The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-12
nITs OF nAsEBALL WALK.

BITS OF BASEBALL TALK.
Moore Picks Denver as the Hardest
Contender in Coming Race.
The Kaw pitchers were given a run
around the ball park about five times
as part OF their workout yesterday
and seemed to like IL. The diamond
was too wet to work on and the in
fielders confined their work to batting
practice. The warmer weather added
pepper and the men were pegging
without fear Of sore arms. Carpen-
tiers are busy on the grandstand i'm
provements.
The major league clubs open their
1911 season today, all confident of
winning the bunting. If there are
any doubts about the clubs chances,
managers and owners are not breath
| ing them. And that's the best way to
start any race, The Nationals open
with st. Louis at Chicago, Philadelphia
at New York, Pittsburg at Cincinatti,
J and Brooklyn at Boston. The Ameri-
F., cans open with New York at Phila-
deiphia, Chicago at Detroit, Boston at
| Washington, and Cleveland at ST.
Louis. Only one league opens in q
city where both leagues have clubs
The Topeka baseball club will go
| to Manhattan Thursday for a game
with the Kansas Aggies. The Farmers
have one of the strongest college ag-
lgregationS in the state as usual, and
will get some valuable baseball knowl-
edge from brushing against the Kaws.
Gus HetIing, a former third baseman
of the Wichita club, is to hold down
| the same position now for Oakland
| in the Pacific coast league.
Art Pennell, one of the successful
trouble makers in the Western league,
now is playing with the Fort Worth
team in the Texas league. He helped
the Texans whip Denver when the
Grizzlies went through on their train
ing tour.
lincoln Star: Clyde Dirst was re-
leased Saturday. He will probably go
to Auburn, where he has chance to
catch on in the Mink league. Dirst was
slightly peeved over the release and
told some of the boys that Bob had
| turned him loose before discovering
whether he was a pitcher or a fielder.
Unglaub sent back the message that he
knew Dirst's caliber, he was neither
pitcher nor a fielder. but a farmer.
The return Of Willis Cole will be
marked by the passage of Paul Cobb to
the yannigan squad for while at least.
Unglaub is doing lots of figuring over
the composition of his outfield. Miller
and Mccormick are both showing up
SO we'll that the manager hates to see
either on the bench and Cobb may have
some competition before he can be sure
of holding down his job.
Wichita Beacon: You ought to take
a trip to the park and see Big lzzy
cavorting around over the lot.
Izzy intends to get in shape to go IN
the game this year If it is necessary.
He put in some hard work the past two
weeks but that Is pounds that he been
carrying around all winter refused TO
leave him. His waist line refused to
take on willowy dimensions and his
chest measure still looked like the cir
cumference of a barrel. The harder he
worked the fatter he got. He did Flynn
stunts at home and marathon stunts at
the park until he was about all in
About this time the Chicago White
Sox came along. IZzy told his old pard
Ed Walsh, all his troubles and Walsh
informed Izzy that the proper thing for
him to have was q rubber shirt. Big
Ed guaranteed that it would make any
Izzy swears by anything that his old
roommate says and that night ordered
a rubber shirt about As chest measure.
The other day the shirt arrived and
Izzy put on couple of heavy under
shirts and then the famous rubber shirt
and proceeded to get busy. He sprinted
around a little and in short time he
was warm when the other players were
just getting limbered up a little.
Izzy kept at it and in half an hour
you could track him over the park like
you could a street sprinkler. 1t wasn't
q hot day but the way that shirt got in
its work was a wonder. 1t kept 1zzy
sweating so that he had to tread water
most of the time to keep from going
under. He took his turn at the bat but
soon had home base flooded and had to
give it up and keep moving.
R1rDham still inagineS he is fat and
tried the shirt on yesterday while Izzy
was resting up. 1t got busy with Burn
ham and that southpaw marvel was
soon spouting perspiration like an ar
vidual tearing up the atmosphere at the
ball park and doing stunts like a fresh
youngster the chances are that 1t VIII
be the Big Boss himself.
Some of the players wanted Roxey to
try it for an afternoon but the gentle
man from Flat Rock allowed that he
would need ballast If he wore that con-
traption for an hour.
While Manager Moore of the Kaws
has said on several occasions that 1t
would be Jack Hendricks Grizzlies the
other clubs would have to beat, Hen
bricks in turn hands Topeka third place
in his guess on the club standing for
the season of 1911, reserving first place
for. Denver, Of course. He picks Lincoln
for second.
Al Bailey, the chef for the Denver
baseball special party, was chef on Will
liam Jennings Bryan's private car on
his western trip during the last presi-
Dental campaign. OF course this does
not necessarily mean that because
Bryan lost the presidency Denver Will
losa the 1911 pennant, but no one can
tell what it means in the language of
superstitious ball players, so the matter
is being kept a secret.
Denver News: Kenworthy seems to
grow better every day. The ex-Bos-
tonian stands up to the plate and clouts
them all alike. He has a faculty Of