Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-20
Prospects of the Hillmen, Giants and
Brooklyns,
WHAT GOTHAM WILL SHOW
Managers Have Laid Plans for the
Pennant Races-POInts Concern
ing the Many New Players
to He Tried,

VI AAN wiz ANRbAN W ANN AANAAO ANeaNA
while the Highlanders and their recruits
will be taking orders from Big Chief stall
lings at Athens, Ga. Then will come the
gathering Of B%rooklyn's players, under the
command Of Manager William Dahlen, at
Hot Springs, Ark, and the preparations for
the two big pennant races will be well
under way.
What will the harvest be? Thousands Of
base ball fans in Greater New York, eager
to hear the crack Of the bat, are wondering
whether one OF these three major league
teams can finish on top. These fans are
always filled with hope in the spring, and
they usually remain loyal to the end of the
season, IL good base ball is provided. But
they must have a winner, and whichever
team makes the best bid for a championship
will find plenty Of money pouring through
the box office windows.
Both New York clubs have spent money
freely for new playing talent, but the
Brooklyn club has not been so lavish.
President Farrell of the Americans gave
Manager S~tallings permission last fall to
get players at any cost, with the result
that $4,000 was expended in this manner.
President Brush did not buy another Mar
guard for S11 900, but McGraw gathered in
fifteen youngsters, for whom he paid more
nan e9NiVNV just VIA VIZ w NAC A~1hAN
Of these purchases will not be known until
after the spring training in the south has
been practically finished. Then Stallings
and McGraw will decide whom to retain.
Stallings will take thirty two men to
Athens, where, aided by the veteran Arthur
Irwin, the clubs scout, an excellent line on
the new material will be obtained. OF the
experienced Highlanders who will prob
ably remain with the team much can be
said. The team appears to have been
strengthened behind the bat by the addi-
ton of Lou Criger. who was secured from
the st. Louis Browns In exchange for
Demmitt and Lake. Criger, while not a
great hitter, is a star backstop of wide ex-
p~erence. If he enjoys the best Of health
1t is believed he will be one Of the Amer
lean leagues best catchers and conse-
quently a tower OF strength to the High
landers. He is an expert at handling young
pitchers and in this respect he will be of
Invaluable service.
Sweeney and KleInow, who did the bulk
of the catching last year, will be retained
for a time at least. Sweeney made rapid
strides toward the close of last season.
He developed into a steady worker and
a hard hitter and is expected to improve.
Kleinow, when feeling in the mood, always
could catch great ball, but he became un-
reliable in 1903 and his hitting fell off to
a marked degree. Stallings has two other
catchers in Mitchell Of the Toronto East
ern league club and Joe Walsh of the
Rocky Mount club, which played in the
Eastern Carolina league. Mitchell, form
erly a National league pitcher, caught
ninety-two games for Toronto with nine
passed balls and an average Of .s47. He
stood sixth in the batting average with
.295, making 1M hits, including twelve
doubles, six three baggers and a home run.
Walsh stood second In the catchers' field
ing averages with .sS2 for fifty-seven
games and made forty-one hits for a
batting average OF $50. He is said to be a
splendid all around athlete, being a star
foot ball player.
StaltngS believes he has a powerful
staff of pitchers. He will take thirteen
of them to the training camp and is pin
ming his faith to last years experts, King
Brockett, Walter Manning, Jack WARRIOR,
Joe Doyle, Tom Hughes and Jack Quinn.
But he also has confidence in Big Jim
Vaughn, a left handler, who helped to win
the American association championship fol
Louisville last fall. Vaughn has terrific
speed and is a young giant. for whose ser,
vices Clark Griffith of the Cincinnati Reds
made a strenuous fight, until the Nationa.
commission awarded him to the Hllman
There's another promising left handler in
the bunch, Frill Of Newark, who won six.
teen games and lost thirteen last season
before he was purchased by the Hilltop
club. Fisher. a right handler from tbs
Hartford club, of the Connecticut league
comes here with a big reputation; for hC
led the pitchers in that circuit with twenty,
four victories and five defeats, incidentally
striking out 2S batsmen. After Presiden'
Farrell had landed this man he refused
an offer OF 5000 from the Boston Red Sol
for his release.
Still another classy boxman is Russell
Ford OF the Jersey City team. regarded by
many good judges as the best pitcher il
the Eastern league last season. Ford Il
a spit ball artist, cool headed and nervy
5 With a tail end team behind him he woI
thirteen and lost thirteen games, with 1S
strikeouts to his credit. Dick Carroll from
the Akron club OF the Ohio and Pennsyl
vania league, comes highly recommended
having won twenty games and lost nine
which placed him third In the pitchers
percentages in that organization. Clunr
halls from the Portsmouth club OF the Vir
, ginia State league. where he did some bril-
liant work on the slab. Wolter, a Callforn
ian, wal recently purchased by waiver from
the Boston Red Sox, witt whom he die
not receive much OF a chance to shine, blu
is well thought of by Hal Chase.
Two OF the Highlanders' infield position
are regarded as fixtures. Chase, the in
= comparable, will cover first base. and Ear
Gardner, the youngster who was a star il
: the Eastern league will the Jersey Cit.
team last year. will play the second bag
!. When Gardner Joined the Hlllmen In tn
fail he quickly showed that he could iii
the bill in every way and also did so wei
with the bat that he had an average o
.S29. Gardner, in the opinion of no less
person than Connie Mack of the Philadel
phia Athletics, will be one OF the game
greatest lnfielders this year, fully capabl
OF measuring up to the standard set b
= such experts as Eddie Collins and Johnn
Evers. He is a natural ball player. clea
n cut. ambitious and self-poSsessed, an
Stauings believes he will help the High
landers wonderfully.
While Long Jack Knight may excel q
0 short field now that the trouble maxim
VI Elberfeld has been canned, he may hav
d TO show phenomenal skill TO keep the pos
ton away from esther Roach or Fostel
Roach is a finished player who a~ttraete
attention when with the Lancaster TT
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