The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-03
By JOE WILLIAMS

New York, June S.-The National league hurly burly is getting to look more and more like two.horse race. It seems to Do heads or tails, Brooklyn or St. Louis Not even the most loyal follower of the Brooklyns can 90 to bed these nights serenely confident that his adored
 buns will be in the world series.
 And for c Brooklyn citizen this
 amounts to the darkest pessimisan.
 As c matter of fact, 1t is hard
 to split the two teams out. An examination of the statistics isn't much help. The Cardinals have the edge ct bat and in the field, but the figures aren't overwhelming, They also seem to Dc better around second base with about fifteen more double plays, but these figures could be, very likely are, misleading. Crespi and Marion are good, but would you trade them for Herman and Reese? On both sides there
 Is pitching in quantity and quality.
 Tn the end speed may be the de- termining factor. AS 6 group the Cardinals have the fastest motors They won't steal bases but they'll beat out hits and stretch hits. There was an impressive demonstration of that in yesterdays victory over the Brooklyns. Johnny Hopp stretched & double into e triple and scored the winning run on short fly; 1t was so short Medwick, appreciative of Hoops speed, hurried the throw and 1t was wide. These are the little things that win the close ones. The league has seen enough of the Car. dinals to know they'll be dangerous right down to the wire Even the Flatbush faithful admit this, an at. titude which practically verges on treason.
 Teller . Saviour
 Remnants aren't won in June, as Abner Doubleday once sagely oh- served. Or was 1t Cutlibert e. Cliche? By August or September the Clevelands may have re-eStab- lished their domination of the league. Right now they are stag ger1ng. Bob Teller seems to be holding them together. They have trouble winning without him. Yes terday he stopped another losing streak. It can scarcely be said he was glittering in his brilliance. Pitching cruditieS on the part of the Yankees Russo simplified his prob- lem, nullified two Henrich home runs. The value of a pitcher like Teller to a team cannot be over- stressed. He's Q rugged guarantee against disastrous tail-Spin. With a Teller around team can lose only so many games in row. Thus is eliminated the possibility of com l plete disintegration In the case of the Clevelands, whose resolution is not exactly fabulous, this could very easily be something more than just i & possibility. From here on the Clevelands must prove themselves; they must prove whether they are | good club or merely 8 club with the | greatest pitcher in the sport. If It isn't a good ball club the Cleve- | lands aren't going to win. Teller | alone isn't enough. Even Walter | Johnson in years past, wasn't, and | he was the best.
 Tanks Not Out of It
 Any one of several other clubs could win in the American league | If it had Teller. Certainly the Yam xees could. For all the uncertain, nept baseball they've played they | are still very much in the race. If Somcthing can be done to organ ze the pitching into Q dependable they may yet have Q vi- orant and forceful voice in the oennant conversations. They could probably go along even with Sturm 1t first base. At least he hits long oall once in a while. Pitching isn't chief worry now that he mas sensibly readjusted his infield. Russo is the big, throbbing head ache at the moment. The left. handler was expected to set the pace this year He started out as If he would, too. But something seems 10 have happened to him, mechan- cally or mentally. Instead of talk. Ing charge he is taking sfellackings. He's the kind of pitcher Mccarthy !