The Washington herald., 1917-03-04
CLEVELAND INDIANS
MAY Be CONTENDERS
Foil Believes His Hurting Corps Will
Land Team on Ton.

New York, March a-Lee Fohl had the
Cleveland Indians very much in the race
! for the American League pennant from
| the first Of May until the middle OF Au-
gust last summer Then the spell was
| broken and the Indians began to slide
until they finally landed and finished in
sixth place.
and they caused the first big sensation
| of the major league season by their quick
| rush to the top of the ladder. No one
had expected to see them climb so fast
: No one thought II was in the "downtrod-
! den" Indians.
Many have said that iris Speaker was
the inspiration which caused those In
dians to come to life with Jerk. No
doubt the advent of the great Tristram in
Cleveland uniform had a lot to do
with it.
But no one ball player can keep a club
In first place from the FIRST Of May until
the middle of August-at least, no ball
player who Is not a super-ball player,
and Speaker, though a star, cannot be
rated as superhuman. Due credit for the
work he did must be given Spoke" Far
be 1t from US to take the slightest sort
of an edge from his wonderful PERFORM
ances which led him to a batting cham
pionship. But II Is a certainty that Lee
Fohl and his club as a whole were re-
sponsible. Not any one man, for the In
dians were a wrecking machine while
they held their gait
| And now this same team Of battling
ball players is going to make a new
start. 1t is going after the bunting
in Big Ban Johnson's loop. and 1t is go
ing to be a factor. IL we are to take
the opinions OF a big majority Of writ
ers and ''Just plain baseball men for It.
No one. at least outside of Cleve-
land. is making bold predictions for the
Indians. But every one who has taken
time to size them up is convinced that
they will make themselves felt They
will be factors in the race. and their
fortunes or misfortunes will count
heavily. They will make a strong fight
for q first division finish. This Is the
unanimous opinion OF the majority.
Spurred on to duplicate his feat Of
grabbing the batting honors, iris Speak
er may be expected to play his head of
And the other batsmen OF the Cleveland
club will start the season with an incen-
tive to keep close on Speakers heels in
the business OF slamming the ball around.
Lee Fohl has a we'll seasoned and de-
pendaole inf1eld. with some good looking
| recruits, who may break in on some Of the
regulars. With Gandil Chapman, Wambs-
| ganns, Turner. Evans, and Howard of
last years infield, he will take Marty
Kavanaugh, secured from Detroit; Louis
Guisto, a sensational player from Port
land; Ray Miller, formerly with Column
bus, and Joe Harris, from Chattanooga,
to Waxahachie, for the training season.
| Guisto finished the season with the In
| dams last year and he was .2S6 hitter
with Portland. Miller, who il a clean
cut performer. hit .3+, according to his
last minor league average. and Joe Har-
ris was strong with the stick In the
Southern League, hitting 800
\ In the pitching line Fohl will try out
three newcomers in Smith, Petty, and
Dickerson. Smith was with New Orleans
last season and worked in z games, win
ming q and losing 13. Petty. from San
Antonio, was a newcomer to that club
when taken up by Cleveland, but Is her
aided as real pitching timber. Dickerson.
secured from Columbus, won 8 and lost
2 games in the American association, but
his Dixie League record of II straight
victories and no defeats speaks well for
his chances Joe Boehling, secured from
Washington, and Al Gould, the diminutive
hurler from Davenport, are looked upon
as valuable bolstering strength for the
Indian staff. Boehling should win a reg
ular berth and pitch in his turn for Fohl
and II Guy Morton's arm has rounded
be good for many victories. Bagby.
Coumbe, Klepfer, Coveleskie and Lam
beth complete the staff.
Allison from New Orleans, finished the
1915 season with the Indians and will play
the utility outfield role this year, with
Speaker, Roth, and Graney doing regular
duty.
In O'Neill. Lee Fohl has one Of the best
catchers in either major league. and Bill
Iings and Daily in reserve.
All in all, the Indians look like an en-
try that will bear watching, for there Is
no telling what such a club may do, as
they proved last season. They look like
factors from this distance.