Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-08
BASE BALL SEASON
TO OPEN APRIL IA

White Sox yesterday received the signed
contract of Outfelder Eddie Hahn.
Johnny" Farrell has again been elected
manager and captain of the 1908 Altoona
team. He will play second base.
Jesse Tannehill writes to Boston friend
form next season.
Byers. the stout backstop. who many
years ago was tried in the fast set, can
still hit some. He ranked fifth in the
Eastern League batting averages with a
percentage of 1926.
Fifteen of the Boston Americans have
signed contracts for next season. This
leaves only forty-seven still outside the
breastworks.
George Stone. the star slugger of the St.
Louis Americans, is said to have accepted
"A cut in salary without a murmur. So diff
fercnt from last year, when he became "a
rebel on the strength of a fat smuggling
record
Slowly but surely the big league pitch
ers are souring on the spit ball" John
Ewing of Cincinnati and Howell of ST
Louis are two twirlers who have decided
TO cut it from their repertoire in 1908.
Laporte will play second base for the
Boston Red Sox. next season. This is his
natural position, and 1t is said that Crit
nth made a mistake when he tried to
make a third baseman out of him in his
first season in the big league.
odd Cyl Young is expected in Boston
to do better work the coming season than
ever. He will have to go some to do it.
The veteran has got quite nifty record
for the eighteen years he has been a
mound builder.
Watch the Tigers this year" says
wild Bill Donovan. I'VE will lead from
flag fall to finish. and then walk in with
the worlds championship" Nothing like
knowing just how to place ones bets. Our
peppers will be peeled, Willie dear.
With Flaherty and Bowerman as a bat
terry the Boston Nationals will present
team next season of which six members
were formerly Pittsburg Pirates
Umpire Carpenter is in doubt about ac-
cepting position again as a member of
President Pulliam's umpiratical staff. He
has aspirations of becoming a Southern
League club owner. How any one will
take an umpires job if he can possibly
help it is beyond the ken of most people.
Danny Hoffman, who figured in the re-
cent New York-St. Louis trade. is not at
that he will quit base ball unless he gets
good stiff salary from the Browns. AS
the value of Danny's services has de-
clined within recent years there is bound
to be considerable of an argument ere
Danny gets his
Now that Fred Tenney finds that he
cannot sell his stock in the Boston club
for considerable more than he paid for it.
he expresses a willingness to play with
the Giants. He had hoped to remain in
Boston and clip coupons for the rest of
his life, but at present there is nothing
doing in the shearing line.
The members of the national commits
sion say they do not fear a war such as
the American Association threatens to
precipitate, but. just the same, any kind
of clash that would jeopardize the ma
tional agreement would necessarily be dis
astrous. There is hardly a player who
would not welcome another war. Plenty
of graft during war times for the players.
McQuillin, who is the property of the
Phillies, led the Eastern League pitchers
last season. He won nineteen games and
lost seven. McQuiilin's team. Providence,
finished only in third place, which goes to
show that the pitcher is prize. Clement,
the Jersey City outfielder also signed by
the Quakers, batted at a .2S4 gait.
The schedule committees of the two
big leagues are starting the task of ar
ranging the games for the coming sea-
son. With Detroit as a possible Sunday
ball town, 1t will require change of sys-
tenn from that of former years. but the
whole thing can probably be adjusted in
a few hours.
DR.. Shively. president of the Western
Association. will also lead another minor
league next season. He has accepted,
with the consent of the Western Associa-
ton, an offer to look after the affairs of
the A. o. X. League. embracing smaller
towns of Kansas Oklahoma and Ar
kansas.
Says the Chicago Journal: Zone man
whom Comiskey seems to have overlooked,
but whom the Athletics did not pass by,
is Sid Smith. a Southern League catcher.
This fellow is the kind of man that Co
miskey needed. Not only is this Smith
great catcher. but one Of the best bats
men in minor league circles-a superb hit
ter, going about $40 on the season, and
so valuable that he was worked in about
10 games. Connie Mack has grabbed this
fellow and yet does not need him nearly
as much as several other teams. He
would have been just the cherub the Sox
most required"