Happy Warriors

High above all the hubbub, mildly amused by the whole affair, sat the first-place Boston Braves, who didn't need a new manager. At week's end, after winning four out of five, the Braves were eight games out front in the National League. Chuckled confident Manager Billy Southworth: "I'm a tough man to beat when I'm ahead. They're really going to have to go some to beat me now."

Billy, a balding wise man in his 50s, had brought hustle and hope to the Braves (they hadn't won a pennant in 34 years). Pepperpot Eddie Stanky, a refugee from Durocher's Brooklyn, added spark to the infield before breaking an ankle fortnight ago, which will keep him out of the lineup for 60 days. Outfielder Tommy Holmes put zing into the batting order. Southworth didn't seem to be worried about Durocher's new Giants, or Shotton's new Dodgers--only about his old alma mater, the St. Louis Cardinals, "who stand out above us all. Wow, that's a beautiful ball team!"

So far this season (Southworth's third in Boston) the Braves' longest losing streak has been four games. "When we lose," says Southworth, "we never talk baseball. I don't reprimand the boys for their mistakes after a game. I let a man sleep on it and talk to him next day. He doesn't resent it that way. There's no browbeating on my team. Actually, I haven't any reason to think that there's a fellow on the Braves who dislikes me."

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