The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-03
(Reg. U. s. Pat. On.) Nv LACK GTJRNTHER

New York, July 3-(UP)-The case of the New York Yankees vs. the law that whatever goes up must also come down was placed in the hands of home town jury at Boston today. Foreman Joseph Ed ward Cronin and his II men, good and true, won't arrive at & verdict until late tomorrow, but the folks back here in the Bronx have pre- pared themselves for the worst.
 Normally, the Yankee rooters are the cockiest in the world. They fear nobody. Although they aren't loul or boastful, like Dodger fans, they are as snug as Mississippi democrat on election day. That is, they were snug. For things have changed in the Bronx. Tn two weeks, the fans confidence has ebbed as fast as thier team. They are stunned and helpless.
 Price Change
 The story is best explained by few quick figures. On June IS, New York was nine and half games atop the laegue and nine games ahead of their record Shattering pace of Al. Baseball's No. bet- ting Statistician, Jack Doyle, quoted them at 1-7, out and out. If a man liked Boston or Cleveland, Doyle was willing to permit him to name any price he liked.
 Today the same Tanks are only three games in front. They have lost Il of their last IT games dur ing one of the most embarrassing western trips in their modern his- tory. They are still tw o games ahead of their 1941 record but they are no longer even roughly accu- rate facsimiles of 1--7 shots. Their price today hovers around 2-1 and is still fattening up.
 The Tanks seem to have come apart simultaneously on all sides. The pitching has soured faster than milk in hot sun. The hit ting is something even Billy Conn would be ashamed of. Even the copper-riveted infleld defense has shown signs of cracking. Joe Di- Maggie is mired in 6 slump. Joe Gordon is wearing mental boxing gloves. Bib Bill Dickey is ailing.
 In the midst of this depressing collapse-it's a collapse only be- cause the Tanks have been known as a super team-the honorable Cronin and his bold buckos to the north have pulled sneak play. The Red Sox have suddenly began climbing faster than an express elevator in the Empire State build ing. They are closer to the lead than they have been in years on a July 3.
 The PayoR
 There is no more reasonable so- lution for the sudden Sox squirt than for the humiliating Yank downfall. A decade ago Tom Yawkey poured millions into the Sox. Now, when his most expensive products-Mose Grove, Jim Foxx and Cronin--are retired, playing elsewhere or almost inactive, his team has begun out-doing itself. Even the pitching, always Sox weak spot, is holding up.
 While the Tanks were losing ]! of IT, the sox were winning IF or | 16. This streak was knitted to- Rether in defiance of the rules. Nor mally, the pitching just isn't that good, Too, Ted williams has been suiking. On "wednesday, the lanky outfielder loafed so obviously he was booed, missed and finally ordered to the dog g-house. still, the Box kept winning. If they can keep winning today and tomorrow they will be tied with the Yanks at the July pole. If they sweep the series, they may never again be headed. For if the Tanks are turned back in three straight games their so-called collapse may become literal. Thus, this series can be car-inarked as the most import ant of the season to date.
 Old Ed Barrow, the president of the Tanks, refuses to admit he is riding on a sinking ship. He em- phasizes his team still is In first place and he claims the boys are merely in a natural slump. He re- calls that the experts have been busily predicting "collapses" for years and that the Yankees have merely gone right on ahead wn- ming pennants.
 There is plenty of truth in Bar dow,s analysis. Individual New York players have become a bit stale. Yet, the slump as such is not quite as dangerous as the character of the slump. It isn't customary for the Tanks to be out-nit and kick games away on errors. Those ridiculous de- featS by the White Sox and Athle- tics are serious omens indeed.
 Today the Yanks won't be play ing Chicago or Philadelphia. The same pitchers who have been knock ed out by the tail-enders of the league must now face the toughest power batters in the league.
 The infield can't afford to boot the close plays in this series, or we'll hear no more shouts to break up the Tanks" The Tanks will have taken care of that problem them-