Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-14
KING LAMENESS HOLDS FORTH
IN CAMP OF ATHLETIC TEAM
Youngsters Are Stiff Today After Strenuous
Drill by Mack and Thomas-Jack Nabors
Looks Good for This Season
By CHANDLER D. RICHTER

gives the latter the edge for this season.
but the former should be the best catcher
in time. If he recovers his health, 1t is
hard to see how he can be beaten. Other
wise, he will need another year in minor
league where the work and strain will not
be too much for him.
Catchers at Bat
The four catchers were given batting
drill today and Mack Is experimenting
with Schang very much as Moran ana
with Luderus last year. Like Luay'
Wally got into the habit of pulling the
ball too much and hitting only TO one
field. Connie believes that Wally VIII be
a great hitter If he tries to push the ball
into left field oftener
Not only would Schang worry the
pitcher more by continually swinging at
the ball late when he is batting left
handed, but the infield also would be up
set Schang is remarkably fast and the
infield would be forced to play fairly
close to get him at first on slow bounders,
while II they came in too close Wallys
vicious drives would cut past them. The
change, If Schang masters 1t. should I'M
prove his average as much as 1t did for
Luderous last year.
The catchers batted particularly hard
IN Yesterdays practice, but 1t is dis
were not trying to put anything on the
ball Meyers, who has been the talk of
the camp, certainly hits fast-ball pitch
ing finely, and his weakness must be
curve ball. Manager Mack cured "Stuffy'
McInnis, "Rube" Oldring and Jack Barry
of weakness on this particular style or
pitching, and may be able to do the same
for Meyers. II he can, he surely mas u
coming star
rIIla that none
of the party should do any golfing while
here, but he relented and gave Secretary
Joe Ohl permission to golf during the
afternoon for the rest of the week.
Joe has been working hard and needs the
vacation. Connie wishes he could go
around the links few times himself but
WON'T break his own rules.
The battle between the three south
paws for the two regular positions Is be-
coming keen, and they take every OPP
portunity to cut loose while warming up
with another portsider, 1t is toss-up as
TO who looks best Ray was leading, but
Mellinger and Bressler are coming
strong.
NabOrs Improves
The great Improvement of Jack Nabors,
the lanky Georgian, is the talk of the
Mack camp. NabOrs has an unusual
amount of natural ability, but no one
expected the youngster TO make such
rapid strides. Philadelphans knew that
Nabors was green" but they scarcely
realized that he was so bad that Man
ager Mack declares that in his long eX-
perience as manager he never saw a
youngster so inexperienced as Nabors was
when he Joined the team last summer.
The rapid development OF the youngster
has surprised Mack as much as anybody,
and yesterday he asked Nabors how he
came TO change his swing and general
delivery. The youngster replied that he
had practiced a little all winter, as he
was afraid he would not do unless he re-
ported in good shape.
I'VE drilled Nabors mighty hard last
summer" says Mack. "I have never in
my life seen a ballplayer as green as he
was when he Joined us. Ordinarily |
would have passed him up at once, but
he naturally interested me. have had
plenty OF green ones, but he was the
limit.
~ took a liking to the youngster be-
cause he realized that he knew absolutely
nothing about the game. All he could
do was throw the ball. He did not even
know how TO wind up, much less have