The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-08-02
TIGERS IN NEED
OF YOUNG BLOOD
COBB AND BUSH ONLY PLAYERS
JENNINGS HAS WHO MAY
SHOW ANY IMPROVEMENT,
! 1T IS SAID.


the Tigers II will be through no
fault of the owners. No expense is
being spared. as the circus man says
TO get the best available material
with which to build up the Detroit ball
club.
At the present time five scouts are
securing every league from the class
IA to the class z, armed with deter
mination and much money. President
Frank Navin is being deluged with
kilograms and written reports from the
scouts. and IL anything good gets
away 1t will be the fault of baseball
luck and not of the owners.
The Tigers are in the position oc-
cupied sooner or later by every cham
pionship club. They have reached that
point where the men who are the
backbone of the club have come to
stop They have reached the zenith
of their baseball careers, and there's
no telling when they will commence
to slip
There are less than a half dozen
young men on the club, so far as
baseball existence is concerned There
is one youth on the infield; one in the
outfeld. OF the men who go in there
day after day Bush and Ty Cobb are
the only ones whose work can rea-
sonably be expected to improve. The
other members have been in the
game too long to advance.
1t is a well known fact that the
average ball player stands still but n
short time. When the decline sets
in 1t is rapid work. New material
must be secured or a team will find
itself I'm the position Of the Boston
American four years ago-down and
out.
The wise manager seeks to secure
the new blood before the big crash
comes, so the youngsters can be
worked I'm gradually. That policy
has brought the Athletics to their
present position. Failure to do 80
has showed the Maps out of first di-
vision although they have the nu-
cleus of good club in the veterans
and in their lineup.
Youngsters Hard to Get.
You can't always get proper
youngsters on minutes notice, and
that is the reason why the Detroit
owners and management have in
structed the scouts to overlook moth
ing. Money is no object-its bal
players who are wanted.
The Tigers have eight players la
boring i'm minor leagues under "op'
tiona agreements" which means they
can be recalled before the drafting
season IL the club owner cares to ex'
ercise its option.
Some of these young fellows have
been doing great work. Four are
pitching and line up about as well az
anybody I'm the leagues i'm which they
work, which isn't saying they will dc
in the majors. Lelivelt has pitched
good ball for Minneapolis of the Ameri
can Association. Cavitte has done
good work for Rock Island. while Saw
age is making pretty fair record
with Rochester in the Eastern league
Hardin is pitching for Wilkesbarre.
OF all the recruits out of season
ing Ness, first baseman for Wilkes
barre. looks best Ness lacks training
and heretofore has taken to baseball
more as a pastimc than as busi-
ness If he awakes to the POSSIBLE
tiles of a baseball career IL Is not I'M
likely that he will be n valuable man
possibly not next year, but within q
couple OF seasons.
Gaynor. with Fort Wayne in the
Central League, and Lister, with Chat
tanooga, are the others being groomed
to take Tom Jones place when the
veteran slows up. Lister was In tho
big league once before, playing with
the Maps few years ago. At times
his work was brilliant, but he was ar
In and outer.
The only other youngsters on the
string is Kirk, Scranton, second base
man. There apparently is no need
of preparing new second basemaf
In view of the way Jim DelahaDty Is
going. However, no player can last
forever.
The fact that these youngsters are
doing well In the minor leagues is
no sign they will be ready for the
big show in 1911. Developing young
P'"SNtS 10 al ~ bah'oiN' "''N o''~' 49,
man who looks best i'm the minors
Is dub higher up. The other way
works out often the weak man IN
class and lower is a star with the
American or National.
For these reasons the scouts are
out all the time searching high and
low for men who exhibit symptoms oil
being grand ball players. II man
be young and full OF ambition the
major league magnate will go far tow
ard securing him.
One or two good pitchers for Inn
mediate delivery would just about
strike the fancy of the local owners
but when the scouts cannot hn'
youngsters for next year and the yea
after there Is no chance for strength
IN