Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-11
CLEVELAND HAS GOOD CHANCE
TO BEAT RED SOX FOR SECOND
PLACE, SAYS HOMETOWN SCRIBE
Declares Indians Would Have Been Formi-
dable Pennant Contenders Had Not So
Many Players Been Lost in Draft
By ED BANG

NTHAT are the chances for n pen
w nant coming TO Cleveland this sea-
son? In other words. how do the ln-
dams stack up against the other seven
American League clubs? Eliminate the
Chicago White Sox and possibly the
Boston Red SoN and yours truly wouldn't
hesitate to say the tam piloted by Lee
Fohl would cop the flag. As matters
now stand I look for the Redskins to
run as good as third and possibly Sec
ond, and It's not 4 cinch bet the Red
Sox will prove so strong. The White
Sox look like repeaters in the American
League gonfalon chase, with either the
Indians or Red Sox appearing in the
role Of runner-up.
OF course, am not making book
on the American League race or any
thing like il. but unless the personnel
of the various teams changes materially
before the opening of the campaign,
Tuesday. April 16, look for the Amer
lean League clubs to be running some
thing like the following when it's all
over but the shouting next october:
First. Chicago.
Second. Boston or Cleveland.
Third. Cleveland or Boston,
Fourth Detroit
Fifth. New York or st. Louis.
Sixth. st Louis or New York.
Seventh. Washington.
Eighth. Athletics.
There's Nothing to II
In making this prediction / am ngur-
ing that all OF the players oil the Cleve-
land club roster will be in line and in
4 No. l playing condition when the
opening gun is fired. Right now Jim
Bagby, one of the Indians leading pitch
crs, is n confirmed holdout \ couple Of
other players, probably not Of as much
value to the Indians cause as Baghy,
are still unsigned If the men still un-
signed fall in line | can't see how the
Tigers, Yankees, Browns, Nationals and
Athletics have Il chance TO show their
heels to tho Cleveland boys the coming
season. And I'm not so sure that Bos-
ton will top the home hopes In the per-
centage table. for the Red SoN got their
bumps when so many of Harry Frazee'
BOYS enlisted, TO say nothing of the men
OF real ability who were turned over to
the Athletics in the deal that made Joe
Bush, Amos Strunl, Wally Schang and
Jack McInnis over from Nacltmen into
Red Sox warriors.
Had the Indians not suffered the loss
OF two of their men now in the service
OF Uncle Sam think they wouIu have
made the shedding to Pennantvlllo
rather tough for the white hosieried
crowd from Chicago. All told. the In
dians lost eight men by enlistment and
draft, but they could have worried along
fairly well and still been counted as pen
nant contenders had Joe Harris, the
hard-hitting first baseman, and Ed klep'
fer, the leading average pitcher in the
Johnsonlan organization last season, not
been drafted into service at Camp Lee
Virginia.
Players Lost in Draft
The other players lost by the Cleve'
land Club were Herman DeBerry. 4
catcher, who enlisted In the navy; Louis
Guisto. sub first Lieutenant, who Is a
Camp Lewis. Wash; Jess Petty. tht
raw recruit southpaw who denied tht
honor of being the first major leagu,
/ ball player to die in the service of Uncl,
/ Sam, who Is stationed at Camp Bowie
/ Tex Clark Dickerson, right-handeC
recruit pitcher. who is at Camp Travis
| Tex, and Red" Torkelson, another
| right-handed rookie finger who is con
nected with the coast artillery at SaI