The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-20
o'Day Will Have a Time
Picking His Team.
BUNCH OF YOUNGSTERS
Has Been Signed and Every
thing Looks Good.
Staff of Giant Fingers May be on
the Mound-ThiId Base Position
is Not Filled,

ave have gathered together great
| bunch of youngsters and it's going to
be my hardest duty to weed out those
we do not want to keep in the
| spring." Is the way Manager ODay
writes to the sporting editor of the
Mirror. That the manager is more
| than pleased with the young bloods
he has picked up is quite evident
! from the tone OF his letter and If he
does not uncover some good ones he
will be the most disappointed man
in the league.
According to the dope this is the
way the Diggers are likely TO lineup
at the tap OF the gong:
Johnstone, Luskey, Tuttle and Bm-
NETT Reilly, catchers.
Lucas, Lewis, Mercer, Miller, Nc
CURE, pitchers.
Roberts and Tuttle, first base.
OlDay, second.
Wolfe, short.
OutRelders, Farrell, Wilson Cif he
plays) Williams, Concklin, and the
probability is that f.. Reilly will be
shifted to the outfeld so that his
batting may benefit the club.
The third base job is open. II will
doubtless be a hard one to fill. Yet
among the many signed there are
some promising infeldes and they
will all have a chance to show their
pace around LaRue's old stamping
ground. The management has had
a number OF offers of old players for
the position, but has not accepted
any as yet because II would rather
develop youngster. The old player
would only be loaned and no matter
| what he might do he would be Of no
| financial value to the Digger team.
II Is in the development and sale
OF young bloods that the club makes
money. Let a manager bring out a
yOungsteT-one of the kind that looks
good to the major league magnates
and scouts, and he will secure enough
for the player to make up any de-
iicit in the treasury of his club. The
Marion club did well in disposing of
players during the past year but It
did not receive enough money for
those sold, In the first place It was
bad year for all minor leagues in
that the majors were not buying as
promiscuously as before and preferred
to wait for the drafting season rather
than pay fancy prices earlier in the
season. The result was that most of
the good ones were drafted. Fancy
prices were few and far between.
Yet a shining light is always well
come in a big league. Develop a
live wire and the magnates will come
over with the coin.
These youngsters picked up by
Manager ODay are a husky lot.
About ten Of the squad are over six
feet in height and the majority OF the
big boys are pitchers. True, some
OF the players come from places the
map man never heard Of, but take a
glance over the baseball stars of to-
day and it will be seen that the lads
from the villages are the 'ones who
make good. Like some places In Ma
rion county, and II is generally the
same over the nation, they COM
mence playing ball in the spring and
play all the year round, generally
resting up a week or so at Christmas
time to sew up their gloves. That's
the reason these hardened country
lads used TO all kinds Of weather, not
only make good | Mast company but
once landing there they are capable
Of standing the pace for many years.
Secretary Trace r. Allen has the
list Of players signed by the man
agement They are: o. w. Robert
son, Hope, Ind; Ed Moore, Mt.
Clemens, Mich; j. j. ScanlOn, Indi-
anapolis J. w. Thompson, Chi
cago; Fl. H. Belinsh, Canton; Har-
ry Ogden, st. Clair, Mich; C.. Mitch
ell and William Irwin, Dayton; John
Scheneberg GuyandOtte, West Va.
w. l.. White, Ada; Neil Peterson,
Clyde; Ray Hancock, st. Paris, o.;
Ernest h. Capron, Akron; II. w.
Johnstone, Keny, H.. George Il.
Miller Cleves; j. Walter Caes,
Rarden; John Morrison, shippenburg,
Pa; +. b. Gillum, Chilllcothe; d.
D. Donaldson, Vermillion; Leo Court
ney Southport, Ind; Ben Concklin,
Highland Mills, N. y; Charles Rob
erts, Chicago, and Ed Schussler, Ed
ward Conneu, Joe Gill and Roy
Whipple, of Columbus.