The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-03-30
WHAT'S WHAT IN
The Big LEAGUE

Four National league clubs have
new managers this season. OF this
number, three will be players, as WELL
with Clark Griffith of the Cincinnati
reds quasiplayer l. the term can be
used. Griff will be ri uniform and,
like McGraw, ready to jump in and
play, should the occasion demand. The
other three men are Frank Bowerman,
who succeeds Joe Kelley at Boston;
Harry Lumley, who takes the place
made vacant by the retirment of Pat
Donovan and Brooklyn's subsequent
inability to get Bill Dahlen from Bos-
ton; and Roger Bresnahan, who as
sumes the task of making a winner
out of the heretofore lowly carlinals
at st. Louis. OF each OF these men
great things are expected by the fans
in the respective cities.
Bowerman and Lumley seem to have
hard rows to hoe. Neither has par
ticularly strong team. The pitching
staff at Boston is all shot to pieces and
the team has no outfielders worthy of
the name, with the possible exception
of Bates, who, at his best is an in
and outer. Bowerman Is the only re-
liable catcher. Peerless Graham not
being seriously considered on the Ma
tional league circuit. The only high
class man on Bowerman's infield is
Sweeney, the third baseman. Dahlen
and Richie have both seen their best
days. Both are slow and neither can
hit in an impressive way any longer.
The lamps are too dim.
Down in Brooklyn Lumley has three
corking good pitchers in Bell, McIn-
tyre and Rucker. He has two capable
infielders in Home Run" Jordan and
Lewis and one good ont.ielder-him-
self. Lumley will have his troubles,
too, in handling the players. Nearly
everyN man on the q Id, has the reputa-
tion of being bad actor In fact,
that was one reason for Pat Donovan's
release He was too easy going and
would not enforce discipline.
Bresnahan has a high-class lot of
youngsters and will probably make
them play some good baseball Last
year McClosky was unable to get out
the best there was in the bunch. The
cardinals undoubtedly had the best
aIl-around pitching staff in the league.
True. none of the twirlers was a
Christy Mathewson or Miner"
Brown, but the eight slabmen were all
capable pitchers of equal strength. The
release Of McGlynn to Milwaukee and
the sacrifice of Bugs Raymond TO
New York and Fromme and Karger to
Cincinnati, in order that the Bresna-
han dual might go through, has left
the new cardinal manager with four
corking good pitchers in Beebe. Sallee,
Higginbotham and Lush, and there is
the usual crop of spring beauties to
look over. In Konetchy. Bresnahar
has one OF the best drst basemen in
the country. The big fellow from Eau
Claire is so recognized. Fred Clarke,
than whom no better judge OF BALI
players lives. says that II he had had
Honey" last year, he would have
won the pennant In a walk. The ball
ance of the team is made up OF young
sters with less than two years expert
ence in fast company. Bobby Byrne,
is only 20 years old. IN Cincinnati
many of the fans are already counting
on finishing inside the money" They
insist that Clarke Griffith has strength
ened the team so per ont by mis- pres
ence alone and that couple OF trades
he has made has helped wonderfully.
The reds are weaker behind the bat
than they were last year, for the de-
parture OF SchIei leaves the burden of
the work to Mclean. hard man to
handle. The pictching stan is great
deal stronger with the addition OF the
St Louis recruits. But the team is
weak at shortfield and has no hltters
OF n1te except Hans Lobert- It Is q
question whether or net the reds viii