Reluctant Flag Winners Begin Series

It looked for awhile as if we weren't going to have a world series. No team in either league seemed particularly interested in winning the pennant.

Take the American League. Yeah, take it somewhere, anywhere. It was terrible: zany, but terrible. When a group of nightclubbers like the Los Angeles Angels can seriously dream of world series pay checks, something is wrong. If it were not for the fact that the Cards and Twins lost interest in the race, the Yanks might never have made it.

Take the National League. What a joke. The League was all right until August, but then the Pirates, the Reds, the Dodgers and the Giants took turns in showing just how bad they could be. The Giants finally lost this competition, and wound up winning the first from the choke-up Dodgers.

So the reluctant champions meet today, and anyone could win, as they say in the world of sports. Looking at the positions one by one, this year's contenders are about even:

CATCHER--Elston Howard is a .279 hitter. He is also about the best catcher around. Then there is Yogi Berra, who just loves world series. The Giants have Ede Balley, and he is great in the clutch, and a sewed-up version of Tom Haller. Give the Yanks the edge here.

FIRST BASE--Orlando Cepeda.. That's all you need to say to realize that San Francisco is better equipped. His only trouble is he has problems when the pressure is on, but 33 homers and a .300 batting mark make him the pick over Moose Skowron, who had a tough, .270 year.

SECOND BASE--The Yankees have "little" Booby Richardson, and all fans know he is murder in a series. He wasn't bad during the season, either, with a .302 mark and 209 hits. Chuck Hiller (.275), the Giant, is adequate, but no immortal.

SHORTSTOP--Overwhelming New New York superiority here, as Ralph Houk can play either Tony Kubek (.314) or the obvious Rookie of the Year choice, Tom Tresh. The Giants have Pagan, a good solid, steady, but unsensational man.

THIRD BASE--Jim Davenport holds the fort for San Francisco here, and does well at it, both in the field and at the plate (.300). But he doesn't do quite as well as Clete Boyer.

THE OUTFIELD--The Yankees are superior up front but in baseball it is not necessarily what's up front that counts. Not when the Giants have Felipe Alou, Harvey Kuenn, and Willie Mays on the outfield grass. Despite his tendency to hit home runs now and then, (and this year it has been mostly then) Roger Maris is not quite as impressive as Alou. Don't get me wrong. Maris has problems, scowis at little kids, slugs reporters, is a nice guy off the field, ahaven expertly, and occasionally wins ball games, but unless he is hot, he can be awfully disappointing.

In centerfield are the two greatest players in the game. In fact, the outcome of the series could well depend on the health of Mickey Mantle, and how tired Mays is.

THE MOUND--Had the Giants not just played a three game play-off, pitching superiority would automatically be ceded to them. Jack Sanford (22-7), Juan Marichal (13-10), Billy O'Dell (19-14), and Billy Pierce (13-6) give them a great foursome of starters, and Stu Miller, Don Larsen, and Mike McCormick are more than adequate in relief. Against this lineup put Whitey Ford (17-8), Ralph Terry (23-12), Bill Stafford (14-9) and Bud Daley (5-3). Pretty obvious who's better. Marshall Bridges (3.17 ERA) is one of the best reliefers in the business, but he can't work seven straight games.

When all this is said, there is still no telling who is going to win for sure. In fact, we can't even agree ourselves, so we give you two conclusions. Pick your own, fans.

Ending No. 1

There is no particularly convincing reason why the Yankees will win the series, but they will, in six games. The Giants are tired and inexperienced. They are also over-excited about the prospect of playing in a world series.

To the New Yorkers the series is nothing special. It is something to be won, though, and winning the world series is a basic part of the Yankee philosophy of baseball. If nothing else, Yankee post-season seasoning, and the great tradition of the past will carry them, through.

Ending No. 2

In 1954, the day after the Giants had clinched the pennant, they faced a young Dodger lefty named Karl Spooner. He fanned 15, and before fading into obscurity the next spring, he excited a winter slogan in Flatbush: "Now we got Spooner sooner."

That day the Giants were, in medical terminology, drunk. Today they may be in a similar condition, having just clinched the big money (getting into the series means about $7,000 more than finishing second; winning the series means about $2,000 more than losing it). If they are not stewed, they will at least be exhausted.

Friday they may still be hungover. But with a day of rest and the return to New York City where the air does Mays so much good.... Well, somebody has to pick the Giants; somebody with real faith in Felipe Alou. That's me. (FHG)