Evening star., 1943-05-12
.East-West PLAY
Today
Arouses Fans
Yankees and Indians,
Dodgers and Cards
Flag Possibilities
BY JUDSON BAILEY.

Associated Press Sports Writer.
The major league season is three
weeks old, but there is an evident
widespread feeling that the games
played thus far have proved very
little about the ultimate strength of
the various teams.
Two teams in each loop-the
Brooklyn Dodgers and st. Louis
Cardinals in the National, and the
New York Yankees and Cleveland
Indians In the American-have es-
tablished themselves as pennant
possibilities But they were rated
as such before the season started
and nothing they have done in their
early games has been particularly
distinguishing.
For this reason the start of East
West play today in the two circuits
was looked forward to eagerly. The
Western clubs seem to hold the bal
ance of power in both leagues.
The Yankees have a good chance
OF holding their tWo-game lead in
the front rank. Their makeShift
lineup has shown potential strength
The rockies in the infeld have been
doing well; Johnny Lindell. the
pitcher converted into an outfielder
and placed eighth in the batting Or
der, has landed among the Ameri-
can Leagues ten leading hitters;
and the pitching has been satisfac-
tory.
Yanks Meet Weak Chisox.
New Yorks road trip will be
opened against the weakling White
Sox at Chicago, which also should
help the Yanks because the In
dians will be on the defense at
Cleveland against a strong, fourth
place Washington club. They play
a night game tonight.
Another question to be answered
is whether the Boston Red SoX are
really as pitiable as their present
place in the American League cellar
indicates. Their pitching has not
been as strong as expected, Jim Ia
Dor has Topped at third base, and
the outfleld has been unpredictable
However. the fact they had to meet
the Yankees eight times in their
first 18 games may have had some
thing to do with the Sox's slow start
Boston opens at St. Louis today
and the Philadelphia Athletics will
be at Detroit.
In the National League Brooklyn
and St. Louis will be up against
about equal opposition for the start
of the intersectional struggle, the
Dodgers playing the Pittsburgh FL
rates in a twilight game and the
Cardinals invading Boston.
Dodgers Appear Slow.
To date the Dodgers have appeared
slow, light hitting and uncertain in
their pitching. 1t has not been as
good a ball club as it appeared in
spring training. Although leading
the league by two games. the club
is not as far in front as its ad-
mirers had predicted when the
Dodgers set out to feast on the Phil
lies, Braves and Giants.
The Cardinals. lacking their full,
strength at the start. have had the
expected bitter battles with their
Western rivals, Chicago and Gin
cinnati. Now. for the first time. they
will be meeting the kind of opposi-
ton previously faced by Brooklyn.
The Cincinnati Reds. still an un-
known quantity. open their Eastern
junket at Philadelphia, and the Chi
cago Cubs visit the New York Giants
at the Polo Grounds. Like the Red
Sox in the American League, the
Cubs figure to be higher They're
hoping that it is true that the East
ern clubs are not as tough as the
ones they've been meeting in the
West.