The Courier News from Blytheville, Arkansas • Page 8

BLYIirETILLl Interesting Races By JOE REICHLER NEW YORK (AP) The major leagues today opened what promises to be one of the most interesting baseball seasons in many years. Rarely has a campaign started with so many vital questions waiting to be The latest and perhaps the most important is: How much will Enos Slaughter help the New York Yankees? Did the five-time pennant winning Yankees insure another flag when they acquired the 38-year- old Slaughter from the St. Louis Cardinals on the eve of the pennant race? Or did they blow their chance when they sold star pitcher Vic Raschi to the Cardinals six weeks earlier? Clow Race The answer may be a long time coming. The prospects are for close races in both leagues. All last year's runner-ups appear strengthened and eager to take a track at the defending champions.

For the first time in years all 16 clubs started the campaign on tfce same day. Some 215,000 fans were expected to see the eight inaugurals. Slaughter, on hand for the Yankees' opener in Washington, was not to line to see action, but Mickey Mantle, the young outfield star, was slated for duty in center field, apparenfly recovered from his knee operation of last winter. Sellout Sees A sellout of 30,000 was assured to watch President Eisenhower throw out the first ball. After that either left-hander Chuck Stobbs or right-hander Bob Porterfield was to take the mound for the Senators.

Southpaw Whitey Ford, who holds a 5-0 lifetime record against Washington, already has been named to open the Yankees. A battle of southpaws was in prospect in Philadelphia, where Eddie Joost was making his managerial debut with the A's. Mel Parneli of the Boston Red $ox and Boby Sbantz of the Athletics were fee opposing pitchers. A turnout of 12,000 waa expected. Zach team's key slugger was absent.

Ted Williams, whose fractured collarbone WAS reported mending rapidly, is not expected back in the Red Sox lineup until May 15 at the earliest. Gus Zer- nial was out of the Athletics' lineup with a sprained neck. Orioles Back Baltimore, returning to the majors after 51 years, hoped to get off on the right foot in Detroit. Manager Jimmy Dykes, who moved from Philadelphia to Baltimore, planned to start either Duane Pillette or Don Larsen on the mound. A crowd of 30,000 was slated to see veteran right-hander Steve Gromek make the first pitch for the Tigers.

The National League's largest to be on hand for the renewal of the Dodger-Giant feud at the Polo Grounds. Sal Maglie, who has beaten the Dodgers 18 times in 24 Three Rookies Set In Cardinal Lineup ST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Cardinals, with six starters who have less than two years of major league experience, open the National League season against Chicago's Cubs here today. The Cardinals' "big gamble" puts rookies Tom Alston at first base, Alex Grammas at shortstop and Wally Moon in center field.

Moon replaces veteran Enog decisions, was ready to test his once aching back against the Brooks, who had Carl Erskine, their World Series hero, fit and ready. The Dodgers, except for Manager Walter Alston, presented the same lineup that appeared in the series last October and the Giants had Willie Mays, their rookie star of 1951, back in center field after two years in the Army. Cincinnati, opening the season at home for the 69th straight year, was host to the Braves, who had rookie Henry Aaron in the lineup in place of the injured Bobby Thomson. A capacity crowd of 30,000 was assured long ago to watch this battle of right-hander, with veteran Bud Podbielan going for the Redlegs against sophomore Bob Buhl. Making his managerial bow for Cincinnati was Birdie Tebbetts.

A revamped Pittsburgh team, which opened at home for the first time since 1893, was set to face Philadelphia's ace Robin Roberts with a lineup composed of such hard-bitten veterans as Walker Cooper and Sid Gordon and fuzzy- faced youngsters as Curt Roberts and Gail Allie. Bob Friend, who pitched sensationally in exhibition games, was the Pirates' nominee. Some 20,000 were expected to be on hand. Rookie Wally Moon was scheduled for duty in center field, Alex Grammas at shortstop and Tom Alston at first base as the Cardinals played host to the Chicago Cubs in St. Louis before about 18,000.

The Cubs, under Stan Hack, who replaced Phil Cavarretta only a couple of weeks ago as manager, also boasted three newcomers in the lineup. They are center fielder Bob Talbot, shortstop Ernie Banks and second baseman Gene Baker. Harvey Haddix, a 20-game winner for the Redbirds last year, was named to oppose veteran southpaw Paul Minner. Slaughter, 37 year-old veteran traded to the New York Yankees Sunday. Alston first Negro to appear in a Cardinal uniforrri, and Grammas are $100,000 investments.

