Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-02-24
WIN, LOSE OR
UkAW By FRANCIS s7AAA
Going From First to Third

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA, FEB. 24.-Much Is being
said these days. of the record of the attitude" Mickey
Mantle However the great danger to the Yankee star
would seem to be his physical condition
Mickey always had bad legs" points out highly
qualified baseball who prefers to remain anonymous
and now he's putting weight hate to say it, but
don't think Nantes legs will stand up under the strain
very many seasons"
Mickey has been big Lacquer for eight years and
he only ~ years old But far back 1851 when he
playing in the World Series alongside Joe DAaggio
his knee collapsed when he broke for long drive and he
was hosptaized He up to the Yankees with bone
disease in the leg and he has been having knee trouble to
boot.
The irony that Mantle despite his husky 2OO-pound
build probably the fastest ball player the game when
he let out notch Potentially Mickey is the best hit
ter too but here again his legs sometimes beray him
BE THAT AS 1T MAY, Mayo Smith would like to have
Mantle his Cincinnati club. In Miami Jews days
ago, Smith looking at Mickey in a light that may be
different from the point Of view of the ayman who may
feel that instead of 3O4 Mantle should have hit $40 last
1--WE never seen Mantle thrown out going from first
to third base" Smith said. "Of course him only in
the spring and in World Series But to me- Nantes true
value lies in the he plus the he drives
home His average and his home total are more or
less incidental
lone of the things that made DMaggio great in
dSpenSabe his ability to from first to third
him thrown out, either
Here's how it works." Mayo explained. Mantle gets
anywhere from 140 to 1870 hits He draws tire
nlendous number of balls Now, when he flies
from first to third that you just about eight
out of ten times"
THE REDS MANAGER went on
That's not exaggeration, because when 4 runner
take third base single that usually there's
out out There's not much point in reaching
third with out unless you can almost walk the
bag base hit with two out will bring the average
home from second base.
But the average runner doesn't move from frSt to
satisfied advance second Then they stand there
as If to say Well here Bring me in.
Lets don't look at Nantes 3O4 average last year
Let's look at those 27 he and the he bated
He does that every and drives in
You don't know what that to ball club having
one man scoring 100 1870 times all by himself"
UNTIL SMITH WAS fired last July by the PhilieS he
was managing pretty fair centernelder himself in
Richie AShburn. But there's big difference between
Mantle and Ashburn although Richie frequently out
ages Mantle
RICHES all right" Mayo conceded "but he doesn't
often 100 runs and If he drives so
having pretty good Pitchers don't walk Ash
burn like they walk Mantle And Richie doesn't hit the
long ball.
Boiling it down." Smith concluded Mantle will win
pennant for you. He Is like DiMaggio used to be
big Ashburn can play on pennant winner; he's
proved it. But he won't win pennant"
There can be no valid rebuttal to that, because
Mckey'S been pennant winners in eight years
with the Yankees The moot question now is how long
Nantes legs will hold up