The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1961-07-14
SPORTS of TIMES
Murder Inc
Us. RedIegs?
BY LOU FABRo
Times Sports Editor

Now that the baseball season has passed the half
way mark, quite a few fans in these parts have been
puzzling over this problem: would Cincinnatls talent
ed pitching staff fare better against Murder Inc"
featuring MariS and Mantle, or against the Killer
Corps" featuring Kaline, Colavito, and Cash?
And for those of little faith who refuse to be-
lieve that Cincinnati can 60 all the way, there's a diff
ferent question. They're wondering If big Frank
Howard. the $108, 900 bonus giant from Ohio State
University by way of Columbus South High, Will be
back as a regular when the Los Angeles DodgeS meet
either the New York Yankees or the Detroit Tigers
next fall.
WHAT WE'RE LEADING UP TO, dear reader,
is that either Cincinnati or Los Angeles from the Ma
tional League and New York or Detroit from the
American League will be squaring away in the 1861
World Series.
Recalling preseason predictions, the Yankees and
Dodgers are cruising along as were expected. They
make prognostcatng sports writer's happy. But the
Tigers and RedlegS are something else again. They
apparently didn't read what most sports scrlbes wrote
at the start of the season. Detroit and Cincinnati, IN
fact, were dubbed a couple of ISL shots.
Also failing to live up to the preseason scripts
so far anyway-are Baltimore and Pittsburgh, especial
ly the latter. The Pirates, the defending world champ
ions. are in the first division only because Milwaukee
has ben thrashing about in the lower depths OF the
senior loop like a blind giant.
MILWAUKEE, is QUITE A SURPRISE, too, when
you consider the Braves are running neck-and-neck
with the Dodgers in the home run department and are
the top fielding club in the National League.
Baltimore, on the other hand, isn't faring too
badly. But the Orioles still aren't living up TO eXpec'
tations. Some had picked Baltimore to win the Amerl--
can League title while most said the Orioles would
lose out in a fight with the Yankees. Instead the Birds
have been lost in the battle dust kicked up by the YankS
and Tigers in their titanic struggle.
st. Louis, meanwhile, is disappointing some sports
scribes by Laundering in sixth place; San Francisco IS
doing better than expected, but the Giants still aren't
plavinp championship ball; and Minnesota isn't play
ing anywhere near its 1860 level when based IN
Washington - it barely missed a first division llnlSh.
BUT GETTING BACH to the contenders, we adj
nit it's tough Job trying to figure out Wfat teams
will divide the World Series gravy this fall Casting
caution aside, however, We'll make a gallant try.
AT this moment, Detroit and New York appear
TO be equally strong in the front ranks. Besides thelr
Murder Inc" crew of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantie,
the Bombers have plenty of power in fellows IKE
Moose Skowron, Yogi Berra, and Elston Howard. lhelr
fielding is second best in the league; and their pitching
seems TO get stronger as the season progresses.
The Tigers, on the other hand, have a solid, even
Unbalanced team that fields and hits well and conSlS-
tently. They rank only behind the Yanks in homer pro-
duction and their pitching staff has the best earned
run average in the league.
BUT WHEN YOU LooK AT BENCH STRENGTH.
the Yankees top the Tigers by a good margin. Thus,
we'll stick with our preseason PICK ana say the
Yankees will win by a margin of a tigers whisker.
Like so many, we find it hard to believe the Red
legs are ambling along as they are. And we wonder
if the Reds will fold" This thought, however, may
be prompted by reading too many sports stories.
But looking at cold statistics, the Redlegs lead
the National League in pitching despite the chicago
Cubs hammeringl and they're second in the loop in
club batting and fielding. Moreover, they've held the
league lead longer than any other team.
o ANGELES, ON HI OTHER HAND, is fourth
in team batting; fifth in fielding; and third in the
pitching department. The Dodgers, however, lead the
Reds in the homer department by Is circuit blasts.
1t NAV be that we're tired of reading so much
about the Dodgers, or it may be that we're influenced
by the nearness of Cincinnati, or perhaps it's because
the Redlegs have a better ball club than the Dodgers
that causes us TO pick Cincinnati to win It's first pen
nant in 81 years.
Now would it be tougher to beat Murder Inc"
or the killer Corp?