The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-27
SCHOENDIENST MAY BE 'KEYTl
 1945 CARDS
Editors - This is the first Of a series of 16 stories on the pros pect of the Major League teams)
By LEO H. PETERSEN Limited Press Sports EditOr)

United Press Sports EditOr)
 New York, March 27 - (U,P0 - |: was the St. Louis Cardinals against the field last year and the field didn't do so we'll But the field promises to do better this season and the end of the championship road may be in sight for the world champions.
 Gone from the power-laden club which breezed to the National League pennant in 1944 are out fielderS Stan Musial and Danny Lit- whiler. Facing induction or already accepted for service are Pitcher Max Lanier, Outf1elder Johnny Hopp and Catcher Walker Cooper.
 Those five men represented lot of the power which the Cardinals generated last year. If Lanier, Hopp and w. Cooper join Musial and Lit- whiler in service it will bring the RedbirdS down to - maybe below - some of the other National League clubs.
 It would mean that Manager Billy Southworth will have to find a new outfield. Even with so vast farm system as the Cardinals operate, outf1elders have become scarce commodity.
 Billy the kid may have to go with Augie Bergamo, who saw part time service last year, the veteran Debs GarmS, far past his peak, and rookie Jim Mallory up from Columbus where he hit .297 and Al Schoen- dienst, who hit .372 for Rochester and came up tabled as an inf1elder.
 Schoendienst may be the key to tht 1945 pennant hopes of the Card- inals. Baseball men generally con- sider him one of the greatest natural ball players to graduate to the majors for several seasons. If he can maintain his minor league pace in the big time, Southworth will be able to take up lot of the slack left by Uncle Sam.
 Schoendienst earned his minor league reputation as shortstop. With Marty Marion around, the Cards have no need for shortstops so Southworth considered switching the youth to the outf1eld. Whether he can learn the tricks of the new position remains to be seen and he may even be needed for the short stop post before the season runs out.
 Formation, like w. Cooper, was accepted for limited service duty last summer but never called. Cooper since has taken another ex- animation and has been accepted for service. The big catcher has been key man in the Cardinal set- up and his loss - expected in May may be more than the Cards can overcome. If Marion should go, too, the Cards would lose most of their championship luster.
 To back up Cooper, Southworth has Ken O'Dea, and Del Rice, g. rookie who hit .264 with Rochester last year. O'Dea is no Cooper back or of the plate - or at it, either = but as war time catchers go he is no worse than the first string re- ceivers of many other clubs.
 The infield will be all set if Mar ion is not called. Ray Sanders will be back at first, Emil Verban at sec- ond and George (Whitey) Kurowski at third. There isn't anything miss ing there from pre-war major league inflelds.
 Pitching will be strong again even If Lanier is lost. Back to lead the staff will be Fireball Morton Cooper. He recently was classified 4-F again and Southworth is counting on him for full season chores. Ted Wilks, who had such a sensational fresh- man season last year; Al Jurisich; Harry (the cat) Brechen and La- nier, as long as he is around, will make up the starting staff back of big Mort. Blk Donpelly will be available for relief and on the basis Of his rescue work in the world series last Fall may play more im- portant role in Southworth's pitch ing plans this year.
 Most promising of the rookie pitchers is Stan Partenheimer, who won 16 games while losing seven With Louisville and Columbus last year. Eldred Byerly also is back for another tr y along with Bill Trotter Ken Burkhart, who won IS and lost nine with Columbus and Jack Greet a 1l-game winner with the same club, also are fighting for place on fhn ctoH