Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-12

NEW YORK, April 1.-THE ma
jor league baseball season OF l9lo
| viii be inaugurated in eight of the
| leading cities Of the east ana middie
west tomorrow afternoon. provided
! the weather is favorable. Eight UNI
pires In as many parks Will give the
| home plate its first official duties
and sixteen clubs will begin the
years two great pennant struggles
which viii not terminate until the
first week In October
In the National league. which be-
gins its forty-first season, the lnitial
contests will bring together Boston AT
brooklyn; New York at Philadelphia'
| Chicago at Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh
at st. Louis.
The opening games in the Ameri
can league-it's seventeenth season.
viii see Washington playing at New
York; Philadelphia at Boston; ST.
Louis at Cleveland and Detroit at
Chicago.
Look for Close Race.
Many of these clubs have been
strengthened during the past winter
and every indication points to close
races for the pcnnants. The defunct
Federal league and the minor cir
cults have been finecombed for dia-
mond talent. In some cases famous
STARS Will ne SttU III SNi amy u'''Va''''
and the general prediction OF ban
ner year in baseball" seems likely to
be realized.
While there Is n vast difference or
opinion among followers of the game
regarding the order in which the
teams will finish the season. In the
National league Boston. philadelphia,
Brooklyn and New York are generally
picked to finish in the first division
| t.n N
Chicago, Detroit and New York are
favored to fiji first division positions
In the senior league the Philadel-
phia club. which won last seasons
pcnnant starts the 1916 campaign
with almost the same lineup AS yeai
ago. Manager Moran believes that thu
Phillics will repeat Their winning
performance. but many critics dis
agree with him. The Philadelphia
, clan is fully as strong as last season
\ hut the general Strengthening of the
+, other clubs will make the going hard
~ er for the Quakcrs this summer,
Watch the Braves.
The Boston Braves. runnersup Il
the phillies last scason,are considered
by many experts to be the class of tn,
= National league this year. The team
has been strengthened with the addi
ton of several former Federal leagu,
players, including Ed konetchy. Ell
mer knctZcr and Frank Allen. Georg,
StallinEs again will appear in The
managerial role. while Percy Haugh
ton. the famous Harvard football
coach, now is president OF the club
which changed ownership during tn,
winter The infieid and pitching de
partmCuts are unusually strong will
A fair outueld and catching corps.
Brooklyn which wound up the 1871
race in third place, appears to be full!
as efficient rs year aSo. Manage
Robinson predicts that the club vii
be a pennant factor this year from
the very start The infield and pitch
ing corps are the strongest feature
Of the Supcrha combination. Tn
catching department. due to the acQui
sitiun of chief Movers, is stronger thai
las; year. The outfield with John
ston in the lineup should he fairl
| effective.
Cubs an Uncertainty
The winning ability OF the Chicag
club. which finished fourth year age
.a uncertain Joe Tinker has bee
irving Nallantly to produce 4 winnin
combination from the u. algnmate
cubs and Chicago Foderals but ha
found some of his veterans lackin
in the speed he desires. Team pla
rns suffered somewhat from the fac
that the platers are not entirely ac
custumed to each other. while uneN
yectcd weakness in the intield an
poor hitting have developed Never
thciess critics in Chicago believe tn
team VIII soon round into formidabl
shape.
Pittsburgh is another club whic
= starts the season with a new manage
At the helm. jimmy Callahan, tn
-, 1915 leader. expects his team to finis
W IN the first division instead of fift
us Il did last year. The Pirate
I, have a number of new players and
probably will take the best part of tn
= season to weld the old and new ma
= tcr;al into effective combination.
!, Higgins Out Of Game
,V Mul.r ltuggins. manager Of the ;
" Louis Nationals, holders OF sixth plac
NJ Hast year. predicts n good season fc
o., ms team II his infield vii, stand III
u istrain He will not send his ow
name in as a player. Bethel wi