
 Behind the bat the Cards are well equipped - much better than the critics generally concede Don Padgett is greatly improved re- ceiver and is quite likely to murder the ball so hard and often it will be difficult to keep him out of the lineup. Mickey Owen is first class No. catcher.
 Left flanders Galore
 The Cards pitching is overloaded with left-handers with Max Lanier, Bob Weiland, Clyde Shoun and Tom Sunkel all flinching from the port side. Ernest White, perhaps the best of the rookie crop, is another lefty.
 Shoun and Bowman probably will be Blades principal relief pitchers but every man on the staff is likely to be drafted into the fireman's role if the occasion demands. Blades, taught in the Branch Rickey school, won't leave a pitcher in the box when he gets in a serious jam.
 If the Cards should win the right inf1eld combination overnight, Med- wick gets down off his highhorse and plays for the team instead of Joseph Michael Medwick, and the pitching staff can stave off a per- in by all concerned. The battle