Evening star., 1909-05-09
CLEVELAND kids"
ARE VERY CLASSY
Youngsters Picked Up by Nap
Scouts Are Max
ing Good.

The big league managers surely Will
have to take off their hats to the Cleye-
land scouts when it comes to picking up
real live wires. Seldom has a club picked
as many good youngsters as has Cleve-
land this spring.
First of the reel is Ted Eastery. star
catcher. There is no denying that. A
good. heavy backstop, he is fast on his
feet, stands up to the bat like Cobb or
a Lajoie and swats the ball as hard as
any one in the league. Throws like Jay
Clarke. catches fouls like a Bresnahan.
and Is there with the goods. In fact. In
every department of the game.
Then there is Grover Land. a catcher
who can receive the delivery of any
pitcher, a man who can be counted upon
for a couple of hits to nearly every game
and who Is no has-been when IL comes
to throwing.
Deacon" Wright is another find. In
his first big league game he let Detroit
down with four hits. OF course. one game
does not always give the rooters a line on
a players ability to go an entire cam
paign. But when a pitcher holds hard
hitting team like Detroit to four hits.
that pitcher surely has something.
At that Wright lost. while his team
mate. Vedder Sitton. who was hit safely
eleven times. won his game, and did not
allow any more runs than did Wright
with four hits. Such Is the luck of base
ball. Although Wright lost, it must be
admitted that he showed a little better
than did Sitton. but then it must be con-
sidered that Sitton processes to be hot
weather finger. and no one would accuse
this of being warm weather. Just
what the southern boy can do when the
temperature is such as he is used TO no
one about these parts knows. At any
rate. he won his first game, and that is
going some, In view of what some of the
older Cleveland pitchers have done this
year.
ster. as he has seen big league experience
with the Athletics, but nevertheless he is
a recruit and his work in left field up TO
date has been good enough to warrant the
was considered a mighty good outiielder
last year at that.
Lucky" Wilbur Goode. If any one OF
the Maps gets a base on balls, it's Goode.
If only one Nap gets a hit, it's Goode.
ror. It's Goode- If only one Nap scores,
it's Goode. He may be far from finish
ed fielder. but he is lucky and luck wins
lots of ball games. Now. IL he will only
N
and keep his head about him at all times
and follow out the instructions given him.
he will make himself most valuable
player to the team.
This leaves Tom Raftery of the recruits.
Tom has been tried In only one game. He
made two-base hit In that contest and
seemed to handle himself well in the out
field. Still. he is bench warmer for the
present-that is, a bench warmer TO the
extent that he does not get into the actual
play, but Raftery does not spend much
Of his time on the bench at that. He Is
out on the coaching lines whenever the
Maps are at bat and his coaching is such
that he has already been established as
popular favorite.
The absence of Bradley and Turner
from the game has given the Cleveland
fans the opportunity to find out that In
George Perring Manager Laioie has a
mighty good ball player. He surely is
playing a great game at third and he has
begun to swat the ball as we'll as any
man in the squad. 1t does not always
go safe, but he is hitting it hard Just the
same. In fact. Cleveland can congratu-
late itself that 1t has such q man as
Perring In the squad.