The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-22
INFIELDABOUT
.ONLY REAL TASK
BEFORE WILSON
Pitching Strong; NOvikOff,
Nicholson viii FIT in
Nicely for lO43
This N The fourth IN q series
On the 1888 prospects ~ the ma
Tor teamN.D
ny LEO 70. PETERSEN
UNITED Press Shorts Edltorl

New York, March 22-(up)--Tm
Chicago Cubs may prove 10 be lh'
dNrkhorse OF the lvaS National
League pennant ruce,
Manager Jimmy Wilson appear
10 have plenty Of pitching and prob.
ably enough hitting, n he car
Stralghten out his infield the team
might give the Cardinals and Dodg-
ers q real fight down 10 the wire.
Thus far the drain OF the draft
and defense work hardly has dented
the Chicago forces. whereas most
clubs have lost several key players,
the Cubs haven't lost n single one.
II their luck holds out u could make
big difference IN this year Of base
ball uncertainty.
StandOuts
The key men IN the Cubs Set-un
are pitchers Claude PRsseau, Big Blij
Lee, Lon Warnekc and Paul Der
ringer; outflcldcrs Bll Nicholson
and Lou Novikof; third basemap
Stack Hack and catcher Clyde Nc.
Culloilgh.
0dtvNku WaFutke anu DcTTlIlRCt
need more than the usual three days
rest between assignments, together
with Passeau, Ice, Hiram Bithorn
and Les Fleming they should pro.
vide plenty Of front-llne pitching.
Throwing Derringer, Warncke, Pas
seau and Lee against n team In n
four club series should give the Cubs
tho pitching edge on every club IN
the league with the possible exccp.
ton OF 81, Louis and Brooklyn.
Jake Mooty, who was with tho
club last year, also Is back ant
there are q number OF PROMISING
rockies Including Dick Barrett, who
won n and lost IL with Seattle;
Jonas Berry, 1913 with Tulsa; Ray
Prim, 2l-i0, with Los Angeles and
Henry Wyse, 20-ll with Tulsa. There
arc q number OF others including
Paul Erickson, who In his grst sea-
son with the Cubs showed plenty OF
promise but whose Nashville record
last year was only three victories
against ~ many defeats.
Salvador Hernandez and AL Todd
are available 10 aid Mccullough a.
tho catching department.
NovikoN, II he signs, and NichI
olson are sure OF places IN the OUT
field. Both are long ball hltters
ana they figure 10 form the back
bone OF the Chicago batting attack.
For the third garden spot Wilson
has Phil Cavaretta. n not needed
for FIRST base, Dominion Dalles-
sandro. Charley Gilbert, and two
rockies, Mizell Plat, who hit
gawdy 1906 with Los Angeles, anC
Harry Lowrcy.
FOxx Through
Az third base Hack has no peer In
the senior circuit, but the rest of
the infield Is not so classy. Heniz
Becker, up from Milwaukee where
he hit $40 and Cavarrette are avail
able for first base and either prob
ably will do. Jimmy Foxx appar.
emily Is serious about quitting the
game for his Job with an oil com
pany. but even n lac changes his
mind IL Is doubtful II lac could bea;
out any OF the other three candi-
dates.
The problems are second base and
shortstop. For the latter position
Wilson has Len Merullo, who was
anything but n steady performer
last year or Ed Stanky, who hit
.342 with Milwaukee. SLanky. how
ever may be needed for second base
where the only candidate Is Stu
Martin. who except for brief turn
with the Cardinals when ne frat
came up, hasn't measured up to big
time callber.
Tomorrow - The Cincinnati
Reds.)