Moon, a native of Bay, has seen only one major league game. That came in 1950 when he came to St. Louis to sign with the Cardinals. His contract was officially purchased from Rochester yesterday. Rip Repulski, who with third baseman Ray Jablonski is a sophomore, will shift from center to right field.

Left fielder Stan Musial, second baseman Al (Red) Schoendienst and catcher Del Rice are the only Cardinal veterans in the lineup. The Cubs, with new manager Stan Hack at the helm, also have three newcomers in the Ernie Banks at short. Gene Baker at second and Bob Talbot in center. All appeared briefly with the Cubs last season. Hack, in a surprise move, named Paul Minner, 12-15 last season, as his starting pitcher over ace right- hander Bob Rush.

He will be opposed by Harvey Haddix, who won 20 and lost 9 in his first season with the Cards last year. Both are southpaws. About 18,000 fans are expected at remodeled Busch Stadium, which seats 30,500. Cloudy skies and a temperature In the low 70s are expected. The probable lineups and batting- orders: CHICAGO Talbot.

cf Pondy, lb Kiner, If Sauer, rf Banks, ss Jackson, 3b Baker, 2b McCullough, (12-15) ST. LOUIS Repulski, rf Moon, cf Schoendienst 2b Musial, If Jablonski, 3b Alston, lb Grammas, ss Rice, Haddix (20-9) Sports Slaughter Deal Is a Puzzler By GAYLE TALBOT NEW YORK (AP) No matter how glib the avowals of other National League club that they couldn't have used County Slaughter, the baseball public is not going to believe them and is, once again, taking a bilious view of the Yankees' ability to sneak veteran stars who figure to help them out in the rival league. Either of two clubs which expect to challenge the Dodgers- Milwaukee and New have been strengthened for the race starting today if i had Slaughter available to play right field for even 100 games. Either team could have afford his $30.000 salary, considering the prize at stake. But neither could have gotten him, and knew it, and so their later protestations that a 38-year- old Slaughter didn't fit into their plans were so much top dressing.

Yankee Influence It would be difficult to convince any fairly intelligent fan that there no connection between the earlier deal which sent pitcher Vic Raschi from the Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals and this latest remarkable demonstrations of Yankee influence. It would be equally futile to suggest to him that the Cleveland Indians, the Chicago White Sox or the Boston- Red Sox could have bought Slaughter's supposedly fading service? for a minor league relief pitcher and three nameless athletes from the tall grass, as the five-time world champions did. Other Shoe Perhaps it is only fair to the superefficient Yankee organization to state that no one complained when Raschi was spirited out of the American League and sold to the Cards. On the contrary, there was considerable rejoicing that the Yanks appeared to have weakened themselves.

Now. though, there is the feeling that, It was just a case of waiting for the other shoe to drop. There is resentment at the apparent collusion between the two little, rich boys. LAWRENCE, Kan. 0P) Kansas was out to make it four straight over Arkansas here today after beating the Razorbacks, 5-2, for the third time here yesterday.

Arkansas got 10 hits, one a home run by Walter Matthews, but couldn't make them count. Arkansas 000 000 200-2 10 4 Kansas 001 002 llx-5 6 4 Cusak and Wilkerson; Tiemeier, Shirley and Aungst. LOOK! You Save Money: Old German Premium Beer 24-Can Case 3 Lewis Liquor Store So. 21st. St.

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(NEA) Samuel Jackson Snead Licked AUGUSTA, April 13 (AP) Sam. Snead, the drawling West Virginian, made two conquests in winning his third Masters golf championship he beat Ben Hogan by one stroke in their 18-hole playoff and also licked a bad case of "yips." "Yips" is a Snead-coined word the Slammer uses to describe putting jitters, and he said before the tournament he was in the midst of the worst case of his career. But Sam handled his putter adequately yesterday and came home in two-under-par 70 to Hogan's 71. The victory bracketed Snead with Jimmy Demaret as a three-time Masters winner. Hogan, too, was seeking his third Masters title, and had hoped to become the first man ever to capture two in succession.

Three of Three for Sam This was the third time the two Baseball Standings had met in man-to-man competition, and Snead has come out on top every time. He beat Ben in a San Francisco match play tournament before the war and again in their 1950 playoff for the Los Angeles Open crown. It was Hogan's second Masters' playoff, and his second defeat. Byron Nelson beat him by one stroke over this same hilly Augusta National course in 1942. Snead picked up $5,000 for his victory and Hogan got $3,125.

