Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-01-09
Some Good Prices Paid For Recruits
Who Have Been Trained on Long
Branch Grounds.
ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS
TO WORK ANY POSITION
Features Which Distinguish the Cuban
Player From Average American,
According to Sheridan.
BY HAL SHERIDAN
(written for the United Press)

New York, Jan. 9.-Having swelled
up so often and allowed as how base
ball is the Great American game it
might be expected that something would
come along and gently ease over the in
timation that few other nationalities
in this broad universe are picking up
batting, pitching and base running.
Down Jersey way they have a team
made up entirely of Cubans, and, wheth-
er you will believe it or not, it is on the
records that the Long Branch team of
New Jersey-New York league won the
pennant. The Long Branch aggregation
happens to be an all-Cuban cast, so
there you be.
We are all more or less acquainted
with one Senor Marsans, outfielder for
the Cincinnati Reds, who is one Of the
leading expOnents of the game as it
is did in Cuba-and Cincinnati. Long
Branch, however, is an incubator for
Cuban baseball players for this coun-
try. -Four members of this team were
sold to Boston last fall. Next year
there will be new crop for the major
league scouts to look over. Manez.
a pitcher, who will perform during the
next heated period is said to be ring
dinger, The Long Branch management
has already been offered $4,000 for
him, but the offer was refused. After
dangling before the eyes of the Majors
for a few months next year more money
Twill probably be offered
Goes After Recruits Annually.
Dick Henriquez, captain and manager
of the Long Branch team goes to Cuba
every winter now. He looks 'em over
ON the island while Long Branch is
closed up and the summer resorters are
hugging the radiators. The he bobs
up in the spring with new bunch Of
Seniors who wallop the pill all over
the lot. Next year Henriquez expects
to arrange series of preseason games
with several Of the major leagues, His
Cubans will report from the island
ready for business as they will have
done their "spring training" around
Havana, Fifteen new players are to
be brought up from Cuba next spring,
which augors much business Of looking
things over by the big league scouts.
One thing about these Cuban players
that is not found in the average Ameri
can Of the league teams is ability and
willingness to play several different
positions. During the last season ten
men, including pitchers and catchers
on the Long Branch team played every
game Of the 100 in the league schedule
They shifted around and played differ
ent positions. When a pitcher was not
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place in the outfield, Long Branch won
the pennant by margin of 90 games.
This Long Branch team probably has
the distinction of playing ball before
more money than any other team in
the country considering the size of the
crowds it draws. One day last summer
fortunes estimated at $9OO,OOOOOO were
represented in the boxes, Long Branch
being summer resort draws much mon
ey. The Guggenheims, Greenhuts, the
Bradys and many other moneyed folk
are included among the fans who root
for the Cubans. Senator Smith, the
Fleishmanns and a score Of others may
also be found pulling for the Long
Branch bunch, Whether they try to
pronounce the names of all Of the play
ers is not on record.