The sun., 1916-12-05
SPARROW PRAISES
YANKEES SCOUTS
Says Donovan's "Ivory Hunt
ers'' Drew Many Rich Prizes
Last Season.
IL PLAYERS MADE GOOD
~ q. LIEB.

That no corps of scouts ever drew In
as many prizes In a single seasons drag
net as the Yanke scouting department
extracted from the bushes In 1915. In the
opinion Of AIRY Sparrow. formerly John
McGraw's b~odyguard and now business
manager Of the Yankees.
Sparrow points out that xix OF the
rockies dug up by Joe Kelly and his as
slstants In 1915 won regular berths In
their first full season on the club. The
sextet includes Outfelder Frank Gilhoo-
ley. Catchers Al Walters and Walter
Alexander and Pitchers George Mo-
gridse. Urban shocker and Allen Rus
sell. Three other players. Outielders
Elmer Miller and Tim Hendryx and
Pitcher Elmer Love. are regarded as
splendid prospects who pay be OF con-
siderable worth to the club next season.
Three other pitchers-Biii Piercey.
Dan Triple and King" Brady-were
let out OF options. They still may come
through. Piercey, who is only 30 years
old. was regarded as one Of the real
finds In Macon last spring. lie was
EARNED out to Salt Lake City primarily
to get additional experience.
spent $4,000 on Players.
In their efforts to build UP the Yankees
the club spent $4,000 for seventeen
minor league players. which does not In
clude the players purchased from Harry
Sinclair Of the Federal Leagues player
exchange--Magee. Cuuop and Gedeon.
Sparrow says the six men who won
regular Jobs could be sold for more than
$4,000 to-day. walters would bring
s25.000 alone. Russell. although in
clined to be erratic. is in great demand"
said Sparrow. Capt. Huston recently
remarked: Just as soon as We talk
trade with any club they all want Rus
SELL"
or the seventeen new players taken
South last spring only five look as
though they might be failures. Markie
looked like a real conner until he refused
TO listen to advice. THAT boy had the
have to start all the way up from the
bottom again." remarked Cap Huston re-
Gently.
Moose" Brown. a quaint character.
who was purchased for $500 from To-
peka. failed to hold on because OF his
eccentricities. He looks like a great
player In the minors. but does not IN
how to act In the big leagues. He went
no well with Harrisburg last season that
Connie Mack tried him out In the fall.
but Connie already has shipped him to
Baltimore.
Ford Meadows. a college lefthander
from Richmond. was h e real bloomer
OF the 1915 minor league crop. How
ever. the Yankees suffered no loss In the
return Of this player. The agreement
under which Meadows was purchased
had a stipulation which said IL Meadows
id not make good the Yankees had an
option on any other player on the club.
They took Bankston. one OF the lead
ing outfislders in the International
league last year. and a player for whose
release Dunn could have obtained from
$4,000 to $4,000. Two other youngsters
Hal Gable. who did good work last
season In Newark. and outfielder Lay
den. were picked up at a low cost n
were never given serious attention.
successfuI Scouting.
II do not feel like Dragging said
sparrow. u ] fee, confident no club
in the history OF the game ever had such
success In picking out mionr league
players. But for injuries our young
players would have given us a pennant
winner in their first However.
We did not derive such a high average
OF successful recruits by picking play
ers at random. We had four scouts
combing the country In 1915. and they
did not recommend a player for purchase
or draft until he had been watched some
times for weeks. Then we seldom bought
until at least two men passed their opin-
ion on a player"
sparrow says he recalls 4 year when
he went South with McGraw, and the
Giants o South almost as many
youngsters as did tine Yankees last
spring. They were the most awkward
looking lot you ever saw In your life,
and McGraw would groan whenever he
could stop laughing" said Harry. NO,
one OF those birds ever was heard Of after
that training camp. Call IL luck. OF
whatever you like. but our success with
u young players indicates that II you
start to build up a club in a real scien-
tine manner n are willing to spend
the money you can bring out the results
you are working for"