New Britain herald., 1916-04-12
0N PENNANT HUNT
 START 10 TEAMS
'Play BalI' AWakes Fandom From Repose in Winter League

New York, April 12.-The major league baseball season of 1916 opens today. The eight clubs of each of the National and American circuits are paired for the first clashes of a. new pennant struggle. The public has req son to believe from the results of the exhibition games, that all sixteen contenders are unusually well prepared for the start.
 As usual the greater city is well pro- vided with attractions. Washington, for several seasons a dark horse of Ban Johnson's company will appear at the Polo Grounds this afternoon against Bill Donovan's reconstructed Yankees. At Ebbets Field the Brook lyn Dodgers, who showed through the last half of the 1915 campaign a team strength equal to that of the sen- sational Philadelphia champions of the Tener ring, will be opposed by the highly regarded Boston Braves in command of George Stallings. Friends of the Giants will have to wait a few days to see their idols in action here. McGraw's team this year drew an out of town opening. This afternoon in Philadelphia Macs men meet no less worthy a foe than the Phillies, cham pions of last year
 Through the spring training of the major league clubs there has been shown here and elsewhere generally a wonderful revival of baseball interest The great summer game had reached the zenith of public popularity at the time the Federal League was organ evil influence. Stars were won away from organized baseball through the lure of unprecedented pay. Random lost faith in the integrity of it's heroes. It was sickened by the widely advertised commercialism that the new era of baseball wrought. Ironclad contracts destroyed the principles of club disci- pline and made mere fgureheads of the cleverest managers.
 Forgiveness for Players.
 But baseball today is once more back pretty we'll where it was three years ago. The terms of the recently concluded baseball peace pact lent a new stimulus to general interest. In pardoning the prom moters of the revo- lutionary faction forgiveness was also extended to all players who had cast tAOil loC WlIIl IHS OuIldWS. uc SldIS of the ndependentends were absorbed by the sixteen major league clubs.
 The public seems most anxious to see first hand how closely these in fastest company will live up to Fed eral League records. Players thrown onto the market through the col lapse of the Federal League enabled the weaker clubs of the two major cir cults to strengthen weak spots. It is the opinion of those who have studied the situation closely that the absorp- ton of outlaw talent has left the fields of both the National and American leagues far better balanced than at any previous time.
 Greater New York for the present at least, fatters itself that the bitter win ter months have wrought changes of wonderful promise for the three local representatives of fast company. Dis illusionment may come later, but now, everywhere, the critics concede all of the Giants, Yankees and Dodgers at least are not outside pennant pros poets. This happy condition never before prevailed on the eve of a cam paign.
 Doubtless the greatest individual example of local strengthening has been accomplished by the New York Americans. Within one year of se- curing the club Col. Ruppert and Capt. Huston spent a round $15O,O0o for new material. They got some thing really worth while for the ex- penditure. Home Run Baker. the heaviest gun around which Connie Mack laid four pennants in five years, is playing a game today the equal vTI years layoff has not d1mmed his bat ting eye nor slowed his fielding skill. Lee Magee, one of the greatest stars of the Federal League, is another giant of offensive and defensive strength. So appears Gedeon, the new second baseman secured from the Federal bargain counter.
 Entirely New Outfield.
 The Yankees will open the season this afternoon with an entirely new outfieIdl Maisel, shifted from third to the garden to make room for the deadly hitting Frank Baker, is flanked by two of the fastest fly chasers in the game, and Fritz is no truck horse himself. Magee will appear in the left or sun field.
 Little Frank Gilhooley is camping in right-in Doc Cooks place. Gil hooley a product of the International League, so far has been the real star of Donovan's reconstructed club. His arm has entirely recovered since he was up before with Frank Chance. This gives Donovan three fast f1elders, who can field and throw above the average standard and who can hit and run the bases better than most outfeld com binations.
 Such sharps as McGraw, Jennings, Robinson and Griffith declare this trio quite likely this season to prove the most sensational of the Americans League not for a moment forgetting