The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-17

as ne had the opportunity.
 There are so many fine young ball players in thds country who, have nev- CT been seen by professional baseball scouts, or managers that all the talk about baseball being ruined bekause many of the regular players will be taken by the draft, sound ridiculous
 Dozens of instances may be recalled or bush leaguers who went to seed simply because they got into a rut in the minors and never -broadened out. Many a ball player has been chosen rom a minor league club to go into the majors, while one of his team mates, who was much superior ball player, has been overlooked. If such a bush leaguer has been called to the attention of a scout and the scout happens to drop in on a day when the youngster has an of day, he brands him as no good and that is the last opportunity he ever gets.
 Owners Prepare for Poor Year.
 The major league club owners see the handwriting on the wall, and they have already started to turn loose high salaried players who may be drafted before next season. By this plan of action they show that they anticipate that they will lose more of their best players than they are willing to admit. Just as soon as the major league players realize that the average baseball fan will re- gard them as slackers, it means that | their patriotism and pride will be touched and the first thing the club owners know their ranks will be thin ned out and they will go chasing around looking for young talent. | Here is where the chance of the "phenoms' from White River June tion, Kokomo, Red Hat, Wappingers. Falls, and numerous other places will come in. There are so many good ''kid" players at large on the sand Il lots in this country that there is eer- l tain to be a percentage of them who will make good in the major leagues. A call for bush league stars would bring forth to many candidates that it would take a whole season to elim- mate the unsuccessful
 Roger Hornsby of the. St. Louis Cardinals, who is the most promising youngster' who has broken into the big leagues in long time, recently discussed minor league baseball, and he said he couldn't see very much difference between the bush league and the major league variety. Horns by says that 1t is easier and whole 1 lot safer to face major league pitch | ing than it is the minor league var iety. He goes on to say:
 Lead me away from those Class A i and D pitchers who have so much speed that they don't know where 1t g :l going. We played down around my old home league last Spring, and I I was afraid to go to the plate. The l kind of birds that throw 'em at your head without trying to, are dangerous up here they shoot at you occasional ly. but you generally know when II coming. Besides they have new oalls in the big show all the time, ana l surely do like to swing at the Wnfte | ones after looking at the shaggy bush league pills. ss
 so next season the fans may expect to see more youngful wonders playlng major league ball than ever pefore. No matter how many of the paA nlayers are enlisted or drafted, there will be plenty of promising players 70 fill I'D the ranks. The major Ieagues will be compelled to give the onshers ? a chance and that is all that a gooo | many of them need. 5.ii