The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-02-27
CROWN MAY BE
 THROUGH hS RED
 SOx SHORTSTOP
Manager May Shift Him. self Over to Third Base;
 Pesky Another Reese?
By JOE WILLIAMS

Sarasota, Fla, Feb. N-Manager Joe Cronin of the Boston Red Sox has very difficult decision to make this season. He must decide whether Shortstop Joe Cronin is still good enough to play big league baseball. That is at shortstop, 8 position dee handing youthful agility and mo- bility.
 One afternoon, come summer, Manager Cronin may have to take Shortstop Cronin aside and have long, heart to heart talk with him.
 He may have to say, Nov listen young fellow you've been around a long time. Maybe you're like all ball players; you've begun to slip but you don't know it, and you will be the first to deny it. But you've begun to slip all right. You can't move around out there as fast as you used to and a lot of bals are going through you for hits that you used to stop with your little finger. Sure, you can still hit that old apple and I don't know a gamer guy at the plate with men on but-wel, you just can't play shortstop any more."
 And Shortstop Cronin will look at Manager Cronin somewhat def1antly and mutter: And what does that mean?"
 Tt means I'm going to shift you over to third base where you won't be called upon to move around so oC tr 6n there and you can still come up with those hot ones and there's nothing wrong with your arm and we'll still have your power at the plate. I know lot of shortstopS who have moved over to third and added two or three years to their big league life. HowZe about it?"
 Uncertain
 Except for the dialogue, which is spun out of thin air, that's precisely the situation Cronin faces as he squares away down here for another managerial try with his frustrated Red Sox. He doesn't know himself whether he can make the grade at short again, and admits 1t. If, in the end, he Is forced to agree he has gone as far as he can he may shift to third or he may quit alto gether and become a bench man. ager. Sooner or later that must happen anyway, and the only ques- ton at the moment is whether 1t will happen this year. All he knows for sure now is that he is going to start at short and if he finds he can't carry on he's going to bring up a young shortstop named Pesky from the Louisville farm. a fellow he claims is just about as good as Pee Wee Reese of the Brooklyns. which may or may not be wishfui thinking.
 You don't begin to realize that Cronin is a real veteran until you stop to give it some thought.He was playing three years before Frank Crosetti who seems to be through as the Yankees shortstop. He start ed out two years before Dick Bar tell. another shortstop, who is one of Detroit's old men. He and Leo Durocherbroke in professionally the same year and Rurocher isn't likely to see much, if any active service at short with the Dodgers this year. As a rule shortstops don't last as long as other infielders. such as first basemen and third basemen. for example. The wear and tear physi- cally is greater. They work at, a split-secord tempo and any lessen ing of speed and resiliency can be destructive to defensive sharpness, and, repetitiously, can make pitch- ing 6 much tougher job, because it's the shortstop collaborating with the second baseman on double plays that pulls the pitcher out of jams.
 0Fonin has been a big leaeiier almost continuously for 10 years. EEe has Q life batting average of .3o2. fe is still one Of the best clutch hitteTs h baseball. He drove in III runs last year and hit % hoslieTs. This is one of the things that makes MonageT Cronin's problem with e. spect 70 Dh0Ftetop CFOaiii diinelilt. Tt Isn't easy Co eliminate that Kind of hitter from your calculations, Suppose AhoFteiop CF0nii dees blew hosle rune At short beeAuhe he isn't as agile as ho once wabi how about the greater number q runs the same gent drives in7 Wont tlio oils more