The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-07-22
of TIMES
Up For Grabs
4. L. Flag
BY LOU FABRo
Times Sports Editor

Times Sports Editor
One of the most quoted slogans in baseball is:
don't bet against the Yankees The record books tell
you why. The Yankees have won the American League
flag 10 times in the past 13 years and "a times since
1921, the year they grabbed their first crown.
But the Chicago "GO-GO' White Sox scuttled
the odds last wear bv winning their first pennant in 40
years while the Yankees fell apart at the seams and
lost the flag which had been flying over their historic
stadium since 1855.
cHIcAGos ACHIEVEMENT NJ NEW works.
failure foStered bravery in the hearts of many baseball
experts who this year abandoned the Yankee clipper
ship in favor of Cleveland and Chicago. OF course,
there were many from the "Old Guard" who figured
the Yankee ship would have smoother sailing this
season and that The pennant again would be hoisted
over Yankee Stadium.
AS this is written, the Yankees are nestled in
what seems to be their natural habitat-first place.
Even so, they are far from having the pennant all
wrapped up and ready for delivery to the Stadium.
On the contrary, the flag is up for grabs with three
other teams-Cleveland Chicago and Baltlmore-very
much in the running. If you're searching for a winner,
you better look long and hard or else do the next
best thing and back a sentimental favorlte."
BEFORE WE OVERLOOK the fact, Detroit turks
not 100 far behind the big Four" and can be con-
sidered a definite dark horse"
A LOT can be said in favor of all four of the top
teams as they push into the second half of the season.
This makes it all the more difficult to single out one as
the eventual champion.
Looking at the Yankees first, we find a team with
tremendous power, good fielding but hot-and-cold pit
ching. The BomberS lead both leagues in home rum
with more than 100 at the halfway mark. Ii the Yanks
maintain their homer production, they'll break the
AL. record of 100 they set in 1861 winning year
incidentally.
NoRlNc THE PITCHING FOR a MOMENT,
the Yankees have a solid team with Roger Maris,
Mickey Mantle. Yogi Berra, Moose Skowron, (ll four
we're starters on the AL. AllStar team as we'll as
Cletis Boyer, Hector Lopez, Bobby Richardson, Tony
Kubek, Gil McDougall, Bob Cerv and Elston Howard.
The pitching definitely hasn't been up TO par, al
though it hasn't really been bad. But what really has
compensated for $3.50 pitching has been the Yankee
power.
Cleveland is a club which started out as a
question mark but developed into a hot contender. The
Indians rank only second to the Yankees in hitting but
are on top with Chicago in fielding. The pitching has
been good.
CAN THE NDIAN DO IT? Well, they started
off badly but they've improved as the season pro-
crossed. A factor in the Indians Improvement is the
hitting of Harvey Kuenn. He started slowly but has
come on fast to become Cleveland's leading hitter.
Johnny Temple, who came to Cleveland in
the big trade with Cincinnati, also has played A
key role in the success of the Indians as has catcher
John Romano, who also came to Cleveland via a trade.
Probably the most questionable feature of the
Cleveland club at the beginning of the season was the
pitching. But the hurlers, all of them young, have
proven themselves.
H TWO SURPRISE" TEAMS ARE Baltimore
and Chicago. Baltimore is a surprise because the
Orioles have done much better than expected. The
White Sox, on the other hand, haven't played up to
expectation.
Like Cleveland, the Baltimore club is basically
a young one. And youngest of the young Orioles are
the pitchers. Despite the youth of the mound corps,
it's the pitching which has made the Orioles a solid
contender.
But you can't minimize Baltimore hitting and de-
Tense. The Orioles have displayed outstanding clutch
hitting, If there is a weakness in the offense it's the
lack of longrange hitting Only the White Sox have
stroked less hemers than the Birds. AS for defense,
Baltimore ranks third in the league.
n DEFENDING CHAMPION WHITE Sox have
been a little disappointing because the pitching has
slipped considerably. And this has been we'll demon
strated in their inability TO win one-run games. Win
ming one-run games was the key to their success last
year.
Hitting has been good but not as good as ex-
pected. The Sox were supposed to show more power
in their hitting but they are last in the league in home
run production.
But when you look al the White Sox from a posi-
tive viewpoint, they still must be a team to be feared,
If their pitching rights itself, the Sox will be hard to
stop.
Who's going TO win? Well, the Yankees are the
faVorites; the Indian bandwagon is picking up strength;
the White Sox are showing signs of life; the Orioles
have been slipping; and the Tigers are aroused.
It's anyone's flag.
GYG SofthaU Specialize City, Suburban,
Farms, Investment
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