The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-18
~ Up to the Minute "a |
EaNA SPORTINGNEWs A2H
| ZNSAR From Everywhere.
A FASTER LEAGUE
Every Club in the Circuit to
Have Better Team.
Sioux City Looks Like the Fa-
vOrite on Paper.

The past week has been a rather
eventful one for the clubs Of the West
eru league. In addition to the genera
activities of the clubs in getting ready
for the reporting of the players, get
ting parks into shape letting printing
contracts. selling fence advertlsils.
etc. there have been q number oil
major happenings in the league cal
Culated to arouse the interest OF the
fans and pave the way for the actual
player activities that viii begin WIN
in a couple Of weeks.
The trip of President ZehrunS TO
Topeka and Wichita was probably tn
outstanding feature Of the week u
being the first official visit of the new
lea que head to these two Kansas clIles
During his short stay here president
Zehrung not only impressed local fans
as being the CongeniaL business-IIhe
kind of a man who should be At Lh'-
head Of the league. but he left oehInC
him an impression that baseball Is
something more than a mere recrea-
ton and pastiTue institution, and N 4
clear. concise manner he showed the
most prominent business men OF the
CITY that their Western league club Is
one Of their most valuable assets
judged from every standpoint and
neas ured by every standard by which
values are fixed
Denver Awakening
Next to the trip Of President Zeh-
r1ng. the matter that created the most
discussion among local fans was the
announcement that Jimmy McCiIu mad
signed Rebel Cakes. the former PItred
pilot 10 manage his Denver Bears
The general impression here seems 20
be that ..Reb's" going TO Denver means
McC4f1 * out for the pennant in hon
est to goodness earnest. and that thu
former Fed leader viii make the fight
hot for the best Of his opponents
I'D to this morning Manager Laru1-
more had failed to show up. although
savage annuuuced that he was expect
fng him at any time and was ANXIOUS
that he get on the job as soon as pos
sibIe- Savage is anxious to talk over
a few details with his field general and
is holding a number Of player deals
open until LATHE comes
Local fans are already picking OUT
the strong points of the Savages and
trying 10 dope them out as winners,
and the consensus of opinion seems 60
be that the pitching and catching
staffs viii be the strongest parts Of the
machine. with a good possibility of a
heavy hitting Outfield-
The Old ReliabIes.
Grover. Dashner. Lambeth. West,
Higgins and Hail are the best look
ing pitching prospects. with Grover
and Dashuer the two best bets Of them
all. If Catcher Monroe who wes sold
to Brooklyn and returned without C.
trial is back on the squad. the back
stop material also will be as good as
the best clue in the league can boast
OF course Eddie viii hold down the
first string Job ard the battle for sec
ond string catcher will be between
Snow. Wiesing and TeXter.
In the outfield. Trainer and Tyde-
man are looked upon as the most
promising men. and from the record
they made last season both are ex-
pected to maintain a batting average
Of 800 or better. OF the new out
fielders. WeideII. formerly Of the Ne
brasSa State league. IS regarded as a
possible second Moose Brown, and
Sweitzer. Kruger and Henson are the
three opponents who will battle with
the young Cornhusker for the fill up
berth.
It is generally conceded. both here
and Throughout the league. that every
club Will play faster and better ball
than VS. the rule last season All of
the clubs have been taking on new
material with free hand, and there
will not be a club where the number of
new faces viii not be almost as great
if not greater. than the old ones.
Wichita Is Strong.
Red Shirt" Jimmy Jackson who is
already on the job in Wichita. prom
fses the Peerless Princess fans he will
e . them such a good club that they
will forget what a cellar looks like,
and he certainly has a string of vet
eran players who ought To be able to
DO 50 II LneF play up 10 their past
performances
In Lincoln Duckey Holmes is build
ing a new club from cellar TO attic and
has come likely looking players on his
list And in St Joe Jack Holland is
leaving no stone injured in his effort
to get together a quad of FASTENERS
who viii put the Drummer organiza-
ton back in the running.
However. to the unbiased observer
A paper com arison Of the eight clubs
shows beyond a doubt that Sioux City
has the most formidable looking line
up. and with the proper statistics be
fore him Hugh Fullerton would prob
ably find it a very easy matter TO
prove that HanIOn's Indians should
get away in he lead and gallop TO an
easy victory The Indians have almost
a complete club of possible 300 hit
tiers and a pitching staff that looks as
strong as Verdun But there are
many seven other club owners and
managers especially. who viii tell you
that statistics and preseason dope
are the poorest things in the world &c
place a pennant bet on.
Omaha. Denver and Des Ioines
seem to be furnishing less dope &c
the hungry fans just now than any oil
the other clubs. but in Omaha the
scribes are expressing confidence IT
the material Pa Rourke and Marty
Krug are collecting. and in no place ii
the league has airy one been so bold
as to predict a cellar berth for either
the Izzies OF the Mile High Bears