Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-18
BY J. ED GRILLO.

The addition of Jimmy Callahan TO the
White SoN gives that team better
chance to be a contender in the coming
race than it has appeared to have had
at any time since the last season closed
Callahan will fill position where the
team is weakest. in the outfield. 1t is
not a case of coming back with Gala
han, for lie has never been out or the
game. Though he has not been identi-
fled with organized base lall for sever al
years. he has been playing on his own
semi-pro team in Chicago. and it might
be said in this connection that he has
led the semi-pro teams in batting for sew
eral years.
b. Cal is still young man and there is
no reason why he should no; be as good
a ball player as he ever was. Surely he
will be an improvement over some of the
youngsters Manager Duffy had slated
for outfield positions. incidentally cal
, lahan will be of great assistance to Hugh
Duffy. No one, knows the game better
or is more capable to give advice than
Callahan. and he will undoubtedly be-
come Duffy's right-hand man.
If Jack JOhnsun does not accept the
offer made by the National Sporting Club
of London of $4,000 for fight with Sam
Langford he can hardly give as eX-
cuse that the purse is not large enough.
Johnson has always said that LanSiord
would be the easiest kind of PROPOSE
ton for him. and it is surely good pay
to have purse of this size hung up
for a fight which Johnson pretends to
believe will be a very one-sided affair.
Unless some fellow like Bill Lang beats
Langford, Johnson will hardly be able
to side step the Boston fighter much
ford would be easy picking. he has not
shown q keen desire to hook up with
him. on the pretense that there was not
enough money in such fight. But the
purse which the English CLUB offers surely
is all that can be desired, and it is hard to
see how the champion can get out of
accepting 1t.
Hal Chase plans to start the season
with two recruits. Elliott and Johnson, on
the infeld. Knight is to he moved over
TO second. Johnson will play short ana
Elliott third. 1t is a pretty safe predlc-
ton this arrangement will not last long.
The youngster may have the natural
ability but to have two of them on the
same infield usually makes ii too mex
perienced, and veterans are then called
COR. Chase will have both HartZell ana
Earl Gardner to fall back on. however.
so that the trying out of the youngsters
in the infield will by no means have to
be permanent.
Some one with wonderful imagination
and little knowledge of conditions exist
ing in base ball these days makes the
prediction. that when the ten-ycar agree
ment under which the two major leagues
have operated since 1902 expires next
year there is going to be another base
ball war. Not a chance for any such a
thing taking place. If there is any war !,
will be with the two major leagues lined
up on one side trying To keep thlrd
league from breaking into the fold
The wonderful prosperity of base ball
since the present agreement mas peeh
operative makes war between the two
major leagues almost Impossible. The
men who have their money invested in
the game realize on what side their bread
is buttereed. The two league working
in harmony have made the game a great
success. There is nothing to quarrel over.
Matters are going along smoothly. and
every club owner is making money. more
or less. This same individual talks of a
twelve-club league. That was tried and
found to be a failure. No chance for
ever coming back to that sort of an ar
|rangement.
Wren the present agreement expires it
will be renewed with few, il any. changes.
Because Frank Chance. manager of the
Cubs, took occasion to criticise John
King after the worlds series that worthy
has grown sore and states that he will
not Join the Cubs until early in April.
Kings work in the series was oren
to criticism. 1t was surely not UP to his
usual standard. and it is not at all sur
prising that Chance said so. But even
II Chance had remained uuict every one
who saw the games would have had the
same opinion of Kings work,
King. like many ball players, is suffer