Evening star., 1960-02-22
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAV By FRANCIS sTANN
Heard A New Voice

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, Feb. 22-Neither Bob Turley
nor Don Larsen was the Yankees No. righthanded
pitcher in the disastrous Ito New York; of 1889
That distinction went to Art Ditmar, pleasant good
looking refugee from Kansas City who supposed to
one of those pitchers of whom managers say Spot him
and forget him."
Dtmar posted 1879 record last year, but he also led
the American League in least hits allowed game
and fourth in earned-run average He far from
spot pitcher Casey StengeS perennial champs mped
home in third place
Now, sitting at his beach abode awaiting the Official
hour for caShencS Dmar takes the status modestly
and not voluntarily, of pundt He's calling the bull
pens of the Cleveland Indians and of the Yankees the
possible keys to the American League race.
CLEVELAND MAY NOT have helped itself by trading
Cal McLish to Cincinnati" the 6-foot2 30yearo
Massachusetts, said "oh, realize Johnny Temple is a
helluva ball player But McLsh beat the Yankees six times
last year. No pitcher does that very often.
whats more Cleveland has bulpen to speak of.
We do. We have Ryne Duren Last year he started with
wrist that was healing from break He would have
been our No. guy If Stengel wasn't hurting for starters
I'd probably been in the bullpen too. Maybe I belong
there don't know"
Up to now, Ditmar had omitted ball club that had
pretty fair twosome for relief last meaning the
Chicago White Sox. AL Lopez acquired two National
League veterans, Turk Lown and Gerry Staley The
former-his precise name is Omarhad 90 record and
staley S5 In relief this isn't bad No formal records
are kept of games saved by relieverS.
"They good but they're not youngsters" Ditmar
says How long they keep doing what they did last
season? All that slow stuff BY the TOKEN think the
White Sox got stronger when they landed Minnie MnoSo
and Gene Freese.
THIS MOVES UP the Sox as a hitting club. Last
year you didn't worry too much about Chicago hurting
you with the bat Oh the Sox beat you, but it with
running and defense and nesse Now they've got little
more power to go along with all that"
And what happened to the Yankees in SO to cause
them to finish is games back of the pack?
"The worst thing losing Bill Skowron," Ditmar
relates when Skowron got hurt, all got hurt. He
knocks in lot of
I'VE weren't getting the big last year. let's face
It, We shut out IA times and we lost dozen games
by margins If we'd had Skowron and maybe he'd
have inspired some of the other hters-wed have won
been pretty darn close to it. Ond with maybe
starting pitcher know we'd have won"
WHETHER DITMAR is company man not was
not question put to him directly The fact of the matter
is that Art who to the Yankees along with Bobby
Shantz back in 1857 thinks that New York did all right in
acquiring Rober Maris during the winter.
He'll give us that outheding job we need and he'll
hit" Ditmar says. "Maris is pretty darned good ball
player"
Reports that Manager Stenge has MarS ticketed for
eftheld of the worst fields in the business, didn't
to bother Dtmar. At least, he didn't touch It,
Neither did he comment Mars post-trade state
ment that he rightheder period
"Al know is that do better" Art summed up
Then, extremely intelligent and practical note, he
added:
WED better"