The Decline of the West

With the American League practically rained out of business for two weeks, the National League was making news enough for both. The supposedly strong western teams had finished their first turn around the eastern circuit and had been knocked cold by the amazing New York Giants and the astounding Brooklyn Dodgers. The figures told why:

BATTING AVERAGES

Holmes, Boston .426 Kurowski, St. L. .387 Ott, New York .402 Olmo, Brooklyn .382

RUNS BATTED IN

Lombardi, N. Y. 25 Weintraub, N. Y. 23 Nieman, Boston 24 Olmo, Brooklyn 23

HOME RUNS

Ott, New York 7 Lombardi, N. Y. 7 Weintraub, N. Y. 7 Nieman, Boston 6

PITCHING RECORDS

Won Lost Won Lost Voiselle, N. Y. 8 0 Derringer, Chi. 5 2 Feldman, N. Y. 4 1 Gregg, Bklyn. 5 2

This week, thanks mainly to the slugging of moody Phil Weintraub, big-beaked Ernie Lombardi and stumpy Manager Mel Ott (total ages no years), the Giants strutted at the top of the National League ladder with a won-lost count of 21-to-6. The veteran trio reached its peak of efficiency with a homer apiece in a single inning while copping four straight from the Chicago Cubs. Other reasons for cheer in the Giants camp: the unbeatable pitching of Bill Voiselle (8-0), the fine shortstopping of Buddy Kerr, the .347 hitting of Napoleon Reyes.

Nobody could quite explain the Dodgers' second-place splurge. They had been doped to waddle along in seventh place, or worse. But Manager Leo Durocher's pre-season prediction that he would uncork some useful pitchers had come true. The hitters, led by Puerto Rican Luis Olmo had made a habit of coming through in the clutch. These tangible assets, and the old Flatbush urge to die for dear old Durocher. had enabled the Dodgers to win eleven straight for a season record of 17 and 9.

Gloom hung heavy over all the western clubs, but the blackest cloud was over the once-mighty Cardinals (who had only managed to break even in 26 games). First Marty Marion and Al Schoendienst went on the injured list, then Pitcher Max Lanier went home for probable induction. At this point Mort Cooper, the Cards' No. 1 pitcher, walked out. He still wanted his paycheck boosted to $15,000 or else (TIME, April 30).

This week, the eastern teams go west--where the fences are farther away, and not even the Giants themselves expect to clout with such abandon. Back in their own backyard, the westerners hope that both the law of averages and the experts' pre-season predictions will start catching up with them.

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