Omaha daily bee., 1918-03-15

PITTSBURGH PIRATES.
In military service--4.
Liable to calls.
Pittsburgh is an everything to gain,
nothing to lose club. Its owner is,
beyond doubt, the shrcwdest student
and the closest watcher OF yourg
players in the country, not excepting
Connie Mack. OF recent years the
owner, Mr.. Dreyfuss, has become
peevish and has quarreied with man
ayers, quarrcled with other owners
and helped in the demolition OF a
once strong club by his methods.
Dreyfuss had heavy burdens. He
has taken a heroic and wonderful
step to rebuild club. He is revolu-
tionary. Instead Of buying stars, hir-
ing miracle men and such things, he
has built up a club OF young fellows
who are expected to work, and has
cleansed out all others He has had
that theory for some time and could
not get managers to agree with him,
90 he hired manager who would.
He hired a fellow who never man
aged bali clubs, who played very
little ball, even at college, who never
was even in minor league--but he
got man who is with him in his the
ories.
Dreyfuss went entirely out Of base
ball and hired big fellow named
Hugo Bezdek to manage his ball club.
Bezdek is back OF the yards fellow
from Chicago who worked his way
through the University Of Chicago,
Who boxed, wrestled and roughed in
who became a star foot ball player,
: bulldog line pfunger and fair bali
player. He has the fighting spirit.
He can lick half the team il he has
70 do It, and he has theories.
Bexdek Has Merit.
The more one sees OF Bezdek the
better one likes him. He is a free
fighting. free thinking fellow, a good
fellow, rough one and square one.
He has studied base ball. He can
make corking speech; he can fight
land willy and for anyone who is
square with him and doing his best
Bezdek will go the limit. He is the
kind OF a man bali players admire.
he don't give darn for precedent.
But he is a glutton for work and in
will help.
- he has material. Just how he will
shape up the team is uncertain but
we are going to have club playing
the highest type of aggressive col
Itge base ball this summer.
Thetean escaped easily in the war
thus Var. and is not liable to lose
much even if every man liable to be
called is summoned to the colors.
The team, as it now lines I'D. has 4
fssf and clever outheld. a much
strengthened inield, an interrogation
mark for catching staff and one
whale of pitcher, supported by sew
eral skilled hurlers.
Cooper Is Anchor.
The anchor of the defensive team
will be, OF course, Wilbur Cooper,
who. with last seasons hopeless club,
won II and lost 10 games. Bob
Steele. and Earl Hamilton furnish the
rest Of the left handedness. The
acquisition Of Hamilton is an experi-
1nent Of the highest order, gamble.
He was a great pitcher who went
back. 1t is said he came back last
season in the association, and il he
has, Pittsburgh has the strongest left
handed combination in the league:
combination that would especially
trouble Chicago. New York and Gin
cinnati.
"A tremendous effort has been made
to strengthen the weak catching staff
ard there are six men on the list.
The out6cld will be Carey and
King, with Jackson, Bigbee and old
Hustem Bill Hinehfnan as reserves,
Hinchnaan serving largely as pinch
hitter.
The inheld Is tremendously
strengthened by the acquisition Of
George Cutsfaw frcm Brooklyn, Safer
or Mollwitz at first Pitier, Bill
Stumpf and Boeckel to fill the other