Evening star., 1942-06-05
Hogan, Nelson, Snead
Top in Golf; Bulge
Still Nets Best
Cards Threaten Dodgers
Ranking; Turf Rotine
Is Up to Belmont
By GRANTLAND RICE,

NEW YORK, June (NANA -
June means the half-mile post or
the halfway mark in the sport pro-
gram for 1870 finish, no one
knows where nor when," as smart
bard has put it.
The world goes back many million
years, but it has known no year as
important as 1912 will be before it
closes out. In this vast Upheayel,
sport, of course, plays only a minor
part, but, according to the heads of
the Government, the Army and
Navy, it still has job to do.
At the present spot this Is the way
the 1912 ranking looks:
Baseball-New York Yankees and
Brooklyn Dodgers.
Boxing-Joe Louis. with Conn,
Pastor, Bettina, Savold and Mauri-
clio in a scramble for second place,
provided Conn gets ring chance.
Racing-Alsab, which still has
Shut Out to beat in the Belmont
Stakes on Army-Navy USO day.
If Shut Out can add the Belmont
to his Derby win the Whitney horse
will be in front.
Golf-Hogan, Nelson and Snead.
Tennis-Well let you pick this
one. Don Bulge still is the best.
Football-Too far away and too
many complex angles to get any
rating now, college or professional.
Cards Might Annoy Dodgers.
The Yankees remain the best team
In baseball. They already have won
five out of the last six AL pennantS
and five aut of the last six World
Series. And so far they haven't
shown any definite signs of weaken
Ing or slowing down in 1912. Even
with the -hammering outfield
well below normal form they still
have the defensive strength to keep
on winning.
The only team that might annoy
the Dodgers is the st. Louis Car
dinals, who have enough stuff to
break out in a winning rash on
short notice.
There still is no one close to Joe
Louis among the heavyWeights.
When he will be allowed to put on
another championship test is any
body's guess. When Billy Conn will
be given another chance is guess
at even longer price.
Young Mauriello scrambled up the
Pastor status, so now we have Pastor,
Bettina, Savold and Mauriello to
clean up the second or third open
spot, if this has any Importance.
There isn't much difference in this
collection at the moment.
Mauriello, only %, is the best
looking prospect in sight. He is too
young to be meeting such expert
enced men as Pastor and others.
Handled properly. Mauriello could
60 long way in the next three or
four years. He has fast. stinging
right hand; he is game enough and
cool enough and has his share of
speed. The possibilities for first
class ring man are there.
Good Pitchers Are Plentiful.
The 1912 pitching parade can be
one of the seasons features.
Ernie Bonham, the big Yankee, is
In front, but he has close enough
competition from Curt Davis of the
Dodgers, Spud Chandler of the YAM
KEGS, Bill Lee and Claude Passeau
of the Cubs, Jim Bagby of Cleve-
land, Ray Starr of the Reds, Tommy
Bridges Of the Tigers, Eden Auker
Of the Browns and several others
who have started on the winning
side.
Bonham will be the hard one to
beat. His 212-pound system is well
packed with the needed ingredients,
including smartness and amazing
control. Then, too, he is pitching
for the Yankees. If he could win
eight straight with Di Maggie and
Keller hitting far below their best
clip it won't hurt to any great extent
when these two start swinging well
above 300
Ted Williams, if he isn't called
shortly into naval service, will be the
top hitting target to shoot at, as
he was last season at .4O6. The
odds are against any such total in
1912, but Ted should be the one to
catch before summer masses.