The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-10

 undertaken the task of building an other pennant-winning team for Shibe Park. Because of his record of six American league pennants and three worlds championships. this latest re- construction work cn the Athletics baseball machine will be watched with unusual interest by fans in all parts of the country.
 Following the four straight. game defeat administered to the Mackmen by the Boston Braves dn the Worlds Series of 1914 there were many re- ports to the effect that the Athletic connbinafton would be broken up and a new team formed. The sale of Col Hns to the Chicago White. Sox; Pen mock to Boston and Shawhey to New York; the release of Coombs, Bender and Plank, the dropping of Baker from the pay roll and the passing of stfM other players to the minors, indicate that the work is we'll under way.
 Now rumor has 1t that still other stars of yesteryear are to change their Athletic uniform for those of other American League clubs while Mack will fill their places with promising recruits from trninor and college dia- monds T Grounds for these reports are found in the signing of Croweil. Healey, Haas, Sheehan and Johnson
  lines out for some promising material in southern and western circuits.
 The ability of the veteran manager to develop stars from youthful play CTS recruited from varsity and bush fields is well known. Plank, Collins, Coombs and Barry all Joined the Ath- letics wihfrout the formaAity of minor league experience while Baker, Mc- 1nnis, Strunk and several others serv- ed but short period dn the minors before being gathered in by Mack. If he can repeat his previous record in this respect, in these days of close baseball competition and fine comb scouting, his position as the greatest manager of baseball history will be beyond dispute.
 Eastern college oarsn1en are still discussing the remarkable showing of the Leland Stanford crew at the In tercoIlegiate regatta In finishing with in a second and a fifth of Cornell, the winner, the PaIo Alto crew surpassed any previous record made by Pacific Coast or middle western varsity crew Wisconsin roved in sixteen regattas on the Hudson between 1899 and 1914 In these years the Badgers finished sec ond four times; third twice; fourth four times; fifth three times and sixth three times Their closest finish was in 1899 when Wisconsin was but one and half seconds behind Penn sy1vanda, the winning eight
 Stanford's first appearance at Poughkeepsie was in 1912 when, as winners of the Pacific Coast cham pionship, the crew competed and fin iehed last At that time Frank L. Guercna. coach of this years eight was the coxswain. In 1913 and 1914 the University of Washington crew
 I7 scented the Pacific coast colleges at Poughkeepsie taking third place the first year and fifth in 1914. The average position of these western crews in races on the Hudson are as follows: Wisconsin 3.S2; Washington 400. and Stanford 400.
 If Stanford should win the Pacthc Coast champio ionship in 1916 and re- turn for another try at Poughfxeepsie it is certain that the Cardinal eight will be given greater consideration by their eastern rivals than was the case this year But three out of the eight oarsmen who forced Cornell to the limit to win, will be lost by graduation, leaving five of the present giant com bination as a neuc1us upon which to rebuild a new eight. With this ma Guerena during his two trips to the Guerna during his two trips to the Hudson, Stanford in form at least should prove a most formidable op ponent for Cornell, Columbia ct al.
 Grover Alexander of the Philade1- ptaia, Nationals, twirling staff, prom ises to complete a record this season eoualling in interest Honus Wagner's hundred home runs. If he maintains his present strika-out speed Alex ander should round out one thousand Vhiffs of opposing batsmen before the curtain falls on October T.
 At the beginning of the 1915 cam patgn his record showed that close to: 7e0 batters had been turned back to the bench during A1ezander's league career, as a result of failing to con- meet with Growers curves. When the season opened he needed about 214 strike-outs to cornple6e his one thou sand and July 1 saw him well past the hundred mark, it appears reason ably certain that Alexander will fan his thousandth opponent within the next thirteen weeks.
 Ad@toes received from Austr1a-Hun gary by members of the American Olympic committee indicate that ath- 1etics and sport generally is at standstiI1 in those countries. Rifle shooting and football, played by youths too young to bear arms ap- pear to be only forms of competition induIged in by those not serving at the front.
 Racing, track and field att etics swimming, fancy and competitive skating skiing. tennis and cycling have all been dropped for the time being at least. Fencing and shooting have ceased to be sports and are now regarded as serious business. The latter has become very popular and rifle ranges have sprung up every where. Even before the war the gov ey-T1T1o0f- began fn in rifle shooting in the scho $ end the war office afforded special facilities in this direction. The fencing schools are still open but the best instructors