The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-25
STRONG |NF|ELD ID BE MAIN FACTOR IN WORKING MACHINE
 OF LOOKOUT GRAFT
Kid Elberfeld Plans to Use .an Abundance of Inside" Baseball During the
 Coming Campaign

Chattanooga, February 24-(Special) Now that Fred Graf has agreed to terms and Manager Elberfeld is assured of regular at third and second base, and probably at first, the Lookout man. ager is beginning to plan some of the famous inside baseball for the coming season.
 It was not so many years ago that the ''Tobacco Kid" was called the brainiest infielder in the game by many of those who sit in judgment daily upon the work of major league players. It is true that his intelligence was not played up as big as it might have been had he not have been also the scrappiest inf1elder or outfielder in uniform, but one has but to look back through the 1906, 1907 or 1908 files of metropolitan papers to find the almost unanimous verdict of sport wri- ters.
 The kid is spending his winter nights at his farmhouse on the wind swept crest of Walden's Ridge, where he has nothing to do but eat his famous apples, answer the childish question of his six inquisi- tive kidlets and think up new plays for the 1917 season. He has been hitting heavy in the highbrow league, he says, and if he gets away with half the stuff he has planned, some slow winding pitch CTS, heavy armed catchers and hard los / ing managers are facing a narrowing season.
 HAS GOOD INFIELD
 Elberfeld admits that he has the best third baseman in the league in Fred Graf. He also admits Jake Pitler is the best second baseman in the Southern, but there are some who will argue with him over that. Ham Hyatt will be a Look out again, and as the outfield is shaping up well, with Timon Bowden, Tom Har- ris and Allison already signed and two 300 hitters in prospect, Ham will prob- ably perch on first.
 The only doubtful place is short. For it Elberfed has Watt, sensational semi professional that President Navin of De- troit says is good enough to play in the Southern league at once, and Lester Sheehan, a youngster who hit around 300 and fieided well in the Western associa- tion last year. Several clubs were after Sheehan, but Elberfeld swapped Bob Messenger for him. Elberfeld has re- fused to sell him twice already this sea- son. which would indicate that he has
 
 promise.
 Then there is always the possibility that the Tabacco Kid may be found out in that short field himself when once the lure of the game begins to pull at his old ball players heart.
 KID WILL COME BACK
 This is the kids twenty-fifth year in baseball, but he insists he is old only on top of his head His legs are strong, this spring, and he believes his arm is still good enough to get them over to first from any position. The Kid says he will not play, but he hasn't heard the crack of a bat yet.
 Most of the Kids planning has been centered around Graft. With Fred hold ing down the difficult corner. Pitler at second and Hyatt on first, only one thing could be desired and that would be FL berfeld at short--in the thick of the fray, thinking, directing and fighting.
 For the past three years Elberfeld has been carefully coaching Graff with one idea in view-to make him sure hitter He says that Fred has graduated from his little private school and that now the Lookout third-sacker can be depended upon to hit any kind of any offering al any time. All he asks is that it come within reach of his bat. The Kid says Graff will be the most dangerous bats man in the league this season with mer on base.