First, the Crimson lost its three top pitchers. Bill Kelly (drafted by the Cardinals), Phil Collins and J.C. Nickens, won 19 of the Crimson's games, and Nickens and Kelly were the squad's top relief pitchers. Juniors Roz Brayton, a southpaw, and Sandy Weissant will have to carry the brunt of the pitching duties. Neither was a consistent winner last spring but both had strong performances during the season.

Although the Crimson is returning five of its top hitters, Park will need to find someone who can hit the long ball. Seniors Pete Varney and Dan DeMichele were extremely dangerous not just because of their 400 batting averages but because they meant a possible run or two every time they stepped to the plate. Without them, Harvard lacks a player who with one swing of the bat can rub out a three-run deficit.

The Crimson's strong point is its field. Outfielders Vince McGugan, Art Serrano and Mike Thomas will start their third full-time season in the field, and reserve fielders Tim Bilodeau and Toby Harvey have had plenty of playing time and should easily fill in at first and catcher.

Park will have the nucleus of a solid hitting club (with a .300 hitter at number eight in Serrano) and a strong fielding club that will prevent careless runs. The big question in the Crimson's plans is its meager pitching staff. Of course, pitching was the big mystery last spring also and the hurlers turned out to be the best in the Eastern League.

Harvard could challenge any single team in the League this spring, but the League is so balanced that the Crimson will need at least three consistent pitchers every weekend. This squad may not be equal to last year's stars, but it could squeak through a close multi-team race and successfully defend its league title.

GOLF--The gold team was rotten last year. There's no denying it. It won the small matches, but when it needed a top showing to win, it usually played its worst. The team never approached its 11-3 record of 1970.

The Crimson usually had a different leader every week. Some would call that teamwork or rising to the occasion. More precisely, it was inconsistency.