The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-23

Nashville has at last formed a working agreement with the Chicago Nationals that should result in the sending of some good material to the Volunteers for this season. President Shropshire was in Chi | cago and he has advised sporting editors in the capital city that he and President Weeghman have come to terms and that an infielder, an outielder and pitcher are to be sent south soon. The names of the men are not given out.
 Had the Cubs refused to help Nashville, | Manager Ellam would have found himself up against a tough proposition this spring The little leader admitted that he won the pennant last year with d joke team and that he had no hope Of lightning striking twice in the same lonely spor so he got rid of most of his veterans He hopes to fill their places with Cub castoffs.
 Memphis is another team in the South ern league that will be made up mostly Fof players sent down from the b.g leagues this year. Mike Donlin takes over the Chicks with the understanding that he is to secure much help from Manager MaGraw of the Giants, and Roger Bresra han, leader of the Toledo American as sociation team Only this week it was announced that four pitchers, all almost ripe for big league ball, had been sent
 to Memphis.
 Memphis and Nashville do not create any Jealousy among the other Southern league clubs by these high-sounding
 working agreements with the big league clubs that result in the turning over of four or five promising youngsters. The players sent down here are usually under contract to the major league teams at major league salaries. They must be paid and trained and if they make good they will be grabbed at the end or the season for 5000, or maybe less.
 Manager Elberfeld has several young sters that are really the property of De- troit but none are signed for high sal
 aries He has hopes of getting at least one more outfielder, and is willing to buy the player outright if he can be found on the market, but, failing in this, will be glad to get a big league recruit not yet ready for faster company.
 Nashville is in much the same position as Chattanooga regarding the 1917 out Ifield, although Elberfeld has it over l every other manager in the league on his | infield. The Vols have Howard Baker, who did not do well enough last year to cause Ellam to offer him a raise in sal ary. If two good gardeners are secured, l Blinkey Horn believes Baker will be re- | tained Horn in the Tennessean says; l Last season was the wooziest which 1 the Baltimore gent has ever experienced, l despite the hard plugging conduct which has always characterized his work, and i having come so close to the soapy chute Bake may brace up and resume
 his former famed activities with the blud- geons.
 | "In swiping hassocks, Baker last year ! maintained creditable mark, with 90
 puroined bases, yet his hammering fell | off to a lowly .23S, which is no great
 shakes for an outfielder in Dixie, particu 1 larly when his fielding is tattered on the edges.
 "All chances of landing Gus Williams | have not yet passed away for the compe- tition around Louisville may send the
 home-run clouter back to another cam paign in Dixie.
 Should Williams return and Baker be retained, it is certain that the Vols will
 ask the Cubs for right-hand hitter for