The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-20

using what it owned the Boston clup
 hired Barrow and Evers and released
 Wagner. That was wise in way, be-
 cause Barrow, Evars and Wagner never
 would have gone along together.
 STRONG LINEUP
 As to actual playing strength. the
 team frames up in formidable shape.
 Agnew and Cady and Walter Schang
 (providing the Hooveritis manager de-
 cides to use Schang as catcher) form |
 formidable catching staff. Reach
 ing first base, we have an instantane-
 GUS clash. The first basemen are Hob-
 litzell and McInnis. who was pur-
 chased from the Athletics. McInnis is
 far the better man. Hoblitzell is fig
 u ed as the field leader to the team unless Evers gets into active work. Now, the chances of Evers working are scant, as he is disabled with neu- ritis and scarcely can lift his left arm.
 For 8 year he has been batting with one arm and has dropped from near .3CG hitter to about half that. The scheme is to play Hobby at first ard make a second baseman out of McInnis. This is much like trying 10 make champion pacer out of a first class running horse. Everitt Scott will be at short and the infield looks less reliable than it has in the last seven years.
 The outfield will be tremendously strong, despite the loss of Duffy, Lewis Hooper, Walker and Strunl1. who. with Schang, make a corking combination and one with terrific punch. The pitching staff, with Ruth, Eos ter and Mays as a nucleus, will be strong, Leslie Bush. purchased from | the Athletics, and Mayer make it for nlidable.
 OWNERS HURT TEAM Undoubtedly in mechanical strength | the team will figure high, and will fig lure as a strong competi for pen nant honors, but we must make al- 1owances for conditions. In the first place. we must study the effect of the owners upon the players-and it is an open secret that the majority of the players look upon Frazee as they do upon a home umpire Those who worked for white man like Joe Lan- min cannot quite stomach the theatri- cal box office methods of the new own CTS. There was factional discord in the team before Frazee took it over 1 due to several things-and this has become worse and worse.
 The loss of Wagner. who was ex- tremely popular with the veterans ot the team. is another source of discord and the coming of Evers will not be wei comed by some others.
 1 Altogether there are all the ele- ments of a baseball Kilkenny in the Boston club. It is a team possessing enough actual playing strength to win 1 a championship. I don't know what the figures will show until the doping I is complete, but in it's present condi- l tion. if it finishes better than fourth I it will be a surprise to me
 | There are IF veterans of the old Rec l Sox team on the roll and there are 1s purchased and recalled players, the majority of them major league veter- ans. There is not nian on the lisi
 who has not had major league experi. ence. and therefore we can eliminat, all speculation as to their strength The team needs arranging badly an( has excess strength in some position! and great weakness at others
 1 Some of the experts are picking the l Red Sox as dangerous. Unless tht dope shows some surprises, I'll figure | them out of the race before it starts.