Norwich bulletin., 1909-08-25
NORWICH BULLETIN, wEDNEsDAE AUGUST 2s, lsos.
CLEVELAND WAS sTUNG IN RECRUITS FROM MINORS
$2,ooo for Raftery and s4,ooo for Catcher Land = Detroit Got Bush for S6OO.

Scouts nowadays are necessary part of the national game, but they slip up once in a while on the men they pick from the minors as possi- ble candidates for major league com pany.
 The American league team that got properly stung in paying high prices for talent that wasn't worth it was Cleveland. Expense never is consid- cred by the owners of the Maps when they set out to get a man, and Somers, Kilfoyl & Co. had several lemons unloaded on them. One of them was Raftery, an outfielder from the Pacific coast league. He represented an in- vestment of $2,000, and Cleveland had hard sledding to sell him to minor league team for half this sum. Gro yer Cleveland Land, a backstop, was bought from Toledo for $4,000. He might have lasted in the American league if he could have been worked up often enough. However Easterly showed such form on the spring train ing trip that all there was for Land to do was to sit on the bench. And sitting on the bench doesn't agree with Land-he's the sort of player who needs lot of work. So he's back in the American association. Easterly was a lucky investment for the Forest City combination. He was a drafted play CT and 1t cost just $1,000 to get him. That's the sum Buffalo received from the Chicago Nationals for Archer, who seems to be about the best throwing backstop in the older organization.
 Comiskey picked up a great young battery at low rate. Scott, the mas sive right handler of the White Sox, was bought from Wichita for $1,000, and Backstop Owens was drafted from Memphis for the same sum. The one man that Comiskey had to bid high for was Sutor. The left handler cost him $4,0O0. Boston got a rattling good pitcher in Pete Wood for $1,500.
 The St. Louis Americans Jared bad ly in buying new players. Hedges spent about $12,000 for minor league phenoms. The best man he got-Out- fielder Griggs-was bougha for $500. The highest price paid to the mi nors for any of the American league youngsters who are making good this year was $500. Indianapolis got this amount for Bush, who helped the Ti- gers win last years pennant by brac- ing up their weak infield. Frank Navir of Detroit must have had a capable set of scouts after talent. They gol Stanage for him from Newark for $2,- 800. Frank Farrell tried to buy Stan age from the Tigers this year for ST. i 800. Beckendorf, who would be doing more backstopping now if Stanagt wasn't catching so well, and Schmidt wasn't delivering needed hits, was ( drafted player. and his release cos' only $1,000. For $1,00O the Highland CTS got Jimmy Austin, while for Pett Wilson of Hartford they had to cougf up only $750. The Tigers apparently got stung on only one bargain made by their sleuths. This was in tho case of Lafitte. who cost them $3,500 He's back in the Eastern league now with good chances of remaining there The trouble with some of. the scout: who are out after talent is that the! think they must dig up players, n' matter if a club can get rid of then or not if they prove unsatisfactory.
 Some of them have gone crazy witt the heat and probably have lined ul a lot of players for the big leagu teams who haven't any license to ge trials in fast company.