Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-28
Scarcity Of Players
Will Give LEAGUES
More Balance
Fans Not Apt to Notice
Slump in Class With
Clubs Well Matched
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

opecldi correspondent OF Inc Star.
NEW YORK, Feb. 27 (NANA -
1t is becoming more and more evil
dent that all pennant races this sea.
son. big league or ma jor minor, will
provide the greatest pennant scram-
bles baseball ever has known. Not
even the boldest or the coolest of all
prophets can pick this team or that
team to win since no one can tell
you how many will be left from
week to week or from month to
month.
Teams that open their training
season around the middle of March
with 80 or 35 men may find 5, 10 or
even Is absentees answering the roll
call at reveille. If there are enough
left to finish the season, this will
give us at least one of the most
interesting campaigns since Abner
Doubleday had his ancient dream.
No Slump in Class Likely.
I don't believe any spectator will
notice any big slump in class, as
long as most of the teams are fairly
we'll matched. The platter can look
just as good as the stake horse, until
he runs against the stake horse. He
can give you just as much excite
ment-and as many thrills.
A year ago around this spot there
were Is big league ball clubs get
ting ready for the 1912 show You
could throw out Is of these teams.
1t was the Yankees in the American
League and either the Cardinals or
the Dodgers in the National League
The other 10 clubs might as well
have gone in for table tennis or the
hop, skip and jump. They never had
a chance. The winning material in
both leagues was all packed and con-
centrated in these three clubs.
Line-u ups Are Uncertain.
But it is all different today. No
manager can tell you how many men
he will have left by April's starting
date or through the summers run.
For example. the Giants had their
hopes until Johnny Mize and Harry
banning came to the doubtful spot.
The absence of Joe Di Maggie isn't
going to help the Yankees. Other
clubs are sure to suffer the same
heavy blows.
There will be no feeling of any
certainty until the War Department
and Congress decide about the mat
ter of married men with children.
If all able-bodied men between
the ages of 18 and 38 are to be
called. regardless of dependents. I
can't see how baseball or any other
sport can survive. outside of Army
and Navy competition. This is a
problem that belongs strictly to the
War Department and to Congress,
They must have the answer for this
arrangement.
Yanks Could be Crippled.
If all such men are called into
some form of war service, the YAM
KEGS will lose Joe Gordon, Charley
Keller, Bill Dickey and most of their
squad. The same thing will happen
to all other clubs, major and minor.
There still are many fine ballplayers
left who have wives and children
on the dependent list.
The proper allotment of man
power is, of course, far more i'm
portant than any single sport.
The final decision involving mar
ried men with wives and children
will have far greater sweep than
sport will face. It will affect many
millions. This happens to be a
problem. one of many other prob
lens, that is far over our heads. 1t
is something for the Government to
handle for a var-winning effort
Until this problem is decided in
Washington, baseball must wait to
know its fate.