Evening star., 1942-09-26
ards Set Land Pennant Knockout but Dodgers Still Are Full Of Fight
Lone Win Over Cubs
Will Earn Title
For Red Birds
Club Is in Fine FettIe
For FinoI Two Games
After Day Of Rest
BY CHARLES DUNKLEY,

BY CHARLES DUNKLEY,
Associated Press Sports Writer.
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 26.-The first
National League pennant in eight
years may be luttering over Sports
mans Park, home of the st. Louis
Cardinals, before dusk tonight.
The amazing Cardinals, behind
the pitching Of either Ernie White
or Max Lanier, both lefthanders,
play the Chicago Cubs today In the
first Of two-game series that comes
to jittery end tomorrow. If the
Cards win just one game-or Brook
lyn loses either of It's remaining two
games-the championship goes to St.
Louis for the sixth time since 1925.
The Cards now lead by two games.
Lon Warneke, the OIL Arkansas
hummin' bird, figures to draw the
pitching assignment for the Cubs.
Warneke, sold by the Cards last
July, lost heartbreaking 1-to-0
game to the Cards in Chicago last
Sunday-with a double steal beating
him, and with big Mort Cooper, st.
Louis ace Highlander, registering
his 21st victory.
Warneke Bearing Down."
Warneke, bearing no malice
against his former club for selling
him, and cutting him out of a
possible 5000 world series share,
nevertheless will bear down to the
limits Of his physical capabilities
to win.
'T sho' will" Warneke drawled
IN his best Arkansas dialect.
TITS either me or them. I've got
to keep the wolf away from my door.
too. I started Brooklyn on the
tailspin. I'll go after the Cards,
too
Refreshed by a days rest. and
with three ailing players, suffering
from colds, immensely improved,
the Cards are ready, eager and de-
termined for the finale that comes
tomorrow. They are supremely con-
hdent OF triumph, although they're
not mentioning the word "pennant."
not yet. They have won more games
than any National League team
since 1910 when the Cubs won 1O4
and will be seeking their 105th. The
hll-time high is far beyond the reach
OF the Redbirds. The Cubs of 1906
won 116 games.
Cards Snif1ers Better.
The shifting players-Outfelder
Enos Slaughter, First Baseman
Johnny Hopp, Pitcher Cooper-all
displayed signs of improvement.
Terry Moore, laid up for 10 days with
q pulled muscle in the calf of his
left leg, may return to centerfleld.
Rcpp may not get into the game.
however, because 23-year-old Ray
Sanders, rookie first baseman, is do
Ing such splendid job. South
worth figures couple more days of
rest will do Hopp lot Of good.
The Cards already have decided
on the split of the World Series pot.
but the division will not be revealed
until it has the approval of Kenesaw
Mountain Lands, commissioner of
baseball, to whom it must be sub
nitted. Lands probably will arrive
here no later than Tuesday to con-
clude the World Series arrange
ments.
The Cards made their decision in
q secret voting meeting held at the
ball park club house yesterday.
Southworth Mildly Boastful,
Billy Southworth is getting ready
TO sing the song of victory. What
the h--l! Well win it ourselves to-
day. We can win one out of two
games from anybody, anytime. and
you can get ready to start celebrat-
Ing tonight, I think the boys feel
the same way about it,"
That's about the most boastful
statement the pleasant little mana
ger has made about his teams
chances. II was about ready to
be made happy yesterday" South
worth added, f'but I didn't expect
any help. I still feel that we'll have
to win our game"
White, who may start for the
Cards today, has been rested since
he outpitched Pittsburgh's John
Gornicki, 2 to l, last Monday. He
spent all day yesterday In bed.
Outwardly the Cards are taking
their remarkable success calmly. but
beneath the surface they proba blv
are conscious Of the strain. For the
last 10 days they've been tighter
than a Scotsman, which probably
accounts for their drop in hitting.
Cooper's Record Amazing.
II baseballs war Of nerves is un-
decided "A hours hence, Claude Pas
seau will do the pitching for the
Cubs In the finale tomorrow.
Cooper, the Cards 22-game win
ner. is ready to return to the strue-
gle tomorrow, If needed. Cooper is
finishing an amazing season. He's
lost only seven. And he finished
each of the % games he won. In
279 innings, only 2OS hits were made
OF him
Since that fateful August s. when
the Beautiful Buns were basking in
a 10-game lead, the Dodgers nave
won % and lost 20 In the same
stretch the Cards have won Al out
of so.
PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE.
tSemifnal Playoffsl