Spring Again

Should an air-raid siren sound "while you're watching a major-league baseball game, don't leave the ball park. A sticker on the back of your seat will tell you what to do. If you are to move at all, red and green arrows will direct you beneath the stands.

Except for this wartime note, broadcast by big-league clubs, the 1942 baseball season opened this week much as usual. Some headliners were missing-notably Detroit's Hank Greenberg, Cleveland's Bob Feller, Washington's Cecil Travis, Philadelphia's Sam Chapman-and many another great ballplayer will follow them to war before the season ends. But draft or no draft, U.S. baseball fans were down with their perennial spring fever: trying to dope out how 16 big-league teams will finish in far-off October.

American League. For the sixth successive year, the New York Yankees are favorites to win the American League pennant. From the high-powered machine that finished 17 games ahead of their nearest rival last year, the Yankees have so far lost only one cog: First Baseman Johnny Sturm. To replace him, Manager Joe McCarthy has two candidates: Oldtimer Buddy Hassett (recently purchased from the poor Boston Braves) and a promising rookie named Eddie Levy. Among a half-dozen other Yankee farmhands considered to have enough savvy for the Big Team this year are Pitchers Johnny Lindell and Hank Borowy, who between them won 44 games for the Newark Bears last season.

Should the Army call Infielder Phil (109 double plays) Rizzuto and Outfielder Tom my (31 home runs) Henrich, the Yankees may have trouble. The trouble would probably come from a pair of Sox. The Boston Red Sox still have foxy Jimmy Foxx and young Ted (.406) Williams, who can break up any ball game. The Chicago White Sox have the league's best pitching staff, headed by Lefty Thornton Lee, a 22-game winner last year.

The St. Louis Browns, only big-league club that has never won a pennant, have neither power nor pitching to boast of. Nevertheless, with Newcomer Luke Sewell as manager and a flock of promising young rookies, St. Louis is considered a good bet to finish in the first division this year. Bookmaker Jack Doyle rates the Brownies a 10-to-1 shot to win the American League pennant-shorter odds than he quotes for either the Detroit Tigers or Cleveland Indians, winner and runner-up respectively two years ago.

National League. Year in, year out, there is one forecast on which National

League fans agree: the Philadelphia Phil lies (who wish to be known henceforth as Phils) will finish last. For first place there is no such unanimity. This year it is a toss-up between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals, with the Cincinnati Reds close behind.

The Dodgers, victors over the Cardinals by two and a half games last year, again have the edge in power. The Navy took Cookie Lavagetto and Don Padgett. But Brooklyn still has Dolph Camilli, the league's "most valuable player"; Pete Reiser, the league's No. 1 batter; and three other players who hit over .300 last year. Besides these old reliables, the Dodgers have one shining newcomer: Infielder Arky Vaughan, who never hit under .300 during ten years with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A star shortstop during all of his major-league career, Vaughan has been shifted to third base by Manager Leo Durocher.

The Cardinals have less power but a better all-round team. Last year, thanks to their fertile farm system, the Cards came up with three rookie pitchers (Ernie White, Howard Krist, Howard Pollet) who proved to be poison to rival clubs. This year, Manager Billy Southworth has up his sleeve a pair of sluggers who look just as dangerous.

From Columbus comes Infielder Ray Sanders, leading run-maker in the American Association last year, who is being groomed to take the place of First Baseman Johnny Mize, recently sold to the New York Giants for $50,000. From Rochester comes Outfielder Stanley Musial, a 21-year-old southpaw whom sportswriters have already tabbed "rookie-of-the-year." Musial, who started his baseball career as a pitcher, played in three different leagues last year, outhit the ultimate batting champion in each league. Brought to St. Louis for a trial at the tail end of last season, Musial hit .426 in twelve games.

If their pitching stands up as it did last year, this year's Cardinals may replace the Dodgers as the team the Yankees will face in October.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.