Phils Rely on Pitching, Defense
To Make Up for Lack of Hitting
Editor' Note: This is the sec-
end in a series on the 1955 pros
pects of the major league clubs.
By LEOTPETERSEN
United Press Sports Editor
Clearwater, Fla. (U.R) The
Phillies will have to rely on
pitching and defense in the 1955
National League race, because
they lack power hitting. And it
doesn't look as if their new man
ager. Mayo Smith, will come up
with enough of either to finish in
the first division, let alone be a
pennant contender.
In addition to the lack of
heavy hitters, the club lacks
bench serength and may wind up
needing a second baseman.
" Last year, Granny Hamner,
one of the top shortstops in the
league, was shifted to second
and while he turned in a .workman-like
performance, club of
ficials agree the team is stronger
with him at short. He will play
short this year.
Roberts Tops Pitchers
Heading the pitching staff will
be Robin Roberts, who won 21
and lost 15 last season and again
was a workhorse, pitching 337
innings.
Behind him as starters Smith
is counting on southpaw Curt
Simmons, who has a sore arm
and may not be in shape for the
first part of the season; the vet
eran Murry Dickson and Herm
Wehmeier. who took a new lease
on life when the Redlegs traded
him to the Phililes last season.
Simmons won 14 and lost 15;
Dickson was 10-20 and Weh
meier 10-11. with all of his vic
tories coming after he joined the
Phillies. He had lost three with
the Redlegs before the shift.
Bob Greenwood, who saw lit
tie action last season with a 1-2
record and two rookies up from
Syracuse, James Owens and
John Meyer, are other starting
possibilities. Owens won 17 and
lost nine while Meyer had a 15
11 record.
Bob Miller, 7-9 last year, may
wind up as the No. 1 relief
pitcher with Steve Ridzik (4-5)
and (Ron Mrozinskl (1-1) also
possibilities.
Ortiz Weak Hitter
Outside of Hammer at short
and Willie Jones at third, the in
field setup is not definite. Earl
Torgeson, who figures to be the
first baseman, is revocering from
an operation to build up a ten
don in his right hand, and may
not be ready to open the season.
Behind him at first are two
rookies, Marvin Blaylock, who
hit .303 at Syracuse and James
Westlake, who batted .285 at
San Francisco.
Louis Ortiz, who hit only .225
at Rochester, is the leading can
didate for second base, but there
seems little chance that he will
develop into a major league hit
ter. Unless the Phililes come up
with a second baseman, it may
be that Bobby Morgan, whose
best position is shortstop, but
who also can play third, will
wind up at the spot. The Phillies
obtained Morgan from the Dodg
ers last spring and he wound up
batting .262, playing in 135
games.
Ted Kanzanski, a bonus baby,
hit only .135 in 39 games last
year and may be sent out for
more seasoning. The veteran
Floyd Baker, nearing the end of
the major league trail, will stay
on as an infield reserve and
pinch hitter.
Stan Lopata and Smokey
Burgess will share catching du
ties. Lopata is the better receiv
er, Burgess the better hitter.
Burgess, playing in 103 games,
hit .368 lats year but was at bat
only 345 times, 55 short to be
considered for the National
League batting championship.
Lopata hit .290 in 86 games, but
his average jumped after he
changed his batting stance to a
crouch.
Del Ennis, the club's power
hitter who drove in 119 runs
in 1954 although batting only
.261, will be in left field and the
fleet Richie Ashbum, who hit
.313, in center.
The right field spot is wide
open with Mel Clark, who hit
only .240 last year; Danny Schell,
with a .283 average and the
veteran John Wyrostek, .239, as
leading candidates.
Peanuts Lowrey, picked up
after the Cardinals gave him his
unconditional release, probably
will stick on for outfield and in
field reserve duty and pinch hit
ting chores.
Coast League Briefs
Glendale, Calif. OI.R) The
hard-hitting Portland Beavers,
working on a four-game winning
streak, play host to Los Angeles
today with Ad Satalich. Royce
Lint and Dick Waibel scheduled
to pitch.
The Beavers shut out UCLA
yesterday 3-0 on a combined
four-hitter by Don Herman and
Jack Widner, both of whom are
fighting for a chance to get on
the Portland roster. The Beavers
scored all three runs in the
first inning and coasted home.
Fletcher Robbe, an outfielder
and the last Portland holdout,
came to terms yesterday.
