Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-02-19
SPORTS
SOX FOLLOWERS
LOYAL To 'C0MMY''
FANS SUPPORT PALE HOSE TEAM
REGARDLESS OF POSITION IN
PERCENTAGE COLUMN.

spot on the baseball map where The
: loyalty OF fan runs more truly Il
/ form every year than Lhscago's grea
South Side
Mere mention OF the South Side OF
| Chicago brings the thought OF thai
grand old Roman, Charles A. Comis
key and his battling White Sox, to the
I mind OF every follower OF the gam
( 1t has often been said there is more OF
genuine baseball spirit and loyalty &c
the suare foot in the neighborhood
and enyirons OF Comisky Park than
anywhere else in the whole swattihe
universe.
The season of 1917 is not afar on
and with its coming comes also the
"hunch' that the South Side OF the
Windy City will be heard from with
greater frequency this year than for
several seasons past.
Last year Comiskey's Pale Hose
were very much in the running fol-
premier honors in the American
League. They finished second to the
Boston Sox, and good second, too,
But the driving power Of Carrigan's
boys was just strong enough to carry
them over, and the Windy City Sox
had to be content with a finish that
placed them two full games 'behino
Boston.
But 1917 is another season. and Co.
miskey has decided to give Clarence
Rowland another chance to show the
baseballng public that he has the
goods. The Sox stack up as great
outfit on paper. And in the meantime
those terrible Bostonese will be with
out the guiding hand and the fighting
influence of Bill Carrigan. That they
will feel the loss OF Carrigan keenly
is the honest belief Of baseball critic,
all over the country, and this opinion
is given with due respect for Jack
Barry, who is grand ball player and
acknowledged to be one OF the smart.
est men in the game.
1t is only logic to figure the Red
Sox on the decline They will have
greater opposition than ever before,
and as the teams OF the American
League stack up against them it ap.
pears that the White Sox, Yankees,
Tigers, Browns and Cleveland In.
dams are sure to crowd those Red
Hose for the first division berths.
A glance over the field fails to re.
veal better looking team than Co.
miskey's. Rowland will start the
training season with an even stronger
array Of talent than he had last year,
and II the White Sox pitchers can
avoid the hospital it looks from this
distance that the South Siders will be
off on a flying start.
The seasoned vets OF the Sox--C0l.
Inns, Weaver. Schalk, Fourier, Felsh,
jackson. Leibold. Ness and Lapp---
represent world OF driving and de.
fensvc power. The pitchers for the
most part are seasoned men, and the
youngsters who will be tried out come
from their respective leagues with
good records.
a peculiar feature of the Sox Spring
trip viii be the trying out of three
new first basemen. They are Bob
Hasbrook, from Muscatine; Theo.
Jdurdan, from st. Joseph, in the West.
ern League. and Frank Henry, who
comes from the Petersburg clue.
Jourdan bumped the ball for an aver.
age OF .3l4, Henry hit 1854 and Has
brook 272. Jourdan is the best field.
err of the trio. according to the figures.
Ross Eldred, from Seattle, will bat
tie for an outheld berth. In the line.
up OF the Seattle Club Eldred slapped
the pill for 1872 average last year
and lelded .955 In 80 games.
Two new catchers, Gray, from Wi.
chita, and Jenkins. from Houston,
both hit better than 300 in 1916.
Swcde Risberg can be counted upon
to show better form as second base.
man this year and Mruno Haas, a util.
ity man, with Elwood Martin, Oakland
hurler will complete the Rowland kin.
dergarten, according to the latest list
or players sent out by the Old Roman
from Chicago.
With this array of rockies on hand,
1t appears that Rowland and Comis.
Key have prepared to meet emergen.
cies in the way of injuries to players.
Without the recruits the White Sox
look strong enough to give a strictly
hrst-class account of themselves and
white soS fans are justifcd II they
indulge in sweet dreams Of d pcnnant
Tor the south side next Fall.