Evening star., 1943-09-23
Defense Not So Sharp,
Foes May Find Keller
Tougher This Time
BY SID FEDER,
Associated Press Sports Writer.


NEW YORK, Sept. 23.- Like
taking the Scotch out of a Scotch
and soda, thereby leaving practi-
cally no highball at ALL it Is con-
ceded the Yankees could just about
hang a crepe on the st. Louis attack
if they can stop Stan Musial in the
World Series.
1t also is conceded that this is
matter as simple as finding the fuse
box in the dark after the lights blow
out. The Pennsylvania pulverizer
stands out among this years series
outfielders like straw hat on Santa
Claus. Batting a mere 1856 for the
season, if he isn't just about the No.
apple e-knocker active in the
business today, then Umpire George
Magerkurth never had an argument.
But while you shudder about all
the awful things Slammin' Stan is
going to do to those poor Yankee
pitchers with his ball bat, you re-
member couple of other details
that tend to make a comparison of
the series outfields less of cake
walk for the Cards.
Not Up for 1912 Outfield.
Reading from left to right, these
are % the absence of terrible Terry
Moore and ambling Enos Slaughter,
the fence chasers from the st.
Louis picket line, and co the fact
that the Yankees have a block
buster of their own who doesn't
exactly play pat-a-cake up there
at the plate-King Kong Charley
Keller.
Now hustlin' Harry Walker and
Danny Lithwhiler, the fugitive from
the Phillies, who make up, with
Musial, the Cards varsity outfield,
are nice young fellows and good to
their folks and are humping at
respectable .297 and not-too- bad
.264, respectively, at this writing.
But not even their sincerest boost
ers are going to accuse them of
being the fy-chasers Terry and
Enos were.
AS matter of fact, the acrobatics
these two put on in the az fall fuss,
practically leaping into the upper
tier of the stadium to haul down
balls with home run labels, were
the top reasons Billy the Kid South
worth's set hit the jackpot.
Keller Always Big Threat.
You remember back to the third
game of that series. Ernie White
blanked the Bombers, 20, in that
one, but only because Moore robbed
Joe Di Maggie of one homer and
Slaughter stole two from Keller.
And you recall how Musial twice
fell fiat on his proboscis going after
flies. And finally, you bring up the
picture OF Babe Ruth leaving the
park that afternoon and muttering,
The Yanks woulda won, To, If
those two guys weren't out there"
. Well. while the Yanks miss Di
Maggie as much as their juicy sir
loins, there's still Keller, and King
Kong only has % homers this sea-
son. He rang the bell yesterday with
three-run block buster and though
he's batting only 27l, guy who has
a lease on those outfeld stands
never is one to get chunlmv with.
Altogether he's knocked in 80 runs,
against IS for Musial, who has col
lected 81 more hits.
Weatherly Apt to Idle.
Charley1l be in left for the Yanks
and Bud Metheny, a late-season
bloom" who also hits long ball,
will be over in right. Marse Joe Nc
Carthy has been leading with Roy
Weatherly, the little round man, in
center, simply because there's no one
better around, but the round man
has pulled up lame lately, and it
may be Tuck Stainback, the fast
moving veteran with the weak war
club, or Johnny Lindell, the con-
verted twirler.
The only thing wrong with the
whole picture is that the squad of
five is made up entirely of left
handed hitters to face the predom-
inantly southpaw singing staff the
Cards are bringing in.
The St. Louis spares are ancient
Frank Demaree and Debs Garms,
the handy man who can play the
infield or the outfield and might
even be prevailed upon to help hawk
hot dogs.