The Philadelphia Story

When Steve O'Neill became manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in midseason last year, the club was slogging along in sixth place, visibly glowering under the strict regime of Eddie Sawyer, who had managed his happy-go-lucky "Whiz Kids" to the pennant in 1950. Grown up, the Phils particularly resented Sawyer's dictum against wives at spring training, his strict curfews. Under amiable "Stout Steve" O'Neill, the Phils played the rest of the season at a .648 clip, the fastest in the league. Last week, taking up where they left off, the Phils went scooting off to the

National League lead, winning ten of their first twelve games, eight of them in a row. Gist of the happy Phillies' clubhouse chatter: "We'll have the pennant sewed up by Labor Day."

The confidence of the grown-up Whiz Kids (average age now: 28) stems from complete faith in the strongest left and right pitching punch in baseball: Righthander Robin Roberts, 26, and Southpaw Curt Simmons, 23. who between them won 42 games last season while losing only 15. Alternating this season with Righthander Karl Drews (14-15), the three managed to win eight of the Phils' first twelve games. Oldtime Catcher O'Neill (Cleveland Indians), who remembers the days when pitchers were not mollycoddled with whirlpool baths and heated jackets, intends to keep right on making work horses of his big three. "Why not?" grunts O'Neill. "They can do it. They're big & strong."

Strong Down the Middle. Big (6 ft. 4 in., 198 Ibs.) Righthander Drews agrees, with a small reservation: "Three days off is just right." Roberts, who pitched three complete games in seven days--and won all three--often volunteers to pitch after only two days of rest. Such enthusiasm is infectious. Old (36) Jim Konstanty, the reliefer responsible for the 1950 pennant, is now rated a starter and boasts, "I can work as often as anybody." Konstanty's first start was a winning two-hitter; he hopes the big three will be four soon.

Though most managers agree that pitching is 75% of the game, O'Neill is well aware that pennants are not won by pitching alone. The rest of the team, much the same line-up as 1950, is strong down the middle. Backing the surehanded double-play combination of Shortstop Granny Hamner and Second Baseman Connie Ryan is Centerfielder Richie Ashburn. one of the fastest men in the league. The Phillies' power hitters: Leftfielder Del Ennis and Third Baseman Willie Jones, with 38 homers between them last season.

Competition on the Bench. Unlike the 1950 team, the Phils this year have one of the strongest benches in baseball. Manager O'Neill just beams when he considers his substitutes: "If any of the present starters slack off, we've got men just as good on the bench. That's what makes me happy--looking at that bench." O'Neill has his choice of two proven first basemen: power-hitting Earl Torgeson, traded from Boston, or slick-fielding Eddie Waitkus, a .289 hitter last season. Other big-league infield substitutes are Jack ("Lucky") Lohrke and Tommy Glaviano. Outfielders Johnny Wyrostek, Bill Nicholson and Mel Clark, who hit .335 in 47 games last year, are all fighting for the third rightfield spot.

Manager O'Neill figures that the spirited competition for positions, plus his big three (or four), can take the measure of the league in the long run. He is not discounting the Dodgers, Giants or Cardinals, who beat out the fourth-place Phils last season. "They are all strong clubs," says O'Neill, "and they're bound to have spells like ours when they're unbeatable." O'Neill knows that getting out in front early means that the Phils will face the league's best pitchers. He likes it that way. O'Neill's theory: "When you play against the best, you always play your best."

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