The Detroit times., 1909-12-21
IAREE BIG SCRAPS
!: : !: ARE ALREADY
Shaped Up
Tom Jones Getting Ready To Fight
!. Annual Contest For His Job
NJ Detroit's Initial
go Sack
Beckendorf Will Have Chance and
Pitchers Will Indulge in Battle
Royal at "Santone
sY PAUL NJ. eRusKE.

The three-cornered scrap between
Tom Jones. Ness and Pete Lister FOR
first base; the featuring OF the catch
ing OF Helne Beckendorf. and the
struggle among Il pitchers for the
seven or eight beFths which VIII oe
permanent on the club, form obvious
ly the three points OF interest for De-
tIolt f2ndom Ia the training season
which is ahead. Already the bugs are
beginning 10 exchange views on al
three OF the contests.
There seems absolutely no chance
for any OF the Tiger regulars to oo
piled loose from their jobs. with ,he
exception OF the veteran frst-sackcr.
Furthermore. he is sure 10 be strong
favorite In the battle which he is 90
uage az San Antonio. beginning TWO
months hence
Manager Jennings and the whole
baseball world know what Tom can
"a. He is a fGefelding first-baseman,
a. accurate throwcr. a quick thinker
is no means the slowest man on ms
feet Of the guardians OF the inne.C
sack in Banjohnson's league. can hit
fairly well and sacrifice unerringly To
heat him ont Ness or Lister VIII have
70 90 II in sheer batting ability. Eoth
of them hit better In the minors thao
Tom did I'm the big league. but there
* great gulf between the GUaHiy oi
the pitching encountered there anN
here Lister is~left-hardeG and. ol
coursa Z, thsEelore dubbed a second
Chase. Nessls riehthanded and hits
EN- a mile But Tom has had 2 Matte
for his fob every year he entered TIE
learue and has won so many OF them
that mast performance leads 70 The
belief that he will 90 SO again
Maybe Beck" viii Suit EN-.
Beckendorf. according 20 informa-
ton given the writer by HuShie Jen'
njngs after the close OF the 1909
worlds series, will get real chance
To make good in the season thar Is
ahead. Last year was his ifrst IN last
rompany and he was used virtually
onlv on the occasions when Stanage
was ont Of IL and left-handed Lite hers
were officiating Cor ths. opposition
Although Detroit is pretty We'll sat
IsAed with It's catching stan. IN the
main. other critics insist-and the
worlds series returns have borne them
mt in the assertion-that the cham
MONS are most in need of a high-cla9s
hackstop. Perhaps Beckendorf VIII
suit them better
But the hattle-royal among tAe
pitchers-there is the one that VIII
prove the corker.
The Detroit club has. by common
consent corralled a finer bunch OF
budding slab artists than has fallen
10 the lot OF any other club. The lst
has sjr,mered down 10 Il men. OF
whom eight were members OF last
vcnr's etaY. Browning Hardin. Per
nou Savidee. stroud. and Vance stu
remain. o. whom Pernoll il the sole
southpaw
Weiuhs i25 and Then Some.
OF this bunch Browning comes prob
ably the best-touted. According 10
conclusive information from the coast
one story regarding this youngster IS
erroneous in the extreme. That Is tne
one that has him weighing but 10
mounds. Browning Is httie fellow
all right. But he's a lot bigger Tran
watch charm. He pitched at 40
mounds last year for San Francisco,
and he has undertaken special course
OF training this winter 70 build himself
IN. In all probability he viii report
WEIGHING $50 pouncs or more tie -
"a corking pitcher. beyond question.
Whether ne will be able 10 beat out
IeIivelt or Works remains, however,
q be seen.
Some Detroit folks who have seen
Minnie" Hardin work In the Three
league assert that he is sure big
ieaguer in ability There have been
nice boosts for all the others. Though
Vance has. perhaps untustly, gained
The repute OF being a hard man 20
handle. From there on Il Is specula-
hon. pure and simple. II isn't often
the highly-advertised kind that makes
good when the going is tough.