The Washington herald., 1917-03-11

HUGGINS HANDICAPPED
IN MANAGERIAL reign
Experts Are Picking the Cardinals to
Finish in the Ruck.


New York. March 1o.-The St Louis
Cardinals will open the season rated
as selling platers" by most OF the
critics. They will be 'long odds" for
a first division finish TO any of the
sportive ones who want to back them.
for on paper they are one of the
weaker clubs in the senior league.
But the status of any ball club on
paper and the capers 1t may cut in a
championship race are often two
vastly different things. The Braves of
1914 furnished a vivid example.
Miller Huggins and his athletes have
a long. hard row to hoe in bettering
their position in National League COM
pany. They finished the season Of 1916
tied with the Reds for the sub-cellar
berth. They simply did not have the
punch after the first few weeks OF the
season and their prospects for 1917 are
none too brilliant.
During the winter Manager Huggins
wore out more shoe leather than any
other National League pilot in hunting
for players. But Huggins was unsuc-
cessful in pulling off any really big
deals. for rival managers would talk
nothing but trades in which Huggins'
best bets figured. and Hug" would
not see himself parting with his stand
bys.
Nuch talk of new ownership for the
cards has been another drawback to
Huggins, and. all in all. the scrappy
little leader Of the Mound City outfit
has had to stand some discouraging
bumps from all directions. But Hug
gins is q fighter, and now that the
club has been sold and he has been
assured the united support of the new
owners, he will make a valiant at
tempt to instill real fighting spirit into
his players.
1t appears that the morale Of the
Cardinals is in need of q thorough
house cleaning. The club lacked gin
ger last season. But II Higgins sue
ceeds in developing several Of his re-
cruits and getting away to a good start
in the coming race. who knows but
what the downtrodden Cardinals may
find themselves? True. they are scarcely
a strong enough combination to be con-
tenders for the pennant, but that they
will make a hard hght to get out OF the
ruck is certain. for last place club has
every incentive to better itself. and q
few good breaks may put heart in the
Cards.
Bill Doak, Lee Meadows and Leon
Ames form the backbone Of Higgins
pitching stan, and all three are high
lv respected by National League bats
come through for Higgins the team will
he able to start the season with a fairly
balanced sharp-shooting corps.
With Roger Hornsby. Bethel and Miller
Of last years infield as q nucleus, Hug
gins has a healthy herd Of recruits who
will fight It out for the shortstopping
Job, while Bescher. Long. Wilson and
Smith will make up the outfeld squad
II Huggins Is given free rein to run
his club this season, the chances for
uplifting the Cards will be greatly en-
HANGED. The scrappy Card pilot has been
held down for several years and there
are a good many baseball cities who
firmly believe that what he needs most
OF all to assist in building up winner
is a clean path ahead. Higgins has been
a conscientious, and hard-workng man
ager and he deserves better fortunes
than he has had for several years past
It is a toss-up now as to what the
Cards will accomplish next summer anc
although they don't lok like frst division
prospects now. It will be poor 1udgmens
10 pick them for q last place finish.