The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-12
GENERAL CHANGE.
Manager Leonard
Moves Men Around
the Board.
SMITH LAID OFF.
Bowman at First Base,
Yeager at Second and
Kuhns at Short.

Manager Leonard put the Worcester
players in the box yesterday, gave
them a shake and when they came out,
things looked differently from when
they went in. Jimmie Smith stayed in
the box. He will be given a chance
to watch the game from the bench IN
til his right wing gets in condition to
whip the ball over to first as it should
be done. Joe Harrington viii be ia
ken from second bag and placed on
third, which he considers his proper
position. George Yeager will be sent
up a peg and played on second base,
and Capt. Bowman will take his sta
ton at the first corner. Charlie
Kuhns will be placed at short infield.
The purpose of the change is to
make The play about second base faster
than il has been, if such can be done.
Harrington is not satisfied to play sec
ond. as that is not the position which
he has been accustomed to play. He
will be tried at third, and he welcomes
the change, as he thinks he can hold
his end up on that bag. The style of
play at second and third is materially
different. and Harrington is confident
he will fill the bill all right.
Smith is laid off for the present on
account of his throwing arm. 1t is in
the uarlance of the diamond full of
glass" and every time a grounder IS
hit TO hD1 something cracks. The con-
dition Of mis- arm compels him to favor
it, and possibly affects his play, for
Smith has not been handling ground
ers anywhere near as well as he
n oil N
judgment in playing his position. He
plays far out in the field la Herman
Long. Undoubtedly Smith is a speedy
fielder wnen he is right, and can play
a deep field. But when man is play
ing deep, the most essential requisite
is a good throwing arm to get the ball
to first ahead of the runner. Some of
Smiths throws have hurt the specta-
tors as much as they pulled his wing
of crockeTy.
Capt Bowman has improved his con-
dition considerably by careful treat
ment which at time approached heroic
measures. He has not made hit with
the occupants of the bleachers bEt it
is decidedly unfair to judge his work
by what he has done thus far He
started in to play fresh from his regu
lar work without a moments training,
and naturally became stiff. He could
hardly move but continued TO pay
thinking it would work out of him. It
didn't, and he laid off at his own re-
quest as he felt he could not do himself
justice.
1t is barely possibly that Bowman is
not good player, but to think that is
to place no value on Manager Leonards
opinion and that is decidedly wrong
Manager Leonard certainly knows the
game all the way through. He has
seen Bowman play and thinks well of
the first baseman. And there's no ques-
ton that Manager Leonard knows the
game better than any of the spectators
who criticise Bowman.
Yeager is good utility man and
should supply the demand at second
temporarily at least He may have
his troubles at the sack. The ground
in its vicinity is in horrible condition.
There are more humps on the diamond
than in a drove of camels. The play
ers complain that the caretaker of the
grounds does not cover enough space
with his roller. He works on the base
lines and around the bases only.
-I<uhns will undoubtedly play short
as well as he has at third and that is
good enough for any team in the bust
ness. If he plays a deep field nobody
can find fault for he has an arm that
can whip the ball across like a Mauser
bullet.