Each also got an undisclosed percentage of the playoff gate. Patton and Ike Billy Joe Patton, the sensational amateur who almost won, got an- i other thrill last was invited to play golf with President Eisenhower. SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION Pet. BH New Orleans 4 Little Rock 3 Chattanooga 2 1 Atlanta 2 1 Mobile 1 2 Memphis 1 2 Nashville 0 3 Birmingham. 0 4 0 1.000 0 1.000 2 .667 1V 2 .667 .333 .333 .000 .000 4 TODAY'S GAMES Mobile at Little Rock Nashville at Birmingham New Orleans at Memphis Chattanooga at Atlanta YESTERDAY'S RESULTS PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE Seattle 3-2, San Francisco 1-3 (second game, 11 innings) San Diego 5-3, Los Angeles 4-1 Oakland 6-0, Sacramento 2-6 Hollywood 10-2, Portland 3-11 TEXAS LEAGUE Dallas 3, Houston 0 San Antonio 12, Fort W9rth 4 Oklahoma City 5, Beaumont 3 Shreveport 5, Tulsa 2 Pat Brady of the Pittsburgh Steel- ers won the punting championship of the National Football League in 1953 with an average of 46-9 yards per punt.

He did not have a kick blocked the entire season. tune in! BASEBALL PLAY BY PLAY KLCN-FM with HARRY CARAY BROUGHT TO YOU BY ANHEUSER-BUSCH, INC JT. LOUIS NfWARK LOS Budweisee A I I I I I It ROBERTSON DISTRIBUTING CO. "I'm going back to Morganton (N. for a dinner they are having in my honor Wednesday night," Billy Joe said, "but I'm coming back to play golf with President Eisenhower Friday." The President is scheduled to fly here tomorrow for a golfing vacation.

Patton, a 31-year-old wholesale lumber man, tied for the Masters lead in the first round and moved out front by himself in the second. He faltered in the third, however, and fell five strokes back of Hogan. A sentimental favorite with the huge gallery, Patton staged a remarkable comeback in the fouth round and pulled ahead again temporarily. Two bad holes cost him three strokes and at the end of Rio Grande Expells Bevo RIO GRANDE, Ohio (AP) Tiny Rio Grande has expelled Bevo Francis, the gangling farm boy wfco it on the national basketball map. Southern Clubs Return Visits Red-Hot Pelicans Open in Memphis By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A new set of baseball openers tonight will give another large segment of Southern Association addicts a shot in the arm with home inaugurals in Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis and Little Rock.

Optimistic business office people expected the second set of kickoff games to outdraw the 28,788 aggregate which turned out for season lid lifters at Chattanooga, Mobile, Nashville and New Orleans last week. Atlanta officials predict an audience of about 14,000 paying customers for the clash with Chattanooga. If the weather is right, Memphis fans may pour out in good numbers to get a look at the high-flying New Orleans Pelicans, who opened the season with four straight victories over Birmingham. The Chicks 1953 pennant winners, have lost two of the first three games to Chattanooga. Club officials hoped for a crowd of 8,004 (first night crowd of a year ago).

Mobile will help raise the curtain at Little Rock, where the Travelers drew 6,562 for the 1953 opener. A local favorite, veteran righthander Milo Johnson, is manager Bill Norman's mound choice to keep Little Rock's winning streak alive. Since success is a magnet, the Little. Rock draw might top thej 1963 turnout. All the teams took yesterday off to travel.

Francis, an awkward try lad who fiowlf he at all, in two yewri changed Rio Grande from a tchool without even a basketball court to one with a big-timt basketball program. To Many Last night the school's committee on instruction issued a statement saying Francis had been dropped from the rolls because of "an excessive number of unexcused absences, failure to make up more than one of his missed mid-term examinations and failure to attend any classes in the last two weeks." The announcement appeared to take everyone by surprise, including Francis' coach and personal friends, Newt Oliver and Bevo's father. Out Fishing As for real name is was "out fishing" at the time, apparently unaware of the commotion caused by his expulsion. Francis, a 20-year-old sophomore who learned his basketball by shooting at a hoop in a hayloft, holds the small college season scoring record. The 6 foot 9 center scored 1,256 points last season for a 27-game average of 46.5.

He scored a record 113 against Hillsdale College of Michigan Feb. 2. the 72 holes th'e bespectacled Tar Heel wound up with a 290 total, one stroke back of Hogan and Snead. NOTICE $3.25 Hyde Park BEER All Brands Cigarettes Phillip Applebaum Liquor Store 110 So. Fifth Phont FAR LOWER THAN YOU THINK! '88" Holiday A Motors Guess again! This striking Oldsmobile "88" Holiday Coupe brings yoa new "hardtop" luxury new low price! Yet it's distinctively all tbe newrfor-'54 features you'd expect to find only on higher-priced models.

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