European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 6, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sports by Tom Shehan off looks of his opposition f Mel Ott May not finish the new this is the time of year when All sports columnists Are supposed to go into a trance and make with expert opinion about who is going to win the National league but it so happens that yank has Only one trance on its and it is being used right now by the whats your problem who went into it two weeks ago trying to find out when the War with Germany was going to end and Hast been seen so your correspondent decided to turn the Isk of predicting the National league season Over to Mel Ott instead of tackling it we dont need to Tell you that Mel is now starting his 20th season As a major leaguer and his fourth season As manager of the new York he is 1a in the draft and would it be at All surprised to find himself soon serv ing his first season As a private in the army of the Mel thinks that the War stricken National league situation this year will turn out to be a three cornered Battle be tween the Louis the Chicago cubs and the Pittsburgh he Points out that the cardinals finished 14 games in front of the pirates last but that they have lost their slugging out Stan and that several other red Birds May have to enter the service some time Best of their new acquisitions is Albert red who became the International leagues batting Champion and most valuable player two years ago when he played shortstop for schoendienst was discharged from the army last summer in time to play 27 games for he is now in the process of being converted to a second baseman by Billy and will compete with Emil Verban for a regular berth in the Louis the cards will be Ott but not As Good As they were last a 14day winning Streak of the pirates last which brought 17 victories against one enabled them to take second place a game and a half in front of the Cincinnati Frankie Frisch has virtually the same team Back in Pittsburgh this the cubs must be said when they can afford to lose an outfielder like dal Lessandro in the release Ival Goodman to manage Portsmouth and let los Angeles sports service record v lips Chicago is a wonderful according to Erwin while he was waiting to buy a ticket for the Chicago Blackhawk Montreal canadians hockey game a Man approached him and Are you alone when Werth said he the Guy handed him a ticket and in giving these to while Werth was still examining the ticket to see if it was another Man rushed grabbed the handed him went away and returned in a Short time with a refund for the first Gerry former Washington senators infielder who has been playing Ball in the is in the army and Navy hot suffering from Tex former red sox and Enos Slaughter and Howie sex Louis Are on their Way to the Pacific to join the army baseball team Adam Clayton Powell has asked president Roosevelt to make Joe Louis a commissioned Edward have Novikoff is no great but he hits a Long and a lot of clubs could use him if they could get Ott thinks the chances of the rest of the clubs in the National league will depend on the strength of their in this kind of wartime baseball you have to prepare for a lot of he players Are out with injuries oftener than usual because there older and dont recover As on the other theres such a shortage of men that players on the Active list sometimes have to stay in the lineup when they should be last year my whole team took turns be ing Medwick and Lombardi were injured during the most important part of the i sprained my a few years ago i would have been Back in the lineup in a couple of but i was out six we brought Treadway up from Jersey City to relax some of the but then he got if it haunt been for All those i honestly think we might have finished the giants finished fifth in eight games behind the fourth place cubs and two games in front of the struggling Boston Mel thinks that the giants prospects Are the Best since they finished third in but he has top Many to slips to believe they will be fighting for the he Doest know How Long buddy Kerr is going to be around to play and he Doest know How much longer he can stand Danny his screwy despite another year of discipline at Jersey has a Mouth As loud As Mel has Many other personnel but he Doest want to bore you with the braves have Good pitching and catch ing but nothing much in the the Phil lies Are trying out a flock of but the Tipoff on them is that they have induced Jimmy Foxx to come out of retirement and have Given old Gus Mancuso a there was a time when any kind of Ball player who donned a uniform could land a spot on an army Camp or regimental but not since they started inducting reexamined 4f athletes at a 50percent a Story now going the rounds concerns a player who entered the service recently and re fused to draw a Rifle at the induction in a Ball he Ive seen you the Tough Supply sergeant told and take it from youre Gonna need a former big league outfielder who reported to Chapel Hill last fall after service in the will coach the North Carolina pre flight nine this Charley quarterback on Andy kerrs in scored upon and uninvited Colgate eleven of is a lieutenant in the Navy at port Lyau Tey in North rejected Mike new York Yankees Catcher Ernie Philadelphia eagles half decorated Bob former u of California Al american Center and husband of Kathleen author of for Ever with the Navy Cross for services in the inducted Eddie Boston braves second baseman Harry Cincin Nati reds Pitcher and Dominic Chicago cubs wounded is former holy Cross and Brooklyn dodgers on iwo discharged Harry Egnew York giants by the Navy after being awarded the purple heart Jimmy Long hitting Golf also by the hospitalized Lynwood Schoolboy the former Speedball pitching Star of the Detroit in Pearl Harbor with arthritis contracted while serving As a Seaman first class in the two Jack Dempsey of the coast guard runs into another heavyweight Jim Braddock of army transportation somewhere in