Evening star., 1940-03-25
Yank Followers
Vaguely Sense
40 Crackup
Recall Moments Last
Season When Champs
Appeared Slipping
BY WHITNEY MARTIN,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, March
25.-There is vague feeling of un-
rest among close followers Of the
New York Yankees; the feeling OF
apprehension a healthy man might
experience in reading a book on
symptoms of various ailments.
Not that there is anything wrong
that they can put their finger on
and say: There's where it hurts"
On the contrary, the Yankees as a
unit appear disgustingly healthy,
and perhaps there is just a little
wishful thinking on the part of the
followers, who think that maybe too
much success might not be good for
club, and that it wouldn't do any
harm to have it break out with a
little losing rash.
for their apprehension, they recall
that there were times last season
when the world champions appeared
to be coming down with something,
only to have their tremendous vital
ity pull them through
Spottiness of 1899 Recalled.
There was the span, for instance,
when the Red Sox took five straight
games from the Yankees, giving the
league as whole boost by show
ing that no club is invulnerable, and
| also giving Manager Joe Mccarthy
such fright that it is reported
he seriously considered making a
change at first base
There were those steamy August
days. also. when his 80 years
weighed heavily on Catcher Bill
Dickey, and he would droop into
the clubhouse after game so tired
he just wanted to sit And without
Catcher Bill Dickey the world cham
pion Yankees might be just the
Yankees.
And there were two occasions
when Red Rulings 34-year-old
right arm developed kinks never be-
fore apparent, and this year that
right arm is year older. Bill
Dickev also is no younger, and the
Red Sox. and possibly some other
teams, may be just little better.
To look at the Yankees is to look
at the same team, with two or three
additions. which took four straight
from the Cincinnati Reds in the
World Series The players appear
like champions and they act like
champions, going about even the
casual business of playing catch
with the grim seriousness of young
men to whom baseball is more than
game
One thing seems certain-tha-
barring possible added power in the
pitching department. the team can't
be much better than it was last
year Babe Dahlgren might improve
his batting average a little. and the
same is true of Frank Crosetti.
Little Room for Improvement.
But fellows like Joe Di Maggie
and Charley Keller. can't improve
much. In fact, if their 1910 seasons
are as good as last year they prob
ably will be offering mutual con-
gratulations. Keller possibly might
increase his batting average with a
full season to work on, but his 1884
wasn't exactly feeble.
| Aside from their air of self
assurance, the Yankees right now
are just another major league team
in spring training. winning some
games, losing some games. Nobody
could offer an accurate prediction
On what he sees here, although he
might form a stout opinion after
watching the stream of Di Maggios,
Gordons, Rolfes, Kellers and Selkirks
pour up to the plate in batting prac-
tice and knock the ball into the
next county.
No. there's nothing wrong with the
Yanks that the eye can see. but still
that feeling persists, the feeling
based on the knowledge that even
last year McCarthy's musketeers had
their moments of uncertainty. that
the added year may take a heavy
toll from key men, and that even a
dollar bill can be broken up so it
becomes just small change.
But we still like EN-.