view raw text
Grimm Optimistic About Flag Hopes Manager of Braves I Cant Hide Smiles Too Many Good Hurlers Only Problem; Liddle Pleases Jolly Cholly With 2-Hitter By DON BRYDON i United Press Sports Writer MILWAUKEE, Wis., May 11.— Jolly Cholly Grimm, the ukulele-playing manager of the surprising Milwaukee Braves, could not qiute hide his optimism today as the transplanted Braves pulled to within 11-2 games of the league lead. "Weve got good hitters, excellent pitchers and as tight a defense as you "11 find in the league," Grimm said. "A team cant keep from going places with a combination like that." Grimm said he has only one problem. He has too many good pitchers. "Ive had a lot of problems in my career as a manager, but this is the most pleasant one Ive ever run across," he said. "Boy, Id like to have a dozen starters." He was especially pleased with little Don Liddles two-hitter in the diminutive southpaws first major league start yesterday. Liddle, the "money pitcher" on last years pennant-winning Milwaukee Brewers club with a 17-4 record, came through with a 4 to 1 triumph over the slumping Cubs in the nightcap of a twin bill and now Grimm will have to fit Liddle into his bulging corps of starting moundsmen. Beat Cubs Twice The Braves took both ends of the double-header from the Cubs, 6 to 2 and 4 to 1, for their eighth win in the last 11 starts. The double victory combined with two defeats of St. Louis put the Braves into third place in the National League. The Pirates, Giants and Phillies play in Milwaukee this week with the Dodgers themselves coming in for two games May 19 and 20. "Im not going to do any predicting right now." Grimm said. "Its going to be a long summer." But he added that "Were not conceding anything to anybody, and were going to cause plenty of trouble." The new Milwaukee fans were not as cautious as Grimm. Milwaukee has had a major league club for less than a month, but the bleacherites are already getting "pennant fever." Although Grimm didnt want to talk about pennants, he was. eager to talk about his team. He said he wasnt worried about the recent batting slump of the teams big guns — Sid Gordon, Andy Pafko, Joe Adcock and rookie Billy Bruton, the teams leading hitter. "Theyre starting to snap out of it now that the weather has warmed up," Grimm said. "When our batting fell off during that rainy weather in the east, our, pitching and defense was good enough to win." He said, "now that were hitting again, were going to be tough." Grimm has come up with a formidable pitching staff now that Liddle has proved that he can handle a starting assignment. The Braves went into spring training with two aces — Warren Spahn and Max Sur-kont — and a lot of question marks. The hurlers who have come around include Vern Bickford, Jim Wolson, Johnny Antonelli, Ernie Johnson and Liddle to give him seven dependable starters. Lew Bur-dette and Bobby Buhl have looked good in several relief performances, but the Braves pitchers have gone the full nine innings in 13 of the teams first 18 games, giving the relief corps little to do except watch the game.
