The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-13
DOPES LINKS Low
But Second Division Team Is an
Easy Prophecy.
Half the Teams Belong to That
Glass.
CALLAHAN'S WICHITA RECORD
Isbell Is Getting Hard Hitting
Team Together.
Andreas Says Sioux List Is
Nearly Complete.

Pyke Johnson, sporting writer on
the Denver Times, has picked the Links
as second division team during the
coming season. He points out that last
! year the Lopes started the season with
the fastest bunch of playing material
in the O'Neill circuit. Then the team
dropped ahd finally hit sixth place:
largely through the lack OF balance I'D
the noodle OF Unglaub. a clever player
but poor manag ger johnson thinks the
Links need a pitcher or two. some good
hitterS and Change at third base.
Perhaps he, is right. A few weeks
more, however, will place a lot of
conservative fellows in II better posi-
ton to tell than they now occupy. There
is no doubt that Dwyer will prove a
mountain of strength to the Lincoln
ties. He is known as a. hustling man
ager and there is no doubt of his play
ing ability. If he can't manage Irish
William will play as hard for some one
else. He is popular with Lincoln. He
is a worker. There may be more
changes needed on the team. Perhaps
they will have to be made before the
season is old. But to the writer base
ball prediction has grown to be looked
upon as having at least the appear
ance of evil.
OF course a fellow can pick a lowly
berth for a team and nine times out
of ten get away with it. A large per-
centage of the teams fail. Only one
can win the pennant in this league.
The chances are all in favor of any
team in the league landing somewhere
in the second division. 1t is an easy way
to place yourself in position to say, i
told you so.'' If you are going to make
baseball forecasts make them on the
bear side of the market. 1t is safer.
But at that you will some times lose
Johnson may be right. The chances
would have been as much in his Ia
vor, probably, if he had included ST.
Joseph, Wichita, Omaha, Des Moines'
Topeka and Sioux City. There are more
chances for a team to go down than
up But there isn't as much as some
people think to the average baseball
prophecy.
Holland, who was going to train at
home this year, has served notice tnat
if the St. Joseph board of aldermen
do not furnish a better brand of wealth
erl he will take the team to Oklahoma
or some other place where the fans
will never see it, and keep it there I'M
til summer comes again.
Macmillan at Wichita keeps right
on signing second basemen, despite
the fact that Second Baseman
Hughes is to manage the club. Hughes
insists that any second Sacker who
lands a regular berth has got to show
class. The name of the new fielder
is Callahan. The last Callahan who
made Wichita his headquarters will
probably manage one of the teams in
Deputy Warden Mackey's prison
league at Leavenworth this year. He
is on hand, at least, and has a rec
ord which resulted in his being sent
up. He batted well in the safe blow
ers' league and his record on stolen
bags simply appalled, the jury which
tried him in connection with postoffice
robberies.
The Des Moines bunch has always
carried a number of hitters in the 800
class and Isbe1l is evidently going
after more of the same material. The
team this year is being doped as
strong on the whacking end. Thomas
is a dangerous batter, Eddie Colligan
is a pinch hitter and Harry WEIGH,
Opha Neal, Chouinard and Hahn
should be able to bat few in this Sc
lect gathering. Clint Rogge, a Des
Moines pitcher, is getting his spring
training with the White Sox. Rogge