El Centre Calif. U.R)
Oakland's Acorns meet San
Francisco today in a desert
Coast League exhibition game
with Karl Drews and Allen
(Two-Gun) Gettel slated to do
the hurling.
The Oaks, currently leading
the exhibition league, had the
day off yesterday and Mana
ger Lefty O'Doul confined
training to wind sprints, in
which speedy Bob Schurr excelled.
two in a row over Seattle to
day after downing the Rai
niers 11-5 yesterday.
The Padres travel to Palm
Springs for the encounter. In
yesterday's game, they jump
ed on rookie Gene Hayden for
six big runs in the fifth in
ning to ice the contest. Al
Zarilla and Dick Faber both
batted in three runs for the
Pads.
Palm Springs, Calif. (U.R)
The Seattle Rainiers return to
their training camp here today
for an exhibition game against
the San Diego Padres.
Anaheim, Calif. OI.R) The
Hollywood Stars, after a day's
rest, lake on the UCLA Bru
ins today in an exhibition
game.
The Bruins were shut out
yesterday 3-0 by the Portland
Beavers.
Fullerton, Calif. (U.R) The
Los Angeles Angels travel to
nearby Glendale today to meet
Portland after edging the Fort
Ord Warriors 8-7 yesterday in a
practice game.
The soldiers tied it up with a
single run in the top of the sev
enth only to see Angel catcher
Dick Tindall single home the
winning tally in the bottom of
the same frame.
Cal McLish, Turk Lown and
Dick Drott are scheduled for
mound duty today.
Ontario, Calif (U.R) The
San Diego Padres, 1954 Paci
fic Coast League pennant win
ners, get a chance to make it
Yuma. Ariz. (U.R) The Sacra
mento Solons renewed training
with a vengeance today after
taking their third straight loss
last night at the hands of San
Francisco, 7-6.
The Solons pitching staff gave
up seven runs in the first five
innings. Leo Thomas clubbed a
solo home run in a losing cause.
MedforiTribune
Brawley, Calif. (U.R)
Tommy Heath's San Francisco
Seals continue their desert
Coast League road schedule
today, traveling to El Centro
to take on the Oakland Oaks.
Yesterday, the Seals scored
early and held on to edge Sa
cramento. 7-8 at Yuma, Ariz.
Dave Mellon got things roll
ing a three-run homer in the
first and Mike Baxes followed
with a solo roundtripper in
the same inning. Sal Taormina
lost one in the three-run fifth.
Bobby Shantz May Be After
Job Unless Sore Arm Better
West Palm Beach, Fla (U.R) The' slender, blond 27 - year
Vnrlnm litf'.P Robhv Shantz ld left - hander, who won 24
. . . . ! Barnes 1
grimly admitted today he'll have
to start pounding the pavement
in search of "some kind of a
job" if he fails in his current
comeback attempt with the Kan
sas City Athletics.
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PHONE 2-6314
games for the Philadelphia A's
in "1952 and was voted the most
valuable player in the American
League, still has no inkling of
whether his arm trouble has dis
appeard or not.
"I just keep hoping and
hoDing-," he said, shaking his
heed as he sat stripped to the
waist in front of his locker. "But
I don't know anything more
about my arm than I did last
fall."
Has No Trade
Shantz. the outstanding pitch
er in all baseball only .three
short years ago, faces his un
certain future without moaning
or iiincning, even tnougn n
means he may have, to take a
job for S80 or $100 a week when
; not so long ago he made more
than $25,000 a year.
"If things don't pan out," he
said, shrugging his shoulders,
"then I guess I'll have to try to
find some kind of job in Philly.
"What sort of job? Who knows?
I don't have a trade."
100 Top Women
Golfers Start
North South Play
Pinehurst, N. C. (U.R) A
near-record field of 100 of the
nation's top women amateurs
set out today in quest of the
43rd annual North and South In
vitational Golf championship.
Co-favorites were National
Amateur champion Barbara Ro-
mack of Sacramento, Calif., and
sensational newcomer Pat Les
ser of Seattle.
Thirty-two places in the cham
pionship flight were at stake in
today's qualifying round over
the par 74, 6,000-yard No. 2
championship course.
Most of the field turned in
practice rounds Tuesday. Miss
Lesser, making her first appear
ance here, found the pineborded
fairways to her liking.
