The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-25
BOSTON BRAVES IN FOR PLENTY OF BASEBALL FUN
Mgr. Casey StengeI and GOOfy Gomez Expected
 to Provide Laughs
CThls ls the seventh in . series on the 1elS prospects of the major league teams).
BY LEO IT. PETERSEN UMlkAd Prem Shorts Editor

United Press Sports Editor New York, March 26-(UP)-The Boston Braves may not win many ball games in the le4S National League campaign but they should have more fun along the way than any other club,
 Between Manager Charles D. Casey Stengel and pitcher Vernon tLefty) Gomez there ought to be enough laughs to take away some of the sting of defeat. Masters of the wlsecrack, and full of wit and humor, they probably will keep the Braves dugout in an uproar.
 It's good thing Casey can take 1t, and Is used to it. for he hasn't too much to work with this year. The drain of the draft and defense work has depleted his roster to g players and for some of them in- duction is imminent. Of the 22, only l2 were with the club last season.
 To add to the manpower losses brought on by the war the Braves traded Eddie Miller, the leagues best shortstop, to Cincinnati. But with so many other gaps to plug, one more might not make too much difference.
 Only five members of last years pitching staff are back-Bill Dono- van, Al Javery, Manuel Salvo, Jim Tobin and Louis Tost. Between them they won 44 games while los- ing 6l, Javery and Tobin won l2 games each, but the latter lost 2l.
 Now and Then
 Four newcomers including Gomez complete the pitching corps. Gomez still may be able to win Q game now and then in the National League for during his long career with the New York Yankees he was one of the toughest pitchers for the hitters of the senior circuit in All-Star and World Series games. But he definitely has gone over tho hill and cannot be counted upon as Q regular. The other newcom. CTS are Nat Andrews and Charles Barrett whose Syracuse records last year were l6 and l2 and 20 and i2 respectively and George Jeffcoat, who won lS while losing l2 with Nashville. All three have had pre-. vious major league trials and were found wanting.
 Should big Ernie Lombardi, the leagues batting champion last year, not return to the game 1t would leave Stengel with only two catch- ers-Clyde Klutz and Phil Masl. Both KlutE and Mast have eben sought by other clubs, but neither is Q Lombardi when 1t comes to hit- ting. Klutz is married but childless.
 Should Lombardi retire 1t would mean that Stengel has lost three of his key men from the l942 club, the others being Miller and Max West, who reports to the Army to- morrow.
 The loss of West left the Braves with only four outfielders and one of them, Nanny Fernandez, ex- poets his Army call any day. He is married but childless. The others are Tommy Holmes and Chester Ross, both of whom were with the club last season, and Charles Work man, who hit .S27 with Nashville.
 Johnny Mccarthy, back for an- other major league try after hitting .295 for Louisville, is being counted upon for first base with the veteran Tony Cuccinello at second and Ed- die Joost, secured from the Reds in the Miller deal at short, William Wietelman, up from Louisville, Michael Sandlock, from Evansville, and Joey Burns, a Philadelphia sandlot star, will battle for the third base post, with the former consid- cred the most likely candidate.
 (TOmOrrOw - The Philadelphia mh.aanan.,A