Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-09
Winter Base Ball Talk.

Chicagoans are already on the lookout
for a successor to Harry c. Pulliam as
president of the National Base Ball
League. and the selection is naturally
a native of the Windy city. James A.
Hart is the man picked out for the plum.
and it is anticipated that he will move
the old league headquarters to his home
city. thus making Chicago the home Of
the national game. c. w. Murphy OF
the Cubs is fathering the Hart boom, al
though he disclaims any desire to see
Pulliam give up the office. According
to the Cub leader. Hart is the best friend
the game ever had and a high-class
man for the job.
There is. however little chance that
successor to Pulliam will be necessary
for long time. With hardly any ex-
ceptions. base ball men of prominence
desire to the Kentuckian retain the
position. and some sort of a compromise
is looked for when the league magnates
gather in this city this month. Garry
Hermann seems to be the only club
owner willing to allow Pulliam to step
out. and his Indifference is probably due
to the fact that Pulliams recent crit
icisms have placed him in an unenviable
light
The magnates will have plenty Of time
to digest Pulliam's statement before he
returns to civilization. He does not in
tend to get back to New York until
shortly before the league meeting. Feb
ruary %. By that time he expects to
know just where he stands. 1t looks as
If he will find plenty of supporters The
yelled allusion to Herrmann's insecure
standing in the national commission will
doubtless cause some dissension In that
body. and some interesting developments
are anticipated.
Jim Delehanty. second baseman of the
Washington team. is spending the winter
in Florida and has become enamored of
the climate. In a recent letter to Charlie
Hickman, requesting that number Of
bats be sent to him, Delehanty conveyed
the information that he will spend his
winters hereafter in the south. He asked
for the heaviest bats in the collection,
and declares that he will be in mid
summer form long before the practice
season opens, Delehanty will go direct
from Florida to join the team when 1t
leaves for Galveston in March.
The name of Buck Freeman has been
added TO the list of White Sox pitchers.
making in all thirteen under contract or
reserve. The team also has seven
catchers. SO that it will be we'll supplied
with material for batteries Freeman
to- Mexico. but was transferred TO Min
neapolis in the spring. He pitched in
excellent form throughout the season and
is believed to have improved sufficiently
to make one of the White SoX regulars
this year.
~
Tim Jordan received his 1905 Brooklyn
contract the other day. 1t is said that
-Io,, tj,a cto
the figures he was seized with dementia
Americana. followed by an acute attack
of stuporous melancholia Tim has made
"belch,'' and there probably will be a
compromise.
The Rochester club has bought the re-
lease of Catcher Jerry Hurley from the
Brooklyn club. Hurley is splendid
receiver. but his light batting keeps him
out of major league berths.
Hank O'Day. one of the great base
ball umpires of the time. is opposed to
the elevated pitchers box. He says the
raised box is a distinct advantage to the
twirler. Let a six-foot artist stand on
top OF a pile of dirt six inches high and
he can put enough smoke on the ball
to make any ones hair curl. In this
age of spit balls and other newfaIlgied
curves pitchers have quite enough the
best of the argument without raising
them up In the clouds and out of the
sight of the batters. The crying need is
more batting. Let the swatters. he says.
knock the cover OFF the ball and let
there be more action. This can be ac-
cOmplished by leveling the box and keep
ing the pitcher down on the earth. On
some fields the box is raised fully q
foot i'm the air When Parke Wilson was
managing the Seattle club the local bat