The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-12-28
SPORTING COMMENT TIMELY TOPICS FOR
 nFARMER" READERS

 Harry Howells. whose last big lea que job was with the St. Louis Browns. has picked an All-American for organization, the battery men he fancies being Russell Ford, Jack Coombs. Ed Walsh, N'g Clarke and Charley Street; the infielders, Hal Chase. Eddie Collins. Harry Lord and Rhody Wallace, and the outfie1ders Tv Cobb. Iris Speaker and Davy Jones. Kid Elberfeld and Sam Craw- ford are Howelrs selections as sub infielder and outfielder.
 Members of the St. Louis American Leaeue club hope that Henry Arthur Joness new play, We Can't Be as Bad as All That" is a drama written in their defense.
 Reports from Cincinnati that the Eastern League and American Asso- citation are plann ng to pull away from organized ball and expand into ma- jor organizations in 1912 are not con- that the big minor leagues of the East and West merely want special classification from the National Asso- ciat' on, and have no grievances against the National Commission and no desire to expand. The club own
 
 ward Grant Barrow consider the Am- erican Association the one minor lea que in their class and resent having to trot along with the Western League, the Southern Association and the Pa- cific Coast League.
 The Rome A. c. of New Haven have arranged to have Honey Melody of Boston and Jeff Doherty of New Haven appear in the Elm City the m dale of January. Kid Murphy vs. Joe Narcks and Charlie Doherty vs. Kid Carter are the prelims.
 Ira Thomas. the former Hartford hackstop and catcher for Connie Mack's Worlds Champions has re- turned to his home after the trip to Cuba taken by the Athletics. Ira tigbtness: Some of those fellows ac- cused Connie of beng the tightest thing in baseball. He is anything but that When Pat Powers d'ed Mack carried his name on the pay roll for the balance of the year and full amount that would have been due her husband had he lived. The next year he made an open date on our schedule for the express purpose of having a. Powers" day. He turned over $7,OO0 to the widow on that. Tight? They have another think"
 It rather looks as if the first sea- son of the Connecticut Baseball As sociation. better recognized as the Trolley League. will also be the last Last season left M ddletown and Will limantic squabbling for pennant hon. ors. each claiming the title of cham good and hard. and Meriden its suc- cessor had a short and painful exper- fence. New London fell by the way side, but monied interests saved the city at the last moment. Wflliman- t.c is not bit enthusiastic. Bristol. Manchester and Rockville have often been mentioned but the fans in those towns have not yet been heard shout ing "Hurrah" over the proposition.
 The minor league club owners and managers throughout the country Sam Kennedy, the former New Lon- don Connecticut League manager. now scouting This is what Harry Wolver- ion says about Kennedy: "As judge of a young player I believe Kennedy is one of the best in the business. He dinary scout. Shocking into a small town for two or three days looking over a man. he does not jump in and buy immediately. Before making his offer Kennedy will inquire into the habits of the man and finds out ev- cry characteristic about h m. Then if he looks good Kennedy goes after his man and will bid as h gh as any one to land what he is after. He does not buy a great number of players for the club he works for. but the men he picks out usually make good. I think the Athletic club lost one of it's most valuable men when they let Ken nedv on to Cleveland"
 If negotiations now in the works come true, Fred Lake will he the own er and mana ger, of the Lowel New Eneland Leaeue club next season. Lake was manaeer of the same club hack in 1904 when he won a pennant. In 190S-19O9 Lake was manager of the Boston Americans. and last sea- son manager of the Boston Nationals. The Doves this year will be led by Fred Penney the former big leaguer last year, playing manager for the Lowell team.
 "A friend gave me black opal scarf pin last winter and told "re it was the Prince of Evil" says Secre- tary John E. Pruce of the national commission. 'Soon after I fell down. stairs and injured my leg. but never thouqht of the pin until my pet team the St. Louis Browns. finished last .Is. x,oor Txhen knew fho min was