The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-30
~ Up 10 the Minute
~ SPORTING NEWS
II FROM EVERYWH HERE.
BUILD new CLUBS
That Is the Problem Facing
Eight Big League Bosses.
Several Teams Hit Hard by the
Army Draft.
BY JACK VEIOCK.

New York Aug. 30.-Nc less than
eight major league ball clubs will be
rebuilt before the campaign of 1918
is opened, providing the majors con-
tinue to play ball next year.
Four of these clubs are IN the Ma
tional League and four in the Ameri-
can The most sweeping changes in
the National will be made by Manager
Wibert Robinson, who is tearing his
champion Dodgers to pieces, and
George Stallings, the scrappy pilot of
the Braves, whose axe has been
mighty busy wedding out the weak
7cogs of his erstwhile championship
machine.
The recent release of Chief Meyers
and Mike Mowrey by Brooklyn did
dicted weeks beforehand, ano it gave
Uncle Wilbert a chance to try out sew
eral youngsters and comb the bushes
for more.
At Boston George Stall,ngs started
wrecking his club at an early date. He
did this to gain time in looking over
recruit players, and the personnel of
the Braves is to be thoroly and sys-
tematically renovated" before an
other training season rolls around.
New Pirate Team.
Pittsburgh recently announced a
wholesale purchase of minor league
players, for the Pirates are to be re-
built from stem to stern, regardless
of whether or not Hugo BCzdek is re-
tanned as manager in 1918. At Chi
cago Fred Mitchell began picking up
recruits as early as August 1, for some
of the veterans he inherited from Joe
Tinker have shot their bolts as major
1eaguers and are slated for the dis
cards.
There will also be openings for
minor league players on at least four
American League teams. The recent
,-r1o Of bro MI nv n
KEGS from Baltimore indicates that
Colonel Rupert is satisfied, after a
thoro trial, that the Yankee combina-
ton will not win him pennant, strong
as it is in some points.
In the meantime the St. Louis
Browns and Washington Senators
must undergo changes if they are to
figure in the campaigns that are to
come. Fielder Jones is convinced that
the fusion of the old Browns with the
Slowfeds has been a complete failure,
and, tho the st. Louis club has a num-
Der of stars and a good staff of pitch
ers. it is woefully weak in spots. Clark
Griffith experimental with his team
this season. and from present indica-
tions he will continue his experiments
next year.
Athletics Hit by Draft.
At Philadelphia Connie Mack has
suffered hard blow as result OF
the draft. Just when Mack had the
foundation of a future pennant win
ner built along came the war jinx to
knock holes in his lineup, and in los
ing such players as Noyes and Bates
the lanky leader of the Mackmen
faces a tough problem of reconstruc-
ton.
All other major league clubs will
find themselves in need of playing
talent by the time the draft army is
called into concentration camps. Not
a few players have been taken from
first division clubs already, and more
will go later on.
So there will be a general shaking
up of team rosters in both big leagues
during the winter. and the same APP
plies to the minor leagues. 1t is ex-
tremely doubtful that any of the
minors below Glass IA will attempt
to open their parks in 1918, but if the
International league, the American as
ISOLATION and the Pacific Coast league
plan to continue next year a wholesale
bolstering of all teams will be neces-
sary before the club owners will be
able to put representative teams in the
ffeld