The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-26
REAL WORK WILL
BEGIN NEXT WEEK
MI NIL START SPRING PRAC-
:... TICEsWEDNESDAY.
Team Looks Strong in All Depart
ments-Infielders and Outfelders
Will Be the Greatest Strength OF
the Club Pitching Staff Also Looms
Up in Promising Fashion.

( =
4 The period Of anteseason dope"
will be ended for the Minneapolis
baseball fans Wednesday, when the
mlilers will begin practice at Cham
pa1gn, III: After a week of the pre-
lln I'm work it will be possible to
get better line on the team. The
men VINO fail to make good will be
who have the goods to deliver will
pc assigned their regular positions. :
SO, Tar as can be ascertained now.
the team will show up strong in all
departments. The club is well. bal
anced, with no points Of positive weak
ness discernible, and with exceptional
strength in some lines. The pitching
staH looks unusually good. Out of
the DIG punch of twirlers Watkins has
collected, seven are considered certain
70 make good. Bailey, Thomas and
Ford alltwirled we'll in the league
last year. Thomas and Ford are both
youngsters and should show consid-
cradle improvement, as last year was
the first in fast company for either
OF them. Both are men of steady
habits and inclined to make a study
Of tn efine points Of the game. Bailey
IS a. Veteral of some years experience
In fast company, but still a young
man, with several seasons of useful
ness ahead of him. -
Rusty Owens and Case were top
:notchers in the Three-I league last
season. The Three-I is by no means
as last an organization as the Ameri-
can association, but the records Of the
two men convinced good judges of
their ability to deliver the goods in
the leading minor league of the coun-
try. Jack Katoll has been working
out down south for some time, and
writes that no signs Of weakness in
whereas last spring he discovered
something wrong almost with his first
ball. Last summer was Katoll's first
bad season since he broke into fast
company. He is still under 80 and
there is every reason to believe that
the injury to his throwing wing last
year was only temporary. -
4. Attic Watkins has more than half
a dozen colts on his pitching staff,
Munich is the only one upon whom he
banks much. Munich is a left-hander
with lots Of speed and unusually good
control for a southpaw. Watkins,
who is thoro1y familiar with his work,
has not the slightest hesitancy in pre-
dieting that he will prove a. star. Wat
kins has a. number of other young
|sters who are highly recommended,
among them. Converse, who finished
the season with Minneapolis last year,
Lockersteen of Lafayette, Ind, and
Koukalik, from the Northwestern
league. Watty will be satisfied, how
ever, If he gets one good man out of
the bunch.
The millers are not quite as strong
in the catching department as some of
the teams in the league. Roach is
reliable: but is not as good a man as
Bob Wood of Milwaukee, or Sullivan
of st. Paul. 4O'Leary, however, is a
speedy man, and will probably do the
bulk Of the work. Watkins hopes to
develop Ludwig into a fair, man, but
will rely chiefly upon Roach q and
O'Leary. -.e-s.-
The greatest strength of the team
will be in the infield and outfeld.
Coulter, Sullivan and Maloney are
reckoned the fastest set of gardeners
in the association. All are fielders OF
high class and good batters. In the
inf1eld, Fox is probably the best field
ing second baseman in the league,
Oyler was one Of the best men in the
association last year, and is expected
| to show considerable Improvement,
|Demontreville is expected to be fully
as good at third. AS second strings
for the infield, Watkins has O'ROurke.
Martin and McNichol, all good men.
! Perhaps the millers will excel most
in base running, a department II
| which last years team was lamentably
weak. Fox, Sullivan, Maloney, De-
mont, Coulter and Oyler are all light
ming fast in getting down to first, anc
are expected to make lots of trouble
| for the catchers when they get or
the sacks. < While few of the members
| of the team are sluggers, they are the
kind ,.of men who will beat out any
: Y; rs Soh h
and are. expected to reach first. az
often as any bunch in the league
| It is a well-known fact that mos
championships have been won, not by
the teams noted for their hitting abil.
Iity, such as the old Phillies, or the
| Clevelands of last season, but by clubs
| which combined fair hitting ability
with speed in the. field and on the
paths. In signing his men, Watk1n:
has made good legs the first requisite
and the 1904 millers will not throw
away runs as the 1903 bunch was
wont to, do.
i So far, as it is possible to size VI
the other teams in the league, Louis
Vile and Indianapolis look strongest
louisville has strong pitching staff
a. good ,1nfield and good outfleld. TIL
team is mediocre behind the bat. Bill
:Schriver saw his best days some tim
ago, while young White is scarcely VI
| to the standard. Like the colonies
Indianapolis will be strong In twirlers
! st. Paul will hardly be up to las
years form. Clingman is a good in
fielder, but can hardly match Mile
Higgins for speed and dash, Will
Shannon, and Geier will be hard t
replace in the outfeld. Kelly's pitch
ers are largely experiments. At pres
emit the saints hardly. look as strong a
Minneapolis, Louisville or Indianapo
! lis.
4 Milwaukee, Columbus and Kansa
City are rated in a bunch by them
selves. Milwaukee is perhaps tn
|istrongest, but Cantillon is shy o.
Epitchers,s and his inheld Is an I'm
known quantity. Bob Wood has re
fused to come down to Havenor's fig
4 1lres and saws he will play with al