New-York tribune., 1911-01-05
TIMELY BITS OF SPORT
Yankees Consign Two More Play
erS to the Minor Leagues.
RELEASE LESTER CHANNEL
Outfielder Goes to Indianapolis
with Priest, q New and
Untried Recruit.


Untried Recruit.
The wedding out process among the New
York Yankees goes on apace, and yester-
dav two more players were consigned 10
the minors The axe fell on Lester Chan
neil. an outfeider and John Priest an In
fielder. both Of whom were released TO the
Indianapolis team Of the American ASso-
citation. Channel is the promising young
,layer whose big league career was cut
short early last season when he broke MS
leg in sliding 70 third base at American
League Park.
Staliings had just begun TO use the OUT
fielder when the accident happened whlch
kept him out OF the game for the rest OF
the season In the few games he playeo |
Channel showed signs Of developing lh'o
q strong player. Chase has decided now
ever. that he has enough tried outhelders
end Channel was released outright.
Priest is one Of the new men whom
irwin picked up in the South last year
He played shortstop on the Danville' va
nine That he has been released without
even a spring tryout will occasion some
surprise to the fans who are expecting
10 see the infeld OF the Yankees strength
enc0 lN some OF lilP ItNi iuilS Mllo Aio'N
made regulations for themselves among
the minor league teams.
While Priest Is not a remarkably heavy
hitter he is a brilliant and accurate fielder
His batting average with the Danville
team last season was only 1879, but he had
thirty-tyyo stolen bases TO his credit and
made twenty sacrifice hits HIS fielding
average was .93l. The Yankees retained
an option on his services.
Otto Jordan. manager Of the Atlanta
Baseball Club saws he has an option on
either Sheldon Lejune. who broke the
~:orlds distance throwing record at Cincin-
natl last fall. or Bob COulson. champion
latsnan OF the Tristate League last sea-
son Both were drafted by Brooklyn, but
oue will go 10 Atlanta after the close Of
Drooklyrs training trip.
Abel Kiyiats victory over Sheppard and
Pagan at the list Regiment Armory last
SATURDAY, evening has made both of these
runners wake up 10 the fact that the
schoolboy wonder is some half-miler. While
Sheppard admits that Kiviat may beat him
at the mile. yet he cannot become recon-
ciled 10 the fact that either Kiviat or
Fagan can take his measure at any middle
distance.
Sheppard saws that HIS recent Illness made
him rather soft. and he could not do him
self justice IN last Saturday nights race.
in order to prove that he has not deterio-
rated in the least as q runner. he chat
lenged both Kivtat and Eagan 10 meet him
in the three-quarter- mile handicap at the
games Of the Xavier Athletic Association
at the 22d Regiment Armory on Saturday
evening To prove that their recent victory
over Sheppard was not a fiuke, both Kiviat
and Eagan cheecfully accepted Sheppard's
offer
This trio will start from scratch. and in
order to pull them out Sweeney and Bren-
nan. of the Pastme Athletic Club. and
Gilmore. If the Dominican Lyceum, will
get liberal handicaps Sheppard says Xiv
lat will have TO smash the record to lead
him TO the tape.
Word came from Milwaukee last night
that "Packey" Mcfarland has signed arti-
cles for a twenty-round bout with Freddy
Welch of Cardiff, Wales. in England on
February Q. The boys will weigh in at
iS3 pounds at o'clock on the day Of the
hght according to an announcement by
H Messier the American representative
OF Hugh Mcintosh
ON top Of this comes q statement from
Kansas city. where Mcfarland is training
for his fight with Johnny Mccarthy. in San
Francisco, on January 9, that arrange
,nents for his proposed fight with Welsh
had not been completed.
Mcfarland said he had informed the
promoters Of the match that he would not
Nght unless Eugene Corri acted as referee.
III al date
advanced about two weeks, making it take
place during the week beginning Febru-
ary 10.
The ten-rolnd bout between Leach Cross
and Cy Smith at the Fairmont Athletic
Club has been postponed indefinitely be-
cause OF an injury to Smiths hand suffered
an his bout with Young" Donohue the
other night.
Digger Stanley, the bantamweight cham
pion of England. who is on his way to this
country. will not face frankie Burns at the
National Sporting club on January 1S Abe
AtteU and Patsy Klein will he substituted
on that evening as Stanley SAYS he wants
ri least two weeks in this country TO pre-
pare fer his bout with Burns.
The startling Information has at last
reached Philadelphia that the hope OF the
white race" was actually "doped' In the
historic battle with Jack Johnson on July l.
All the narrowing details are told in
special dispatch to The Philadelphia
Press" and duly promulgated TO an as
founded public yesterday. The dispatch
states that Jeffries cannot place the exact
hour at which he was handed the drowsy
potion He says he was "doped' some
time within three days of the fight.
ID. A. Fletcher who set the baseball
world afame last fall by his visionary
plans for third major league has turned
I'D in Pittsburg and. according to an en-
thusiastic correspondent "scares Pttsburg
club stockholders silly" ny holding a
mysterious conference" and examining
Luna Park.
Fletcher has little time left before his
optional contracts with certain star base
ball players, including Russell Ford. Of the
Yankees, run out
There viii be no hodouts among the
Phillies when the 1911 baseball season be-
gins. according 10 President Fogel and
Charley DOOM. There was a meeting be
tween president and manager in the clubs
offices on Tuesday, after which IT was an
uounced that the books had been closed
for the wear and the salaries Of several
plsyers boosted
t-oot eafd that MAGE of ALI others had