The Detroit times., 1912-04-24
BROWNS OF TODAY ARE
DIFFERENT BUNCH THAN
THEY WERE A YEAR AGO
Only Three Men Who Have
Faced Tigers Opened the
Season Last Year
ST. LOUIS MUCH STRONGER
Favorable Critics Think That
.Wallace's Strength Is
Increased 25fo
BY RALPH L. YONKER.

This st. Louis team, the Browns,
the erstwhile comedians, this bunch
OF diamond FASTENERS whose goats
have been kicked all around every
lot in the American league, includ-
Ing their own-4this bunch who have
been hailed as the one best Joke in
the circuit---this bunch has nailed
its hat III the ring and jumped on
II.
But this team is not the st, Louis
Americana league club of 1e1l. Far
be Il from such.
There are only three men who
have faced the Tigers thus far who
opened the first season last year. The
Browns are practically a new ma
chine.
Austin, Laporte and Wallace are
the three old-timers. Austin was at
third, where he Is now, and Wallace
was at short then. Laporte was at
second, a place now filled by the
much-touted Pratt, Laporte taking
to the outer right garden.
Here Is the st. Louis team that
started last year: Clarke, c.
Hoffman, CT. Newman, 1b.
Austin, 3b. Williams. II.
Murray, RI. Wallace, IS.
Laporte, 2b. Powell, d.
Five OF them gone! Hoffman has
gone to Indianapolis; Murray is in
the international league: Clarke was
sent to Kansas City by Washington
after Hedges turned him away;
Newman is in the Texas league;
Williams Is in the Southern league.
To the critics of st. Louis who
are inclined to BOOST, of course. the
Browns look % per cent stronger
this year than they did last.
They expect this man Baumgard-
ner to be youth of caliber in the
box. Lefty Frill. the Browns, Il. ard
c., and Hamilton, they think, are 60
ing to be stronger than ever.
At first, there is no getting away
from It, they have man who is right
! in George Stovall. II was sad day
for Cleveland when the Maps were
forced to let George go to make 1t
more agreeable, probably, for Man
ager Harry Davis.
This man Pratt at second Is touted
as star and he surely has been do
\ ing some good word for the Browns.
He comes from the Southern league
and everybody down there thinks that
he Is just about the goods.
Bobby Wallace himself is not all in
4 by any means yet. evidently, and he
has Mailman to succeed him at short
in case he, decides to quit.
Austin, the old reliable, is again at
third with Shotten, Hogan and La
porte for the outfeld
The catching department is admit.
tedly the Browns weakness, with only
Krichell and stephens to be depended
on there However this man Kutina
the former Saginaw first baseman,
who tore things up at ST. Louis last
fall IN the inter-city series, is being
eroomed TO be catcher and they say
that In time he's going To be a peach
+ He was forced out of his Job at the
Initial station when the Browns got
Stovall
Compton, another Saginaw man. IL
the main utility man in the outfield
In spite of the fact that Wallace
has so many new men he didn't starr
8 the season with a large squad. He
had only % men to begin with and as
the limit to be reached by May 10 is
only two less, he won't have to pee
many. He had four catchers and IA
pitchers from whom the reduction
was made.
r n.
The work OF Delahanty In that
game at st. Louis yesterday. when
Del miscued twice, once when N
meant q run, made the fans anxious
20 zee what Oscar Witt, OF San Fran
cisco, Cal. could do az the second
station.
II has been announced that the
destined course OF events VIII bring
the little German to that position