The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-26
LEADERS 0F'44. HAVING TOUCH
 CO!NG' so FAR
BY CARL LUNDQUIST

United Press Staff Correspondent)
 New York, June 26.-UP)-Un- easy lies the head that wears the crown-at least as far as the vari- ous major league baseball cham pions of 1914 are concerned.
 With the current season drawing closer to the halfway mark today, most of last years individual lead- CTS were begged down while new and sometimes surprising gentlemen have risen to take their places.
 Swinging at bat with plenty of hits in it. Tommy Holmes of the Boston Braves indicates that he means business in his efforts to an- nex the major league batting cham pionship And as far as last years champ Fred (Dixie) Walker of the Brooklyn Dodgers is concerned, Holmes apparently doesn't need to worry. The Boston outtlelder has a .386 average while Walker is 29th among National league regu- lars with puny mark of .278.
 Lou Boudreau, Cleveland Indians manager and 1914 American league leader, is little better off. Re- palcing him in the amazing Tony Cuccinello of the Chicago White Sox, finally blossoming out as hitter after a decade of play. Cuc- oinello has .342 mark and Bou- dreau is 24th among American league regulars with a .265 figure.
 Crafty Hal
 One of the few likely to suc- ceed himself-is Hal Newhouser, crafty Tiger southpaW, who is ahead of his 1914 pitching time table With II victories and four defeats. Go ing at that pace he will win more than 30 games whereaes in 1914 he picked up 29 wins while losing nine times, even, his leadership is ln jeopardy. Russ Christopher, the one-man pitching staff for Phila- delphia's white elephant Athletics, has won II while losing only two ana rookie Dave (Boo) Ferriss ot the Boston Red Sox tops New houser in percentage with 10 trl- unphs and two losses.
 In the aNtional league, Ted Wilks of the Cards, who won IT and lost four, has equalled his 1944 record on the losing side with four defeats, but he has mustered up only 1our wins to go with them. His ex-team mate, Morton Cooper, now of the Braves, is the current National League leader with six triumphs and one loss. but that is a long way from big Mort's 1914 total of 2l and '.
 One of the biggest "busts" of the year has been Bill Nicholson, the 1944 home run and runs batted in King from the Chicago Cubs. Things have gotten so bad with him that he is going to take hitting lessons from Rogers Hornsby, one of the all-time National League greats ID the base-hit department, Nichol- son to date is 18th in runs batted ln with 31 while likable Luis Olmo, the battin' Latin from Brooklyn is the new leader with 54 to date. Ernie Lombardi of the Giants, is the new home run leader with 13 while Nich- olson has only five, far cry from his B total of 1944.
 Etten Slips
 In the American league two 1914 champions apparently have decided to switch crowns. Vernon Stephens of the Browns has displaced Nick Etten of the Tanks as the home run leader with Il, while Etten, who hit g last year, has gotten only five to date in 1945. However, Etten IS tied with Bob Johnson of the Red Sox for the runs batted in leader ship with 39. Stephens, who led the league with 109 last year. has only 29 thus far and rates fifth.
 There are new leaders in both leagues in base-stealing. George Case of Washington, who lost his title to George Stirnweiss of the Yankees last season, is back in front again with 13 while Stirnweiss is second with TO- In the National Olmo has nine and Johnny Barrett of the Pirates, the l944 leader is second with eight. StirnWeiss stole 55 last year while Barrett pilfered 28
 Then of course there are the Browns and the Cards. The 1944 pennant winners, they now are in sixth place and second respective ly in their current campaigns.
 There were no major league games in either league yesterday.