The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-09
F EFFORTS COUNT, GULLS WILL RETURN TENANT WINNERS Pilot Schmidt Has Squad Slowly Rounding Into
 Form
CAVET EXPECTED TO
 ENJOY BIG SEASON
Pitching Staff Will Be Strong Point of Team-Two Good Men In Out field in Burke and Me-
 DOweIl

Mobile, April S.-(Special. )--With
 the opening of the Southern league
 season only five days off, Manager
 Charley Schmidt of the Sea Gulls has
 his men working diligently mornings
 and afternoons at Monroe park, and
 by the time the bell rings for the
 opening game expects to have them all
 in the pink of condition. While the
 team as whole could stand strength
 ening in spots, especially in the in
 field, Schmidt has gathered together
 some excellent material. and the ad :
 dition of another fielder and pitcher
 of known and tried ability would
 make the Gulls 8 factor in the race.
 If Cavet can show anything like the
 form he showed in 1914, when he and
 Covaleskie were the stars of the South
 ern league, and Covington can gain
 control of his deceptive slants, Schmidt
 will have two hurlers who can be
 counted on to win the majority of their
 games. Gene Moore, the big 1eft-hand-
 CT who was with Galveston last year
 has created favorable impression
 Moore has splendid record, winning
 19 and losing 12 games, besides swat
 ting the pill for the handsome aver
 age of .29S in AT games-nothing like
 having pitcher around who is able
 to win his own games with timely
 hit when necessary. In addition,
 Moore is splendid fielder Another hurler on whom Schmidt is
 building hopes is hedbetter, a giant
 right-hander last year with Charlotte.
 For the past two seasons Ledbetter
 has been one of the premier pitchers
 of the North Carolina league, and un-
 der the able tuition of the astute
 catcher manager, he should develop
 into star.
 HOLMQUIST TO WAKE UP
 Last but not least we have Jeff
 Holmquist, who can pitch as good ball as any man in the Southern league
 when he is right. Toward the latter
 part of last season Jeff's work suf-
 fered in consequence of the general
 feeling of "ennui," which seemed to
 affect the entire team, but this year
 Jeff promised to show that he has
 many winning game left yet in the old soupbone.
 Wiley, last year with Albany, Ga.,
 is also trying to win regular billet
 on the pitching staff, and may be car ried if better man is not obtained.
 Townsend the local southpaw who
 has starred with the Gulls for the past
 
 or sold to San Antonio In the Texas
 league.
 Schmidt made a ten strike when he
 secured Mig Clarke from Houston to help him out behind the bat. Clarke \ is veteran who has seen major
 league service and is a grand receiver and thrower, besides being a hard and N timely batter. His batting average in e5 games with Houston last year was 2S1. With Clarke to relieve him, Schmidt will be able to devote more time to running the team. No team in the Southern league can show a better pair of catchers than Schmidt
 and Clarke.
 TWO FIRST SACKERS At first base, Tennant and Wilson are still fighting it out for the po- ! sition, and either one will fill it to perfection. Wilson is the harder hit ter, while Tennant is the more ex- perienced player of the two. Whalen at second is a fair fielder but a very weak hitter, his batting average last year in 103 games with | Omaha and Lincoln being .21S. At short Clancy and Waldron are putting up a pretty battle for the po- sition. Waldron hit .261 in S4 games with Albany, Ga., but fielded only .S84 | while Clancy hit only PAS but fielded .932.
 Bromwich has no opposition thus far for third base, ard the big fellow ex- poets to have one of the best years in his career Last year he was troubled with an ailing leg which greatly han dcapped him. but this year he Is in prime condition and expects to equal his 1914 record with Davenport when he batted .310 in 136 games and field \ ed .942
 TWO GOOD MEN IN oUTFIELD In the outfield, Burke and McDowell will hold down their old position while Wilcox will endeavor to fill Miller's shoes. Burke proved himself star last year both in hitting and fielding. Mcdowell. who was with Al bany, Ga, last year, batted for the high average of .S44 in S4 games and field ed .960, and kept up this stride in the few games he played with Mobile al ! the close of last season. Wilcox did not play last year, but in 1914 with Albany in the New York State league N he batted .264 and fielded .93S in 8; games. Schmidt says he Is a fast man and a conner
 The chances are that a couple o1 \ more men will be secured, either by purchase. trade or the waiver route, as | there is lots of good material or Southern league teams which will have ! to be cut loose.
 Flick and Dobard, second basemar 1 and shortstop. respectively. of las years team. will not return Flick pre- ! fers to play on the Pacific coast, whil, ] Dobard cannot come to terms with tn, Mobile club.
 Perry, third baseman. and Calhoun ] first baseman. have been uncondition ! ally released.
 Manager Schmidt and Secretary Par ! ker made a special trip to Birmingham ] in an effort to secure the return o fto1d hc | Yankees, but were unsuccessful as ' Miller was sent by Manager Donovan \ to Baltimore.
 \ The Mobile club also has about giver G LID the idea of landing First Basemar ! Swacina, but since Tennant and Will I son have been secured there is not SC ] much need of the former popular Gull Il manager.
 \ TIA raYZ HHI ALT HN GAEC