Evening star., 1942-09-29
Slab Southpaws
Make Redbirds
Fiery Threats
Southworth Hos Fine
Trio to Use After
Cooper's Stort
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
Star Staff Correspondent.

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 2e.-Mort
Cooper, the big, throwing
right t-hander who won % games
and who hasn't pitched in nearly a
week. is almost certainty to pitch
for the Cardinals in the opening
game of the first wartime World
Series since 1918. But if Cooper
misses-if the Yankees beat him
the Cards will not have shot their
bolts, according to st. Louisians.
Cooper is fast-baller and
right-hander, and the Yankees for
years have been making a fine liv-
ing off the strong-armed boys. But
Morris the logical choice to lead off.
If he loses. the Cards tasks will be
more difficult of course, but the Red
birds, young and unaccustomed to
World Series play as they are, don't
figure they're whipped Manager
Billy Southworth has three good
left-handers in Howard Pollet, Ernie
White and Max Lanier, and these
are the boys who eventually may
bring the National League its second
series victory in eight years.
Cards Not Due to Cool.
That's one commodity the Dodgers
lacked last year when they battled
the Yankees-left-handed pitching.
Brooklyn had only one lefty, old
Larry French, and the portsider
wasn't the hot streak pitcher he
was this season. In fact, Leo
Durocher didn't use him. He strung
along with Wyatt, Casey Higbie
and Fitzsimmons and lost brief but
hectic struggle with the world cham
pions
The Dodgers weren't outclassed in
the 1941 series. They got some bad
breaks. They lost with old Fitz
when he was struck on the kneecap
by a line drive. They lost another
game when Catcher Mickey Owen
missed that celebrated third strike.
Here in st. Louis the fans don't
expect the Cards to make any mis-
takes. 1t is pointed out, and with
justification, that few, if any, mis-
takes were made during the Red
birds great rush down the stretch.
The Cards are hot, they add, and
there is no reason to expect them
to cool off.
Redbirds Have Definite Chance.
The writer likes the Cardinals
chances. They seem to have az
even chance, what with those left
handlers to throw against the Yam
KEGS. Moreover, they have the old
college try. They are hard running,
never-Say-die base runners.
They're not all young kids, either.
There is certain balance to the
club. Men like Jimmy Brown. Enos
Slaughter and Terry Moore didn't
bob up yesterday. Martin Marion,
the elongated shortshop, has been
knocking around for few years and
he's better now than he ever was.
Cocper's not Johnny Come
Lately. He's % and this is his
fourth year with the team. Lanier
has been around as long and he's
27. White and Pollet are younger
but they were tempered by that
pennant struggle last year, when
the two hefties were practically
carrying the club.
Yanks Don't Awe EN-, anyway.
The argument that the Cards
may be worn out as a result of the
torrid National League battle doesn't
seem to hold much water. The
Cards need a rest at this point as
we need hole in the head. They're
popped up, confident and ready to
meet the champs"
one thing you can bet on" says
Gus Mancuso, the old catcher and
coach, lis that the Cardinals won't
be afraid of the Yankees" This
sounds reasonable enough because
the Cards haven't met any team vet
that has frightened them and the
Yankees, while a fine club, cannot
be considered so welcome as the
1877 crew. featuring Ruth. Meusel &
Co., nor the 1886 outfit with Gehrig,
Di Maggie, Dickey g. Co.
Youngsters Not Green.
Exclusive of pitchers, the Cardi-
nals haven't many untried rockies.
They're a young team but they've
~~>AA sAAA oASAi lIlllI. otdIl MuSlal.
the strong-hitting outfielder. proved
MS stuff late last year in the battling
with the Dodgers. George Kurowski
is brand-noW boy, of course. He's
the third baseman and he's done a
real job. He may not be the best
in the business, but here in st. Louis
they are saying that Kurowski is
the fellow who won the pennant, If
only because he made it possible
to shift Brown to second base and
plug that gap.
The Yankees will be the favorites
and in view of their record this is
understandable. But the Cards
haven't scared easily yet and they've
got the stuff to make it very inter-
estlng. IT Cooper is licked it doesn't
necessarily follow that the series is
over. Manager Southworth has
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