CRIMSON baseball pundits, after a long winter of second-guessing, trade-mongering, and crystal ball gazing, have finally agreed on the season's prospects for the "National Pastime" and herewith present their studied calculations before today's openers.

The American League predictions this year are fairly unique since the Red Sox do not figure as likely pennant contenders for the first time since 1946.

Boston's demise clears the field, however, and leaves only the Indians and Yankees with good chances to top the loop. The dark-horse White Sox appear to be the only other team in the A.L. which might stay in first all season.

Indians First

For our money, we'll pick Cleveland for the pennant. Manager Al Lopez did a fine job with his hurlers last year, but his hitters were so awful that there's nothing left for them to do this time except improve. Defensively the team is just adequate.

As usual, the Yankees are still the Yankees, however, and can't be discounted. With rookies and yearlings all over the infield and outfield, the Bombers still have an up-the-middle combination of Berra, McDouglad, and Rizzuto along with three of the best pitchers in the game. Casey Stengel's magic may well pull them in first for the fourth straight year.

Chicago has not changed much since last year, but neither have most of the other teams in the league. Therefore, we pick the well-balanced Comiskeys to top the fading Red Sox. The latter should also finish behind the Tigers, who figure to have a resurgence of hitting from their outfielders along with a solid pitching staff headed by Art Houtteman.

Bill Veeck, who doesn't like to own a loser, and Rogers Hornsby, who doesn't like to manage one, may make the Brownles the surprise team of the league.

And though Bucky Harris promised the Washington fans that he won't finish last, he may be wrong. The Athletics appear to be the choice here for eighth.

Moving from the ridiculous to the sublime, any one of four teams in the National League has a good chance for first. The Giants and Dodgers will still be up there along with greatly improved Card and Philly teams.

Giants the Pick

No National League pennant winner has repeated since 1944, but the Giants look good enough this year to break the jinx. The New Yorkers will play most of the season without three of last year's key men--Irvin, Mays, and Stanky--but their pitching is the best in the loop.

Brooklyn's power and defense should remain the best in the league, but pitching is their question mark. Only Roe, Branca, and Labine on the present squad were proved in action last year, while the rest of the staff is made up mostly of rookies.

Philadelphia also has a chance to go all the way this time, but a second thought ranks them in third behind the Brooks. Curt Simmons is back now to head the second best pitching staff in the league, and the hitting should also improve.

Don't count Ed Stanky's Cards out, though. The little nuisance has finished in first place three times in the last five tries and won't he out to smudge his record in St. Louis. He also has Stan Musial, the best ballplayer in either league. But check the Cards off in fourth, anyway.

The Braves have been rebuilding since 1918 and with their bunch of rookie in-elders don't look as if they will half the program this year. However, they are better than the rest, which means Ralph Kiner and the Reds and Cubs will probably wind up in that order sixth, seventh, and eighth.