Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-15
Yankees, Dodgers Picked
To Breeze to Pennonts

team 10 win the pennant. NOT
this year.
Kansas City, Washington. Bal
timOre-The Athletics surprised
with their sixth-place finish in
SIS and rate a slim chance OF
improving. For the Senators
and Orioles. please omit flowers
And in the National League:
BrOOklyn-Shed no tears for
the Dodgers because Johnny
Podres is wearing a sailor suit
He was a hero in the World
Series. to be sure, but his regular
season contribution % wins, 10
defeats was modest for a team
that played .64l ball.
! Manager Walt Aston has the
old gang back, plus rookie Sec
ond baseman named Charlie
Neal good enough to chase of
Junior Gillian. Jackie Robinson
and Don Zimmer plus the long
hitting Randy Jackson. late Of
the Cubs. Gino Cimoli, rookie
outflelder, eventually may win a
job and 20-year-old Sandy Kou-
fax may be the fastest pitcher
L in the league.
Cincinnati - Any one of six
teams. including the Cubs, could
finish second. The Reds are
picked out of difference to the
best 1928 punch in baseball
Kluszewski, Post and Bell-and
in spite of an admitted weakness
on the mound. Joe Nuxhall.
Art Fowler. Brooks Lawrence and
Johnny Klippstein are not an
awesome big four" but they'll
have lots of runs going for them
and a crackerjack reliever in the
bullpen in Hershell Freeman.
ST. Louis-"If we don't finish
in the first division" General
Manager Frank Lane intoned.
I'VE ought to be investigated
starting with me" Taking Lane
at his word. the Cardinals are
picked to jump from seventh to
third. They've got the pros
Musial, Schoendienst. Virdon,
Moon and Boyer-to do it, pro-
vided Harvey Haddix, Tom
Poholsky, Vinegar Bend Mizell
and a couple of other pitchers
cooperate. Getting Mizell back
from the service has got to help,
Milwaukee-After three years
of chasing the Dodgers and
Giants. the Braves are beginning
to run out of gas. Key men
such as Bobby Thomson. War
rem SPAIN, Joe Adcock and Andy
Pafko are growing old. and fill
ing second base poses problem.
The biggest blow to the
Braves this spring was the re-
Icurrence of Gene Conley'S arm
Iailment The most optimistic
reports indicate he will be avail
able in a month or six weeks.
PeSsimistS, however, are fearful
the giant righthandef may never
pitch we'll again
Philadelphia-Not as bad nor
as old as generally rated but
hurting badly for lefthanded
batting and pitching. All of the
Phillies' long-ball batters Lo-
pata, Seminick, Hammer, Ennis
and JoneS-are righthanded. Be-
fore his arm went bad, Curt Sim
mons was flrst-claSS southpaw.
Even If Curtis arm comes back.
Manager Mayo Smith still will
wish he had at least one more
lefthander. Robin Roberts will
be shooting for his seventh
straight 20-games-or- better sea-
son.
New York - Willie Mays not
withstanding, the Giants are
Idecadent ball club. They were
lucky to finish third last year.
just ahead Of the injury ridden
PhillieS, and they haven't picked
up much strength. Indeed. con-
Germ now is expressed over Capt.
Alvin Dark's inability TO cover
shortstop as he once did.
Chicago, Pittsburgh 49, That's
quite a double-play combination
the Cubs own-Ernie Banks and
Gene Baker-and Sam Jones and
Bob Rush can pitch for almost
any club. Up to June Is last
year the Cubs were closest tllia
games) behind the Dodgers be-
fore skidding 10 sixth. They
could move up. but this hardly
holds for the Pirates. although
Pittsburgh isn't likely to finish
3Sla games back again. Some OF
those Pirate pitchers. notably
Bob Friend, can fire pretty good.
C.-z f.. p