The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-04-16
SANDLOT TYPE 0FPLAYLOOMS
 FOR NEW YEAR
BY CARL LUNDQUIST United Press Staff Correspondent

league baseball wartime variety pushes to the forefront of the Amer ican sporting scene again today, it's popularity as great as ever even with quality of player talent at an all-time low ebb.
 During the od-season the leagues weathered a great manpower crisis only after their staunch friend in the White House, President RooSe- welt gave them a provisional green light to carry on in 1945, even If it was necessary for the standard of play to drop to the sand lot level.
 Now that provisional green light has become mandate and nothing short of national emergency could prevent baseball from completing the course in 1945, even though for many teams the going will be rocky from start to finish.
 Also absent for the first time since 1921 will be baseball's revered com- missioner, the late Judge Kenesaw M. Landis, whose death during the of season left the sport without an official leader.
 The greatest hope for success full season lies in the prospect of close races and an even keel Of competition in both circuits. Teams with the greatest holdover of 1944 talent generally are favored, but the great influx of new talent pro- vides a factor of unpredictability which may heighten interest.
 The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, seeking their fourth straight pennant are definite stand- outs in the National, even though internal troubles and lowered morale may reduce their efficiency. The obvious bitterness of their brother battery of Pitcher Morton Cooper and Catch Walker Cooper in threat ening to quit because of salary dis satisfaction is something that cannot be taken lightly and 1t well could mean that the Cardinals might beat themselves when no other tea min the league was capable of doing it.
 The Champion St. Louis Browns are well fixed for manpower in the American League and are favored to repeat their 1914 success saga when they amazed everyone in- cluding themselves by winning their first pennant. This time, however, they definitely are the boys to beat.
 If the Cards falter, the Chicago Cubs, who fared well in acquiring talent from their farm clubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates, outstanding stretch runners of 1944, are in best position to move in as title contend CTS.
 The New York Giants and Cin- cinnati Reds are doped to fight 1t out for the remaining First Division berth in. the National, and the other three clubs, the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves and Phila- delphia Phils are in the have not" category. Drastic changes would be necessary to make any of the three contenders.
 Detroit is conceded the best chance of busting the browns, and the New York Yankees are the "IF' club of the American. Loss of five players now in IA or undecided about reporting could make the Yankees a second division team, but if all were available from start to finish they might well win the pen- nant. Elsewhere the league seems much weaker than last year and there is little to choose among Washington, Cleveland, Boston. Philadelphia and Chicago. Any of this quintet which gets off to fast start and which acquires key player or so could make trouble. Otherwise all appear to be of second division caliber.
 The Tanks and Senators get underway at Washington today. To- morrow all clubs will be in action with Detroit at St. Louis, Chicago at Cleveland, Washington at Phila- delphia and Boston at New York in the American and St. Louis at Chi cago, Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, New York at Boston and Philadelphia at Brooklyn in the National.
 The teams went through final tuneups yesterday. The Cards beat the Browns, 2 to l, in tight battle at St Louis, the Athletics topped the Phils, 8 to 5, in single game for the Philadelphia championship, the Yankees defeated the Dodgers, 8 to 5, and the Red Sox took sim gle game out of their series with the Braves at Boston, 6 to 5. The Giants played at Jersey City, Newark combine, losing, 2 to |. Jersey City was the opposition for the first half of the game, Newark for the rest.
 The other teams had their last tuneups called off because of bad weather, the Washington-Baltimore Pittsburgh-Cleve Chicago Cub- Chicago White Sox, and Cincinnati Louisville games being rained out.