Evening star., 1959-12-22
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAV By FRANCIS STANN
Conspicuous but LeqoI

EVEN AT THIS late date it is still possible the
critical mutterngS of Bill Veeck of Chicago and Frank
Lane OF Cleveland in connection with the most recent
Athletics trade One does not have to be Yankee
lover to defend the swap Having finished third
in the American League it behooved the once-perennia
champs to make Where else but Kansas City?
Granted there has been little too much traffic be-
tween the Yankees and their Socaed country cousins Us
deals Involving SO players in less than five years.
George Weiss apparently could not obtain what he wanted
elsewhere. Besides, did he get so much?
Roger Maris, the outeder was the big man as far as
New York was concerned. The others from KC aren't
rated important. Joe DeMaeStr is no-hit shortSop and
Kent Hadley first baseman who has yet to make it. The
feeling here is that Veeck when he got Freese
Minnie MnoSo and Lane when he got Johnny Temple
John Romano, improved their own clubs than did
Weiss.
WHY MARIS IS HELD in such high eSteem-athough
the Mesrs Veeck and Lane don't require much excuse to
make themselves heard-s evident by the past per-
formance chart True Maris only 25 his potential
may be considerable but the Yankees gave up pretty
good hitter in Norm sebern (only year oder plus Hank
Bauer Don Larsen and Marv Throneberry.
The rap against Siebern, Stemmng from the SO World
Series was that he couldn't handle the the Yankee
Stadium leftfeld Maybe Maris can't either. When the
trade was announced the Yankees assigned
MariS to left obviously not having consulted the young
man. 1t remained for curious New York baseball writer
to telephone MarS at his home in Raytown Missouri He
came up with this quote:
II read in the papers about Casey Stenges plan to
open with me in lefteld hope he changes his mind
know can do the job in rightfeld guarantee any
thing in left"
MARIS HAS YET to hit 300 a season. but Siebern
did in 1883 Another puzzng item Cleveland whose Cen
eral Manager Lane beeng about Mars trade to New
York, owned the fellow and traded him off, As rookie in
ST. Maris hit only 237 for the Tribe SO was only
a .24O batsman with the Indians and AS
1t could be that Roger is just arriving season he
was leading the AL hers in May but he was felled by
duvjth
big the Yankees paid tidy price for the Missouran
Larsen, the perfect CD pitcher is only 80 and being an
unpredctable Sort may do better with the Athletics than
with contender Throneberry brother of the Senator's
Faye has been solid minor league hitter and if he gets
chance to play regularly he might be helpful at Kansas
City.
Bauer being 49, is just about at the end of the trail
but the AS aren't unreaSonably optimistic in thinking
that in his home town the eMarine may squeeze out one
more useful season.
GOOD DEAL of publicity, not altogether wholesome
has been given to the apparently close relationship be-
tween the Yankees Athletics But there never has
been shred of proof that everything wasn't strictly legal
Regardless OF the breasbeang by the and Weeks
and their cries that antYankee clique exists it
present in varying degrees around the loop.
1t wasn't so long ago, it may be recalled that Paul
Richards caStigated for dealing off to the Yankees
the potent Baltimore Orioles pitchers Larsen and Bob
Turey In exchange for what Kansas City sent to
New York. the AS have done all right They started with
less han the Senators when they into the and
have beaten out Washington three years running.
The New York-KansaS City shuttle for that matter
can't be any more conspicuous than back in the days when
the Red Sox were selling their old stars York They
weren't any Roger Marses and Kent Hadleys and Joe
DeMaeStriS, either but guys named Babe Ruth Waite
Hoyt, Carl Mays, Everett Scott Herb Pennock WaIly
Schang and Joe Bush.