Miss Romack, semi - finalist
here last year and a former
North and South champion, is
hoping to end Miss Lesser's
string of victories in four pre
vious clashes on the winter tour.
Eighteen hole match play begins
Thursday.
Kezar stadium in San Fran
cisco's Golden Gate park is the
home of the East-West Shrine
games and the San Francisco
49ers, professional football
team.
ipco)iHnrs
Ella Kowalski Will
Be Kim's Second in
Go With Miss Hunter
Ella Kowalski, who twice met
Gerry Hunter in the local wres
tling ring, will be chief second
for Tiny Kim when the Hono
lulu judo expert meets the
blonde bombshell in the feature
match of Saturday night's wres
tling card at Merrick's arena.
Promoter Mack Lillard said
yesterday he has been informed
by Miss Kim that she is working
out daily with Miss Kowalski,
who is attempting to teach her
weak spots she noticed in her
two matches with the claimant
to the world's feminine middle
weight championship. Kowal
ski's first match with Miss Hunt
er ended in a draw and she was
badly trounced in the return go.
Kim, a curvacious cutie of
Oriental extraction, said Kowal
ski will be in her corner to as
sist in every way possible to
bring victory over the arrogant
Hunter.
Grapple fans are also show
ing considerable interest in the
Medford debut of Cyclone Cobb,
240-pound Texas Negro who
meets Yoggi Hussane in the mid
dle scrap. Cobb is said to spec
ialize in taming unorthodox
men of Hussane's type and that
would suit the fans just right.
The opening match, slated for
8:30 p.m., sends Buck Davidson,
who made his local debut as a
youngster 20 years ago next
May, against Johnny Dobbs,
colorful but mean Nebraskan.
All matches will be for 40 min
utes or two out of three falls
and arena doors will open at
7:30 p.m.
Tickets are on sale at the
Rogue restaurant, 42 South Cen
tral ave.
JOIN CHAMPS
Seattle (U.R) Stan Glowaski
of Seattle University and Dean
Parsons, University of Washing
ton basketball captain the past
season, will join the Buchan
Bakers of Seattle for the nation
al AAU tournament at Denver
March 21-26, club officials said
today.
FIGHTS
By UNITED PRESS
Washington, D.C.: Tommy (Hurri
canel Jackson. 197. New York,
knocked out Chuck Saucer. 188. Wash
ington. D.C.. (3i.
Trenton. N.J.: Gene Takach. 139'i.
Trenton. N.J.. outpointed Jimmy
inockj-j Sullivan, 136 '2, Boston. Mass.
(8.i.
Chicago: Virgil Akins. 148. St. Louis,
stopped Tommy Maddox. 149. Chicago
(4).
Wednesday, March 18, 1955
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE NINE
Loeffler Confident LaSalle
Can Trim Big 10 Champions
Salem, O. U.R) Coach Ken
Loeffler was confident today
that his LaSalle Explorers can
beat Iowa Friday night in the
NCAA eastern title basketball
game even though he has had no
scouting reports on the Hawk
eyes. Loeffler was to rejoin LaSalle
in Pittsburgh today after speak
ing at a booster club banquet
honoring the local high school
basketball team Tuesday night
before a packed house of 300
persons at the memorial build
ing. While he was here, the Ex
plorers were handled in work
outs at Philadelphia by Frank
O'Hara, the tiny captain who led
LaSalle to the NCAA crown last
year.
Plans Workouts
Loeffler and the team were
scheduled to fly from Pittsburgh
to Kansas City where he hoped
to hold workouts later in the
day and also Thursday.
The LaSalle coach said that he
would start his boys on a man-to-man
basis in the Iowa game,
but might switch to a zone de
fense to battle the Hawkeyes,
who have seen little of that sys
tem in Big Ten play this season.
"I'll use anything that"s le
gal," Loefler said. "Ask the
same question of Iowa."
He apparently hoped Iowa
would use a zone defense, for
he said his team liked to play
against it for "we've had pretty
good success against it."
Wants Victory
Loeffler admitted that he'd be
"very unhappy if they lost" at
Kansas City.
The Explorers' coach said he
had brought his team - along
slowly this season, saying he
"would rather lose in December I
and win in March.
While defending champion La
Salle and Iowa battle for the
eastern championship Friday
night, Colorado and San Fran
cisco will be playing for the
western title. The two winners
will meet at Kansas City for tha
NCAA championship.
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