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► . AL LOPEZ— Cleveland manager, calls Chicago White Sox the fastest team in baseball. Sox Fastest Club In Baseball: Lopez Says Richards Youngsters Run Opposition to Death; Yankees Rated Next Best By STEVE SNIDER United Press Sports Writer NEW YORK, N. Y., May 18.— Fastest club in baseball? Manager Al Lopez of Cleveland picks those hustling, wind-splitting Chicago White Sox. "They run you to death," said Lopez? who used to be a catcher and still cringes at the sight of speed on the base paths when it belongs to the other team. The records back him up. Already ahead of their entire 1950 total, the White Sox lead the majors with 21 stolen bases and possess the most daring "thief" of the year in center fielder, Jim Busby. Busby stole two bases on consecutive pitches against Detroit once this year, then scored on a squeeze play. He used to be a sprinter at Texas Christian. • The New York Yankees, dazzling with new speedsters, including Mickey Mantle, rate no better than second in Als book and he has had a long look at both clubs. "When we finished with the Yankees, an expert asked me if Id ever seen a faster team," Lopez recalled with a knowing smile. He felt insulted when I told him there was one right here in the American League today — the White Sox." Richards Desires Fulfilled When Paul Richards took over as manager of the White Sox this year, he vowed hed have two thing — speed and a tight defense. He has them both already and he may have picked up more speed when he acquired Bob Dillinger from the Pittsburgh Pirates. All he has to do is rekindle the larceny in the heart of the one-time base bandit of the St. Louis Browns. While at St. Louis, Dillinger led the American League in thefts for three straight seasons but apparently lost interest when he moved on to the Philadelphia Athletics and later the Pirates. Its likely to be no easy task for Paul to get Dillinger in a pilfering mood again but the result would be worth it. Busby has swiped 11 bases for the White Sox and his personal total- in the latest rundown exceeded the entire output of more than half the clubs in the majors. But "Jim the Buzzer" has plenty of company in the speed ratings since Richards lit the fire under all hands. Chico Carrasquel, Nelson Fox, and Orestes Minoso are apt to steal most any time. Even catcher Phil Masi bagged a theft the other day. In the matter of stealing, the White Sox and Yankees are well ahead of the rest of the league followed by St. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit and Boston. Washington and the Athletics wont set any records. Lippy Leo Durocher of the New York Giants has the running-est club in the National League and the St. Louis Cardinals, once the terrors of the league, are a dead last.
