The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-03-31
COAST CIRCUIT
OPENS TUESDAY
With One New Entry, Six
Teams Will Get Under
Wav for 1918.

Next Tuesday the Pacific Coast
its fourteenth pennant race. the first
OF all the organized baseball leagues
Of the country to commence operations.
SAN Francisco. pennant- winner last
year, Los Angeles, Vernon, Oakland, and
Salt Lake, all members of the circuit
last year. and one new team, Sacra-
mento, which has replaced Portland
! will fight through nearly seven months
for the flag in a 200-game dash
None of the~Coast league ciube have
been hit very hard by the war. though
there Is IL possibility that several will
be severely handicapped during the
season when the second draft begins to
Call out the men well down on the
lists at present.
The Roll Of Managers.
Jerry Downs, who took over the San
| Francisco club in the middle of the
pennant-race last year. when Harry
Wolverton laid down the reins. will
| again pilot the Seals Wade killifer.
who succeeded Frank Chance early last
| year, Is manager of the Angels for
another year. Bill Eslick. former
| blg-league hurler. and for years IL
Central league magnate, is the new
chief of the Vernon Tigers.
Walter McCredie considered an in
i stitution with the Portland club during
| the past II years, is at the helm of the
salt Lake club, having replaced Del
| bernhard. Del Howard is back as pi-
lot of the Oakland club and hopes to
| make that team real contender at
last The new Sacramento club has
chosen as its leader Bill Rodgers.
crack second baseman of the 1917 Port
land club. and before that time mem
Der of the Cleveland and Cincinnati
teams. Rodgers has acted as field cap
tain of the Portland Beavers for years
and is well vcrsed in the art of run
ming Il boseball nine.
| The Individual Lineups.
The San Francisco Seals little re-
| semble the speedy nine that walked
away with the pennant last fall. Red
| Mckee is the first string catcher. with
/ two Indians, Chief" Johnson and
I"Chief'' smith and spider" Baum. the
main reliance of the heaving staff. The
inner works are we'll guarded with ko-
erner, Downs. Corhan and Pick on the
job, but not a single one of the slug
| ging outfieiders who made the team 1,
pennant- winner last year have re-
| turned. The outfield will be made up
| of Herb Hunter, utility man, Geldie, a
kid. and the veteran John Hummel
once with Brooklyn. Not much prom
| Using. Those fans are sure to howl
for 'Biff' Schaller. Justin Fitzgerald
and Senior Jaeinto del Calvo before the
season is far along.
Los Angeles has n good catcher in
Boles, several good beavers, including
lStandridge and Seaton. veterans tried
and true, and a fair infield. with Ter
ny, Fournier, Killifer himself and 4
yeungster at third. The outfieIdera
will probably be Harl Maggert, Schick.
Wilson and Ellis.
Salt Lake Well Fixed.
Manager McCredfe seems to have q
dangerous ball club lined up, though
he needs first-elass catcher His
pitching staff looks good. with Dubuc.
Evans and Mccabe as mainstays y lille
the infield Is composed of Bert Shelley,
Karl Crandali, Bill Orr. Joe Pope and
Gislason. In the outfield will be found
Buddy" Ryan, Ward Miller and Jacl,
Farmer. three hard hitters and fast
fly chasers.
| Vernon has a club of recruits. with
Moore and Mite catchers. Quinn
F'romme. Mitchell and "weiser" Dell
on the pitching staff. Gleichman at frs:
base and several experienced players
in line for the other infieId and out
field positions. Tommy Long being the
best gardening bet.
| Oakland has good pitching staff
with such beavers as Speed Martin,
Bill Proueh. Harry Krause and others
though the defensive werks seem