Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-24
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW ;, FRANCIS ,r4pu
Casey and His Versailles


the ballpayers need" Casey Stenge said land I've
got the most versatile including the fellow who played
four positions for me as rookie and this year will play
ave And when fellow do such thing, why he's
got to play somewhere, even for the Yankees
"And he's only 81 years DID, which is something else
you have to like and when the is will put
him in the vault at my bank" broad wink
(which is the Glendale National Bank of California and
save him for next season. Oh, yes, am talking about
Mr. Kubek, just in case any Of you fellows are to
this business"
Tony Kubek was working at second base and looking
very much like he belonged at the position year ago
the youngster from Milwaukee reported shortstop.
Stengel promptly put him in leftneld. While Mickey
Mantle hurt during the regular season. Kubek played
center Then he played third base In most Of the World
Series games.
Sometimes you suspect that Casey deliberately pro-
notes versatility in his troops SO that he may
them in the Of chessmen It gives the old codger
something to do, and something to talk about
THE YANKEE GENIUS probably could simplify
matters simply by playing Kubek at shortstop job for
which he was specifically trained in the minors and
shifting Gil McDougad to second base where he played
for parts Of seven seasons for New York
Il do not do that now" explained the rambling
Casey, because in the last two McDougald has
showed me that he can play shortstop just well
second or third base and, naturally, want Kubek to
show me, too that he play second base in that
Cleveland fellow Frank Lane, steals Bobby Richardson
"And there is another reason-mY new boy Brickell
q gOOO SnOrCSLOp
Denver You might say Well, Stengel is pretty well of
for shortstops-yes you might say so-and you would
be right because have McDougald and Jerry Lumpe
and Kubek and Brcke and If have to play him there
I can Mickey Mantle, because he was shortStop
in the minors and even used him there in few games
for the Yankees.
"But don't want any of my athletes to get into
ruts such playing only position like Hank Bauer,
although he was catcher in the minors. They tell
Detroit is going to win the pennant is that right?
would like to know because want to figure out where
we will finish"
DETROIT is PRETTY confident" somebody verified.
"Over at Lakeland the other day one of the writer's
covering the Tigers rated the Yankees at the best
place club in baseball"
WELL now that's interesting and I will have to
inform my young men to their money and live on
their regular salaries"
"You just like to confuse everybody" a writer ac-
cused. "You were talking about Kubek. You take
hotshot kid shorstop and play him at four positions
last season and now you've got him at a fifth one"
"You benched Phil Rizzuto when the Yankees opened
the 1856 season in Washington Phil, who had been
your opening-day shortstop for dozen years and
started Lumpe. Now you've got Lumpe at third"
WELL only part of the time" Casey grinned "I got
Andy Carey, too"
yeah, and he played shortstop for you for WHILE
too"
THE YANKEES ROSTER is unique in that while
the players are Observation-Disclosures catchers, in
helders and ouheders-there are placed before many
names such marks and + and and to denote
respectively, that so-and-so "aso outeder" "aso
catcher" "also infelder" and "also first baseman"
McDougald, Lumpe, Richardson and First Baseman
Bill Skowron have played than one inhed position
"Infeders Kubek and the recently released Joe Collins
also played the outed AS for the "ouheders" Elston
Howard also catches, Rookie Dick Sanders plays the
infeld and Harry Simpson fills in at first base
Until Howard joined the Yankees, Yogi Berra was
q double-duty man. If he wasn't catching Yogi was
playing rightied and once in reckless moment, senge
put him third base
Good ballpayers play where they're told" Stenge
reminded, land you've got to remember that Babe Ruth
also great pitcher and that George Sisler great
first baseman, also pitcher. Which reminds me
that in my younger days was pitcher before was
an outhelder"
"You were a pitcher" guy openly doubted
"Oh yes" Casey gbly lied. MY only trouble was
that was throwing the lively ball in the dead-bal era
q