The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-10-04
TexHughson. 'Howie PoIIet Stort Series
By LEO H. PETERSON

En Route to St. Louis, Oct. A. | (UP)-It.s all over-this wondering who-and today 1t looked like a Texas rancher and 8 kid with an ingratiating smile and a mighty left arm when the World Series gets under way at Sportsman's Park Sunday.
 As twos happy ball clubs rail- roaded westward today indications were that it would be Cecil (Tex) Hughson on the mound for the Boston Red Sox and Howard Pol- let for the St. Louis Cardinals when the gold and glory of the 1946 classic goes on the line. It has been 8 long time coming, with the Red Sox having coasted along for three weeks waiting to see who their opponent was going to be. That issue wasn't decided until yesterday when the Car dinals beat the Dodgers to win the National League pennant in baseball's post-season playoff. It was 8 best two out of three game l affair and St. Louis finished 1t up III two SCTalSIlC.
 Americans Favored 10 to ]
 With Hughson for the Bosox, the betting was 10 to ' that Manager Joe Cronin's American League League champions would win the opening game. Pollet, should his aching shoulder respond to treat ment so he will be able to start, would be 8 to underdog.
 On the series, the betting was prohibitive, with the Red Sox 20 to T choices. If you liked the Car dinals, $5 would get you $11 should they come out in front in this best four out of seven series. Neither Cronin nor Eddie Dyer, pilot of the newly-crowned National League champions, would commit themselves definitely as to whom they would start in the first game. It was no problem with Cronin for his front-rank pitchers all were rested. Dave (Boo) Fer riss and Mickey Harris, along with Hughson, were fit and ready.
 But in the Cardinal camp, the pitching situation was anyone's guess, including Dyer's. His top rankers-Pollet, Harry ,(the Cat) Brecheen, Murry Dickson and George Munger-have been work ing day in and day out and were worn and tired after winning the most exciting and dramatic pennant race in major league annals. Pollet Trimmed Dodgers
 It looked, though, like Poillet, aching muscles and all, would be the opening day nominee for the Redbirds in their own nest. For the tall, slender southpaw from New Orleans hurled the opening game in the playoffs which broke the backs of the battling Dodgers. The reasoning was that if he was good enough to do that-besides being the first left-hander since 1897 to win 20 games or more in a National League season-he rated the call.
 Dyer wasn't worried about his overworked pitching staff.
 "It was good enough to win the pennant," he said. For me it's plenty good enough to win the Series"
 Cronin, however had different ideas.
 "It will be either Hughson or FerriSs on Sunday and I'm sure either one will get us off to a win ming start"
 Hughson, whose earnings have gone into a Texas ranch which Mexican family operates for him during the playing season, was Cronin's clutch pitcher all season long. So although Ferriss had better record, Cronin was expected to call on the stringy right handler for the vital first game. Sox Lead in Most Departments
 On paper the two clubs did not appear to be in the same class, with the Red Sox holding an ap- parent vast superiority in all de- partments of the game. But there was that age old question of whether a team that was driving at the end to get in the Series would hold a fighting edge against club which had coasted home and might have lost it's competitive spark while marking time.
 While the betting was that the Red Sox haven't lost this drive which carried them to an easy vic- tory in the American League, a lot of baseball men believed that the Cardinals would give the men of Cronin more than they bargained for.
 Dyer was in accord with that be- lief