The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-01
UNCLE SAM is
SIGNING MOST
. BALL PLAYERS

With Uncle Sam drafting major
league ball players over night, and the
opening of the season only two weeks
away, the outcome of the pennant
races in the two big leagues becoming
a big gamble. Events of the last week
have awakened club owners to the
fact that they do not know from one
day to another where they stand in
regard to their players.
Just when Bob Shawkey was loom
ing up as the best pitching selection
of the Yankees for the coming sea-
son he received the call to duty, and
the next morning one of Miller Hug
gins best pitchers was gone. Pitchers
Evans and Mulligan, two of Pitts
burg's promising youngsters, have re-
ceived the call to report for war duty
after having entrained for three weeks
with the Pirates, and Manager Bez-
dek finds big gap in his pitching
staff.
Urban Shocker, one of the Yankee
pitchers traded to st. Louis, has re-
ceived his call, and his loss will be
heavy blow to the Browns. Chuck
Ward was suddenly called from Hot
Springs Just when Manager Robinson
had fitted him into his infield ma
a chinery, and now the Dodgers must
get another infielder. The draft is
raising havoc with many of the trades
which were made during last Winter.
and those managers who took
chance on players of draft age on the
gamble that they might not be called
arc heavy losers.
There are four other members of
the Yankee team who are in Class Al
and are liable to be called at any time.
They are Walter Pipp, Their ocular
first baseman; Bob McGraw and Ed
Monroe, two of Higgins most prom
Using young pitchers, and Muddy
Ruel, one of his best young catchers'
Higgins does not know but that he
will wake up any morning and hno
4 these PLAYERS gone. 1t is the same
with Benny Kauff of the Giants. He
is likely to be called any day and the
loss of his batting strength would pc
a hard blow to McGraw's Nauonal
League champions.
G. The uncertainty of the tenure OF a
bali players connection with CLUB Is
Nbeing forcibly illustrated every day
when Uncle Sam calls there is no de-
40 lay and it is already quite evident that
managers have made serious mis-
take in building up their clubs de-
pending on players liable to draft &c
fill important positions.
While it is hard blow to the clubs
la to lose their players now, it will be
SCI even more disorganizing to the teams
tL't to lose players after the season gets
under way But nevertheless this is
sure to happen. The condition of af
fairs which will probably confront the
Baseball clubs after the season gets
under way, or even sooner than hat
Eili upset all the calculations of the
prophets, who have already tried tt
guess the outcome of the pennan
races 1t is generally conceded tina
I'd. the Chicago White Sox will be tn
y leaders in the American League, whil
tthc Giants are again favored in tn
National These conclusions hav
been arrived at without giving mucl
weight to the possible changes in tn
makeup of the clubs because Of tn
draft.
Without Robertson and Benn,
Kauff the Giants batting strength !
sure to be weakened, and the posi-
bility of Young and Without filing III
the gap is problematical. There is n
way of telling what other player
may be called before the summer
over. The White Sox have rot We
been as hard hit by the draft as othe
clubs, nut there may be important de
velorments before the season is owe
which will change the makeup of tn
team.
With several of the other clubs nov
in a .disorganized condition in relatio
to their lineup, there is strong poss
bility that some of the new men VIII
will be called in to take the place G
the players lost through the draft an
enlistments will prove to be bette
players than any one ever supposed
The new state of affairs will force a
managers to give every player NOR
thorough tryout than usual and TIL
may be the means of developing man
new baseball stars. All managers ad
NIT that from time to time they over
look a star because of the Unite
time in which to weigh new taller
9 during the training season. Man
players who have lboked ordinary {
training camps have later develope
into breat diamond stars.
The new men are going to haN
their chance this season, and it ma
be that some of the youngsters wi
be the ones to upset the accepte
toe, h. aor