The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-01-26
jim McALEER DECIDES TO
GIVE SWAIN A TRY-OUT
Big Western Outfielder Will Join Club in Atlanta
Other Interesting Sporting Gossip
By WILLIAM PEET.
OCTFIELDER SWANS RECORD.

an outfclder of the Vancouver club OF
the Northwestern League, and that
Swain would report for trial in the
sSring
Cliff Blankenshp. former National
catcher. tipped off Swain to McAleer and
wrote glowing accounts of SWANS abil-
ity, claiming the Outfelder had the max
ngS of "A real big Lacquer.
When SWANS release was purchased.
that young man was walloping the ball
at 800 clip. and threatened to burn
things up. but just as soon as he found
he was slated for the American League
his batting eye, seemed to lose its luster
and he finished the season with a mark
of 80
Not only did he let up in hitting. but
he took on weight, and the latest re-
ports from the Pacific Coast phenom
were that Swain was as big as a house
and slower than molaSSeS. When Jimmy
McAleer heard this he said that he did
not know whether he would have SWAN
report in the spring or not, but he has
decided to look the young man over. and
in response to a telegram from the writer
last night replied that Swain had been
ordered TO join the club in Atlanta.
While the foregoing batting and field
ing aVera geS do not show Swain to be
bush league phenom. by any means
Partnerships Endorsement should count
for something and McAleer is wise
enough to see what the young man can
do before letting him out.
In the United States baseball deserves
its title Of national game. not only be-
cause ii has more devoteeS than any
other outdoor amusement and not alone
because this country perfected the sport
and brought it TO its present form, but
also because it is essentially game Of
no one race or creed. In looking over the
rosters Of the big teams, while the irish.
German. French and English names
predomnatc still the patronymics of the
Indian, the Pole. the Italian. the Swede,
and the Cuban may be found there.
This has been so almost since the time
that leagues were formed and basehai ii
came into prominence, which has III
creased with every playing season In
the early sos Vincent Nava, Cuban.
was one of the tirst-StrinG catchers on
the Providence team. Another Cuhan
will train with a big league team this
spring.
In the COS SockaleXiS flashed like a
comet across the major league h"rrz"n-
The Indian left FIELDER batted 81 for
Cleveland in 1881 and tielded like a
whiriwind. He and Pappalau proved that
the red man could protitahly desert the
war path for the base paths. The orig
inal Americans are represented in the
major leagues to-day. Charles A. Bender.
Carlisle school man. led the American
league pitchers last year by winning
twentv-three out of twcnty-elght games
for the Athletics.
Zach David Wheat. whose mother was
the daughter Of a Cherokee chieftain
was one of the finds of 1909. and will add
strength to the Brooklyn team again this
season John T Myers. a full-biooded
Indian from Riverside. Cal, won many
contest of 1910 by his work with the war
club. and has proved himself Is well Il
good catcher for the Giants.
The Poles cheer for Harry Covaleski:
the Italians for Edward j. Abbaticchio:
the Swedes are pulling for Otis johnson,
and men from almost every other coun-
try find cOmpatriOtS to encourage with
advice and praise. Two National League
teams are to have Japanese on their
training squads this spring. In the stress
of contest. however. all nationalitieS
merge and race prejudiceS are forgotten,
as every fan remembers only that he Is
an American watching his favorite team
play the game of games
Fred Winklcr, who manages the Hol-
woke team of the Connecticut League
has signed sixteen players from the pen
nant winning club of the Panama League
He hopes in this manner to make pen
nant winners out of his cellar cham-
pions The players are Americans and
Dutchmen.
There is a plan under way to establish
a professional baseball league in Aus
tralia. The idea is to be backed by Amer
Jean capital and if the inhabitants OF
the antipodeS take to baseball as theE
do to other forms of sport. the promoters
should make fortunes out of the enter
prise.
The Pittsburg Club has closed a con-
tract for 4 huge electric scorepoaro u
be erected at Forbes Field
The board will be operated by experts
from the press box in the grand stand.
The parts will be controlled entirely by
electrical devices. and as the operators
merely need to touch button on the
switchboard in front of them in the press
box to get results on the ScOreDoard III
center field. go feet away, the progress
of the game can be flashed almost IN
Stantly.
number of improvements over the boards
now in use in Chicago and Boston, for in
addition to showing the number OF the
batsman. the numbers of the batteries,
and umpircS, and showing balls. strikes,
and outs of the home game, 1t will lndl-
cate the pitchers and catchers in the
games in progress in other cities.
The meddling of President Russell and
Vice President Page. of the Boston Ma
tionals with Manager Fred Tenney's
trade Of Dave Shean for Arthur Shafer.
has thoroughly Disguised Boston fans.
who had hoped that home ownership OF
the club would work an improvement.
As a result of the unfortunate occurrence
Tenney may resign as manager and Fred
Lake may be recalled as team leader.
Tenney feels Inundated over the fact
that he has been shown up before the
season opens as a manager without au-
thority and is not going to submit tame
~. Page, the man who broke up the deal
with the New York club, thinks that
Lake would be more of a success than
Tenney as a team manager and sug
gests that a swap be made and Tenney
be put to work as a scout. One thing
is certain; if Lake assumed charge of
the team he would brook no interference
such as Tenney is bucking against.
John Camel. former Yankee and now
manager OF the Rochester team in the
Eastern League, predicts that the 1911
pennant race will be between the Ath-
Ietics and Farreirs Hilltoppers.
..The race this year." declares Ganzel.
will be between the Athletics and New
rk.-lThat ia az Oooroe.. II ChnsA lllSseaL