The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-02
ROCHE A Conner
Rusty Headed ShOrtStOp Looks
Like Real Thing.
First Yannigan Game OF Sea-
son This Afternoon.

In the early spring when the grass
first peeps up out of the ground TO
say ''howdy do" to the robins
looks greener than at any other sea-
son of the year. A fresh cow always
gives the greatest quantity of milk
ana young beets always taste sweetest;
And so it often is with young oall
players Like the proverbial broom.
they sweep the diamond clean during
the training season, but when the real
grind begins they fade like the
parched grass, dry up like stripper
COW and become as tough ana TASTE
less as an old sun baked beet
However, if first impressions count
for anything at all, and if it is 1act
that ball players are more like good
whisky than grass and fresh cows ana
beetS in that they improve with age
instead of deteriorating, then you can
place a Kansas bet on Con Roche be-
coming a regular on the Savage-Jack-
son team on the w. l.. loop.
Roche is barely of voting age, but
he has every action and earmark OF
a genuine ball player, and he Will TOOL
a lot of fan critics if he don't make
good.
a Good Fielder.
Out in the shortstop territory he is
as much at home as mosquito In
a Louisiana swamp, and his work is
lust as effective. Thursday afternoon
Jimmy Jackson had about as much
luck hitting grounders through Con
as Wilson has had in calming turbu-
lent Mexico The little rusty haired
lad literally ate up everything that
came his way, and the eating was
did, with very little eXertion. Fur
thermore he is fast on his feet, has a
good peg and bats like an Oldtimer-
only he won't stand up to the plate.
Roche'S home is in St. Louis. The
spring before last he signed with the
st. Louis Browns, went south with
them and was turned over to the
Marston, Tex, club. Last spring the
Browns recalled him and then turned
him over to Topeka, but he refused
to stick because of a salary misunder-
standing.
However. unless all signs fail, he
will stick this time and will prove a
valuable man for Manager jackson.
III addition to being a promising base
ball player, Roche is also an eX-foot-
ball star and a professional soccer
player Last fall he coached football
at the st. Louis university, and will
probably return there this autumn
after Topeka wins the the w. l.. pen
nant.
First Yannigan Game.
This afternoon Jimmy jackson
lined his men up for the first real
yannigan game, and incidentally he
instituted a new feature of baseball
yanniganism in Topeka. Instead of
working the pitchers as in u regular
game, he doped out a new system
whereby one pllcner would Work two
full innings against both sides with
out coming out of the box. Then the
pitcher was instructed he could go to
the club house and put on his clothes
and call it a days work.
THE idea is Jimmy explained, ito
keep the pitchers working all the
time, give them a good work out and
not allow their arms to get stiff be-
tween innings
The lineup and batting order for
the yannigan game, given out this
morning, was as follows:
Regulars: Tallion, If; Cochran, 3b:
jackson, CT; Forsythe, IF; Rapps, lib;
baltimore, 2b; Roche, SIS, and Tonne
man, C.
Colts: King. IS; Bell, If; Franken-
2b; Higgins, IF, and Cobb, 3b.
Ridgeway, Dashner, Weidman, San
ford and one of the other twirlerS
made up the pitching staff.
Tomorrow afternoon the first ex-
hibitiOn game of the season will he