Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-20
~ WIN, LOSE OR
"DRAW By FRANCIS s7Auu
The Hiqh and the Mighty

AT ONE POINT of this season Frank Lane. general
manager of the Indians and critical taSkmaster, was
quoted as calling his Joe Gordon "a bush league
manager" recently Leo Durocher of NBC threw out
hints that President Bill Veeck of the White Sox really
wanted him to manage the Chicago club, not AL Lopez
The irony is that Gordon and Lopez at this stage are
of by themselves candidates for American League
manager of theyear. How they have managed to keep
the Indians and Sox high in the race is twin mystery
because both clubs are so easy to pick apart
The Sox, possibly mite the more solid of the two,
should have defeatist complex For five years under
Paul Richards and Marty Marion they finished third, and
in the last two under Lopez they were second
behind the Yankees They fifth in hitting and their
big money pitcher is Early Wynn. 80 years old.
LOPEZ OFTEN USES his catcher, Sherm Lolar,
first base Rookie Outelder John CaiSon who was sup
posed to be the AIS newest star fell fiat on his we'll
pubczed face and back in the minors Bubba Phillips
who plays third has mentioned in about every trade
proposed by the White Sox for the last few
A rookie named Jim McAnany, VINO couldn't stick at
the end of spring training. is back to replace Calson
Jim Rivera and Earl TorgeSon time frayed and Al
Smith the hill Oddly, the two tlest guys in the
lineup, Nellie Fox and Luis Aparcio, Senior Lopez
top hters according to But neither hits
the long ball nor drives across many runs.
The tenn substantiates the ancient theory that the
strongest line of ball club is down the middle That's
where Loar operates when he catching where Aparco
and commit their artfu thievery, and where Jim
Lands roamS centereld Lopez pitching staff moth
ing special but he has worked wonders with Bob Shaw,
fugitive from Detroit who had horrendous AIS earned
average last year but who is s-S pitcher now
THE soX ARE THE CLUB that opened spring training
not knowing who the boSS-Chuck ComSkey or Week.
For that matter Lopez couldn't be quite how long he
would be manager Comiskey had in the court
room against his sister, Mrs Dorothy Rgney and against
Veeck Al would have been safer ground
But Veeck and all of the Sport Shirt Sets latent
admiration for Durocher real fancied brought
by the speculation artist Although Lopez has an envable
managerial record, the amabe Tampan was pictured
as too easy going, too conservative for Veeck.
One day in Florida he asked if Veeck might be
apprecative of more demonstration a la Durocher and
Lopez smiled and said:
II don't know but can't change. have to be what
I am"
GoRDoNs INDIANS ARE even more of an enigma
than the White Sox. They have Rocky Colavto and Vic
Power but Aparicio Fox and Loar down the middle
Cal McLish National League retread who has hit the
Jackpot although not many baseball men profess to know
why You wouldn't think he could get anybody OUT they
say, "but he does"
Over the winter Lane acquired Jim Piersa to perform
his magic in centereld and Billy Martin to play second
base They haven't been small part of the reason
why Tribe is taking dead aim at the pennant In fact
Persa and Martin aren't even day-in-day-out players
For bush league manager" Gordon has come up
with some noble experiments In the beginning he wanted
to play Power third base 1t didn't work Power didn't
play third and in training he made it apparent
by tipping his to everything that wasn't hit directly
at him.
So Gordon moved Power to first base, where he is
happier then George Strickland who quit baseball
for year because disguised with his batting,
turned to play third although he had been ShortStop
Then Woody Held who never could make any club at that
position became sortsop after knocking about in the
outhed and other nf1eld jobs part-time basis
THE DODGERS WANTED to get rid of wel-traveled
utility inelder named Jim Baxes and tried to ship him to
Seattle Baxes baked 81 got him to fill in at third base"
Gordon says Il had idea he could play second But
when Martin got hurt used and Billy is having
hard time getting to play"
Gordon is becoming old-clothes man, a dealer in
secondhand junk too proud to sign 39year
old Elmer Valo after other major league club wanted
the aging Czech This is another patch job temporary
desperate but all Gordon has been picking the
Valos and Granny Hammers and Baxeses and Helds.
Somehow the old Yankee has got the Tribe thinking
1t belongs in first place. The Indians don't really.
But then, who does?