The San Francisco call., 1908-03-19
Seal Tossers Depar
for Bakersfield
Manager Long Turns Catcher
Jack Slatfery Over to the
Oakland Team
BY w. u. Slattery

The 1908 squad of Seals, headed by
Manager Dan Long, was on the job at
the ferry building before o'clock yes
terday morning and half an hour later
the gingery party was being whirled
to the training camp at Bakersfield.
where the finishing touches will be ap-
piled during the two weeks and half
that the gang will work and sweat out
in the oil field country.
Quite number of faithful fans.
headed by the king of diamond bugs.
Doc Frost, were there to wish the boys
godspeed. Everybody looked cheerful
and happy, and in fact the bunch much
more resembled a crowd of tossers
coming from a training ship than one
embarking on such an expedition.
The entire tryout contingent, with
the exception OF three men. boarded the
southbound train. These three-Pitch-
ers Tracey Hoag, Louis Elfmann ard
John Sibley, were ousted by Long at
the eleventh hour. In the little work
performed they did not show control
enough to suit the manager. and he de-
cided that he could save unnecessary
expenses by casting them adrift before
landing them on the conditioning field
and giving them further tryouts.
Captain Mohler has strenuous line
OF work mapped out for the boys. They
must all be out of the hay at bells
In the moring. After breakfast each
must beat it to the ball field, a mile
outside of town, and work for three
hours before luncheon. A two hour
rest will be followed by another vigor-
Gus campaign in the afternoon.
The tossers will be strictly dis
ciplined. The early to bed and early to
rise adage goes for every one of them
Such thing as the gay butteryfly
existence will not be tolerated at the
camp, and any man who does not live
up to the training rules will be sus-
pended until he agrees to be good
Nearly every member of the team is
in fair shape at the present time The
lively campaign against the two White
SoX teams put the boys on their met
tie, and if the fine weather holds out
for week or so the squad should be
ready to make noble fight for the
pennant by the first Saturday in April.
when the cry of Play balln sounds
again at Valencia street
Before departing with the team Man
ager Long turned over Catcher Jack
Slattery to the Oakland club The
commuters will get good live one in
Slattery, provided he consents to come
on. At present he is playing ball with
old Cy Young at Pinehorst. y. c. Some
days ago he wrote Long that he could
hiCt pACdh away until ABOUT the nTSt
of April. President Ed Walter of the
Oaklands will get into communication
with Slattery Immediately and hopes
10 induce him to come without further
delay.
Long is in quandary regarding
catchers. He has three good ones on
his payroll now and says that he needs
only two of them. Therefore il looks
as though one will be slipped his re-
lease Which one to cast aside Long
can not decide upon. Both Berry and
La Longe have shown wonderful class
pehind the bat and Baby Esola has hit
the ball so hard that no manager could
ever have the heart to turn him loose
Young Sibley got rather rough re-
cept1on. The boy is a high school grad
uate of Brooklyn. where his father is
prominent physician. After travelling
all the way across the continent he re-
ceived getaway orders without even
being given chance to work out on
the training field. Sibley pitched but
couple or innings against the White
SoA. He had a wonderful line Of
benders. but no control. and this fail
ing cost him his job. One of the other
teams in the league would do well to
grao SIoley and give him an even
oreah- lie seems to have the making
OF great box artist il he is properly
handled
Chariey Comiskey of the White Sox
was SO favorably impressed with the
work of the Seals that he has made nm
ms mind TO either draft or buy several
OF them at the end of the present sea
son. Comiskey liked the way Nick
Williams clouted the ball and fieldad
around first base. He also took fancy
TO Rollie Zeder at short and Hilda-
brand and Melchoir in the outfield. All
OF them played grand ball against the
SoX. '"e