Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1948-07-09
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Their 1913 outfit hasn't a Dean
aboard-"Me and Paula Delan-
cey, a Pepper Martin, but it has
much of the same spirit that has
carried the team along so many
years.
Spirit is almost as indefinable
as color, but it lasts longer. It
can become heritage, which color
can't
AS Eddie Dyer put it: ut was
nothing but sheer spirit that carried
our team from bad last to second
place last summer. When we lost
nine straight games to sink deeper
into the cellar there was every ex-
cuse to quit-especially as we had
SO many sick or injured men on the
squad. But the team refused to
quit and that gave me further proof
1t was about as game a bunch as
I ever saw.
eve have many of the same
men on our squad this year that
came from 10 games behind in
August to win some six years ago.
Marty Marion-Terry Moore
Stan Musial-Courtney Slaughter
Whitley Kurowski-some Of our
pitchers, although we've lost La
nier, White and Beazley from
that 1912 squad. But the same
old spirit is still there.
Remember last spring in St.
Petersburg, Ducky Medwick was
the aforementioned man in camp
and one of the best hustlers. A
lot of years had passed since 1884
but they couldn't affect his spirit
I've seen too many of our men
out there hustling when they should
have been in a hospital.
"I'll admit we haven't the young
est team in the league, but it isn't
too old. 1t still has the spirit Of
six years ago when they beat the
Yankees four out of five World
Series games.
This is still an open race The
big improvement in the Pirates and
Phillies will make difference. And
the Reds no longer will be soft
touch with Blackwell back. It's
tough league in which to set up a
winning streak There are too
many good teams and too many
good pitchers in your road This
will be the toughest of all races"
Disappointing Red Sor
Last year 1t was the Cardinals.
This year it's the Red Sox. The
Cardinals, 3-to-5 odds-on favorite,
still were trying to wiggle off the
last place hook around this date
last year.
The Red Sox would have been
last at the quarter mark this sea-
son if the ignoble White Sox hadn't
been in the same league-the worst
team in big league baseball. Yet
the Boston ball club carries Ted
Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom Di-
Maggie, Johnny Pesky and Vern
Stephens, rated among the best men
in baseball All this - plus Joe
Mccarthy.
Yet for the first six weeks Of
the race this club couldn't keep
paceswith the Browns, tabled as
the all-time jokes. 1t might be
mentioned here that the home
support given the Browns has
proved again this franchise must
leave st. Louis and let the Car
dinals have an exclusive roost.
The play and hustle of the once
berated Browns have been one Of
the main sensations of the year.
But this isn't explaining the Red
Gov 0pn t@ chnII1, r,ifCt,-
ing, but this can't be the only an
swer. They did far better last
summer with about the same pitch
ing.
The Red Sox dropped from second
place in team batting to fifth de-
spite Ted Williams consistent hit
ting. Their first pitcher was in the
23rd spot in the league ranking, and
they have only one regular who was
above 500. But still they had the
same staff as they had last year,
plus Kramer and Kinder.
Mccarthy BrOOds
Joe Mccarthy has nearly always
been a winning manager. There is
no other manager who broods as
much over defeat. So anyone can
see the miserable spring and early
summer the Buffalo leader has
known to date.
Have his Red Sox dumped them
selves out Of the pennant race?
That isn't the problem now The
problem is-can they finish in the
first division?
Certainly none of this Red Sox
misery can be laid to Williams. At
last reports, Williams was leading
the American league in Individual
batting and in runs-batted-in. He
was second in home runs. He was
well above his record of year ago
and hot on the trail of Ken Keltner
of the Cleveland Indians.