Evening star., 1945-03-10
Pieretti, Cuban AIoma
Seen Likely 10 Back
Veteran HurIers
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

BY JOHN b. KELLER.
/ While only three pitchers are toll
ing at the Mats College Park train
ing camp and few more are expected
to check in, Manager Os Bluege feels
quality may mean more than guam
tity in baseball's fourth wartime
season.
We'll have four veterans in
Dutch Leonard, Roger Wolff. Johnny
Niggeling and Mickey Haefner," he
pointed out today, land that's a
more than strong nucleus for a
pitching staff. Then there's Marino
Pieretti, due next week from his
home in San Francisco. Those who
have seen him in action tell me he
has the heart and the goods.
"Pieretti must be all right to have
pitched to a 26-and-13 record for
Portland in the Coast League last
year," Bluege observed. I'VE cer-
tainly can use some of that kind of
pitching.
Il don't know much about San
tiago Ullrich, the boy we farmed to
Chattanooga last spring." Bluege
admitted. "At times he looked good
in training, but he surely begged
down when sent to the hill in an
early-Season game in Detroit. The
Tigers gave him an unmerciful
pasting that day.
"But there's Cuban pitcher COM
ing up that was the best on the
island this winter, or so Cambria
(Joe Cambria, the Mats Latin
American specialist) tells me" :"
Bluege added hopefully. His name
is Luis Aloma and he's big right
handler. Chattanooga had him for
awhile last season then farmed him
to Kingsport where he won seven
straight.
Aloma Star on Cuban Hills.
"In Cuba this winter, the records
show Aloma as top winning pitcher
among the many on the island" the
Nat manager recalled. land he did
his pitching against the best batters
Cuba could produce according to
Cambria.
"And don't forget we'll have Gil
Torres around" said Bluege. Tor
res did a pretty fair piece of third
basing for us last year, but he was
pitcher through most of his nine
years of minor league baseball in
the States. In a pinch, he might
be of much help to us this year.
1--WE are not so long on quantity
on the pitching hill, but I'm conf
dent we'll have the quality" Bluege
believed. "The club ought to get
along right WE'LL
There were no new check-ins
at the camp at the University of
Maryland yesterday, but the Mats
front Office announced that Jim
Langley, lanky first baseman who
enjoys drawing cartoons when not
playing baseball, has accepted terms
and will sign the papers when he
reports for practice next week.
Langley came up to the Mats last
fall from Williamsport where he
batted .321.
Looks as though the Mats will have
to get along without Bill Lefebvre,
southpaw slabman, this year. Ad-
vices from Boston are that Bill has
informed several Pawtucket (R. ~
friends that he has no intentions
of reporting. He now is employed
in Rhode Island defense plant and
intends to hold the job for the dura-
ton. He has intimated he would
like to pitch in twilight and week.
end games for the Pawtucket New
England League club if terms were
satisfactory.
Other Clubs Look to Training.
Other major league clubs are COM
pleting arrangements to start spring
training that was ushered in by the
Mats and Chicago's Cubs this week.
BY next Thursday all 16 outfits will
have camps pitched. New York
Yankees and Giants have announced
the receipt of new contracts. Pitchers
Dale Matthewson and Frank Rosso
have raised the number of Giants
in line to 10 and the Yanks are up
to 18 with Pitchers Karl Drews and
Jim Turner signed.
Pittsburgh's Pirates will not have
Frankie Frisch, their manager, with
them at the opening of their Muncie
(1nd) camp. He may have to 60 to
a hospital because of an ankle in
jury. Philadelphia's Phillies got
some bad news from Les Scarsella,
pitcher purchased from Oakland for
$50, 900 and two players. He has
notified the Phils he won't come
East.
The Brooklyn Dodgers have raised
their total of signed players to 10
with Pitchers Ben Chapman and
Ralph Branca and Outfielder Morris
Aderholt latest to accept terms. And
up in Boston, Joe Cronin says he'll
play first base for the Red Sox-up
to mid-June anyway-now that
Shortstop Skeeter Newsome has
been given 90-day induction stay
by the Army.