The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-02-13
SPORT WRITER
DISCUSSES CLUBS
Picks Burlington a. 4 ToplIner Ii
the Central Association Race
During the Coming
Season.
KEoKUK WELL MANAGED
Promises Central Association Fans
the Best Baseball in Years Due
to the Glass of
Managers.

Burlington Gazette: There is every
reason 10 believe that the baseball I
offered the Central association fans
this year should surpass in quality
anything that has been given them
for years. In no year in the past I
have the various teams had as good
nucleus Of material to work on at I
this early stage OF the race Despite |
the seemingly low salary limit, the
teams should be of high class, partic- |
ulariy since most of the clubs have
many men on the reserve list. A |
glance at all of the eight teams will |
convince fan that the league is to |
be fast and the race one of mysterf |
GUS outcome. Take a slant at Bur
lington: They never had as good a
looking team at this time of the year.
The local team now embodies the
names of all the men who finished the
race here last year with the excep-
ton of Harry Stanley. Admittedly,
Stanley was by far the best man on
the end of the season is considered
most fortunate getaway--in most
years in the past the city has lost at
least five or six men at the end OF
the race. When 1t is considered that
! Burlington finished but a few games
from the pennant, it can be seen that
we have an excellent team to begin
with, let alone what will be added.
Now Ottumwa: Ned Egan would
be dangerous il he did not have a
man on his reserve list, but the willy
Ned has SO many men, including the
majority of last years pennant win
ners, that he will find his main
troubles in wedding out
/ At Kewanee Pennington lost al
couple OF good men, but was most for
tunate at that. He has what might
! be styled a seasoned team, and is sure
to be away up in the race. He has
| about six or seven men who are near
the Contra, association par.
Next take Monmouth: That's going
to be a dangerous proposition this
year. Bert Hough will deserve all the
| fortune he finds, too, as he pulled the
banner play of the off-season when he
beat the other Central bosses to the
Galesburg reserve list Bert got near
! " team from the neighboring city
and should make up great team with
these men and his own reserve list.
i Now as to Keokuk: That city has
4 gotten the poorest start of any club
this year because Of the delinquency
Of the fans IN relapsing into base
ball fever. They made banner stab,
however, when they grabbed George
Manusch and promise to stand back
3. of the star first sacker IN getting up
a club to fight for laurels. It must
be admitted that Keokuk is less adj
vanced than any other team in the
league, but they have some points
that help them greatly. They have
the best playing manager ever seen In
the Central, and man who Is both
popular and authoritative with team
mates II George gets any men he
4 will have ball team, that's all.
4 AS to Muscatine. Frank Boyle is
sure to have crack team. He is too
well known here to permit anyone to
think he will not be fighter. Boyle
has about as many men on his list az
any Of them, despite the fact that he
had few to start with He was signed
early, which is in favor OF the Mus
kies.
Belden Hill at Cedar Rapids has
been signing men right and lef.. He
has as many men as II he had been
4 in the league last year and can be
counted upon to bring bunch into
this league that will compare favor
/ ably with the other teams He will
give about score or more OF men
a thorough tryout and therefore has
a swell chance to develop some star
men
Jay Andrews at Waterloo, is also
I looked upon as factor In the race.
/ The doctor is a good ball player, and
his ability to keep in touch with good
men is not doubted In our opinion
+ the confidence placed in Andrews by
the fans OF that city is not misplaced.
i He, like Hill, has many men signed.
We would hate to be assigned the
lot of picking the teams for their
places, or even among the two divis-
I ions; IL will be some problem to solve
next summer.
/