The hapless Giants and luckless Indians recently faced the realization that they are good second-place teams, while the top-running Dodgers and Yankees respectively headed toward their first and fourth straight pennant races. For the Bums, the excitement is all over until the World Series starts next Wednesday; the Yankees still can blow the pennant by losing their last four games, but chances are they'll gain a berth opposite Brooklyn sometime before this weekend.

Early in August of this year, sports-writers again labelled the Dodgers as the best National League team since the old Cardinals, a mistake they had made the previous year. But in a slightly sickening (for the Ebbetts Field fans) four weeks, Brooklyn again disproved the hypothesis by blowing a 10-game lead to a mere three.

Dodgers Lack Pitchers

The Dodger team which will enter the Series shows a surprising lack of balance for a pennant-winner. Their probable first-game starter was a relief pitcher almost the whole season, which points out the weakness of the pitching staff. The infield which until the last two weeks was destined to set a new major league fielding mark leaked openly in the stretch. And the powerful batting order is loaded with right-handers, just the meat for Yankee right-handers Raschi and Reynolds.

But history doesn't repeat, and last year's "miracle finishing" Giants this time couldn't make it go all the way. The difference this time was not in the Dodgers, however, but in the Giants. No longer did Durocher have Ed Stanky to whip some spirit up, nor Bobby Thomson to hit .360 in the clutch month, nor a reliable Big Three pitching staff to win the close ones.

Phillies Close Strong

Philadelphia was the best team in the league over the last two months of the season. In fact, Brooklyn was lucky that the Phillies knocked over the Giants three straight in their last series, which practically put the Dodgers in. St. Louis will show in third, while the rest of the teams just existed to draw away crowds for the Dodgers. Mildly surprising was the rise of the Cubs from the the 1951 cellar to fifth.

Yanka Tops in A. L.

Some spring day--it may not be next year--some baseball writer is going to go down to Florida and finally realize that the New York Yankees are the best team in the American League. Besides making a great deal of money in side bets the following fall, that young man--most old-timers are by now far too prejudiced--will warrant a very large promotion.

He'll probably be the writer who suddenly becomes aware that Mickey Mantle is not the Joe DiMaggio of the future, but the Mantle of today, a fine ball player who is as much a threat and clutch hitter as Joe ever was.

Probably by then Vic Raschi, Allie Reynolds, and Eddie Lopat won't be the three best money pitchers in the American Leage--as they are now. Instead it will probably be Tom Morgan, Whitey Ford or some kid still pitching for Tarriffville Junior High. Of course, its hard to win a pennant with only three pitchers (see Indians) and they'll need some aces like Bill Miller--if only against the Tigers--Bob Kuzava, and Bo Weisler.

Best Infield

The League's best infield--Joe Collins, Billy Martin (or Gerry Coleman), Phil Rizzauto and Gil McDougald, may not be completely intact, but the major leagues' most consistent farmy system will find lots of eager young men to replace them.

And if Hank Bauer and Gene Woodling, two very underrated outfielders have retired, Casey Stengel will find others--probably better.

There'll be other teams in the league. A lot of guys will go with Cleveland again--until the right arms of Mssrs. Lemon, Garcia, and Wynn all fall off.