MEMO from the publisher
The dynasty with the longest reign in professional baseball carries the name Comiskey. In this issue Robert Creamer writes about the problems of its young Vice-President Charles and his White Sox, whose fortunes have always been Comiskey-guided—in a league where some franchises have lately been changing hands faster than a counterfeit coin.
Creamer's story leads off a concentrated volley of features and spring-training reports aimed at baseball's Opening Day and all that follows after. Items:
•Next week SPECTACLE takes a four-color tour of the camps from St. Pete to Phoenix, while Roy Terrell appraises at long-range focus the world champion Braves and what the future holds for them.
•A later issue brings news of Cincinnati's Redlegs, now at a crossroads of power and pitching from which General Manager Gabe Paul and Manager Birdie Tebbetts plan to lead them, preferably in both directions at once.
•Whatever the Cleveland Indians are this year, they'll be different, thanks to Bobby Bragan and Frank Lane. From their training camp SPORTS ILLUSTRATED will report the first visible effects on the diamond of the new regime.
•Baseball is unique in team sports because it presents widely varying and highly specialized skills in almost simultaneous action. With the March 17 issue, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED begins a baseball series which is unique because experts explain the secrets and strategy, the thinking and the doing behind these separate skills. Profusely documented with illustrations by Tony Ravielli, Robert Riger and Ed Vebell, it is for players and spectators, big league and Little League alike. Sal Maglie opens up with pitching—followed later on by Roy Sievers on batting; Del Crandall on catching; Gil McDougald on infielding; and Richie Ashburn on outfielding and base running.
•In the March 24 issue comes advice on the biggest change in baseball since they turned on the lights—the move to the West Coast. Our roundup on this will include stories from the Giant and Dodger camps by Creamer and Walter Bingham, illustrations of the two ball parks which will be making their major league debuts, and the latest word on how the citizens of Los Angeles and San Francisco are standing up under the whole thing.
•The Detroit Tigers, always interesting but something of a disappointment last year, will also be in for examination by Les Woodcock as they take shape in training with their many newly acquired players, including the electric Billy Martin.
•In the April 7 issue our staff will present selections of the top rookie prospects of 1958.
•That about brings us to Opening Day itself and our third annual Special Baseball Issue. And that, as they say, is only the beginning.