Bisbee daily review., 1918-04-14
MAJOR LEAGUES BEGIN SEASONS
 SHORT OF MEN
Many Players in National and American Leagues Missing Due to Draft and Volun- tary Enlistments.

NEW 1ORh, Aplll l5.-Wlth many players missing, due to voluntary and draft enlistment into war service and close O. the 1917 season, the major leagues will open their annual pennanI campaign this week under conditions wLiCh h have not existed at any previous period in the history of the organiza. tions. True to tradition and bravely facing the uncertain future, the six. | teen clubs composing the National and American leagues begin their 1918 schedules confident that the niche which baseball has hewed for itself in the national life will be found a safe | foothold even in the perilous times ot the present day.
 The American League, weather per hitting, will have the honor of mar shsliinL its forces to the first call of Play Ball" On Monday the New York club of the junior association will face the Washington club players at the national capital city while the Philadelphia Athletics will oppose Bos- ton on the home diamond of the latter team. The following day the four re- maining clubs of the American league and all eight of the National league will swing into action in the various cities of the circuits providing the weather man cooperates with the play CTS and the fans.
 Tuesdays Playing Dates
 The schedules for Tuesday call for the following opening games: Ameri- can League-Cleveland vs. Detroit at Cleveland; Chicago vs. St. Louis at Chicago. National League-St. Louis vc Chicago at St Louis; Cincinnati vs. Pittsburg at Cincinnati; New York vs Brooklyn at New York and Philadel- phia vs Boston at Philadelphia.
 What the outcome of the pennant races in the two leagues will be only the future can disclose. In the Amer ican league, the Chicago White Sox, World Champions, are conceded to have the edge in playing strength and confluence which comes with the cap turing of a championship. One or two of the rival combinations, particularly the New York Americans, have been strengthened as the result of trades and cash purchases and it is likely that the race for first place will be fully up to the standard of past years.
 In the National league the New York Giants, winners of the 1917 pennant, are still the fayorites for the flag, but on paper, at least, the team does not appear to be quite as impressive as a year ago. In addition there is certain to be greater opposition on the part of two or three clubs which have built up stronger teams than were available last season. In a general way Cincin- natl and St. Louis appear prominently in this particular with at least one oth- CT combination in the role of a dark horse.
 Players Distributed Evenly
 Considered broadly there appears to be about the usual distribution Of play ing talent and strength as in former pennant races for where one club has improved its combination, another has lost one or more of it's formidable players, thus, in a general way, even- ing up the situation. In the National League the Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago teams on paper, at least, ap- pear to be stronger than was the case twelve months ago. The New York club does not strike the close student of the game as being quite as impress sive as last season, while both Brook lyn and Philadelphia are scarcely as strong as year ago
 The Chicago White Sox stand out | as the ranking favorite in the Ameri- | can League for the combination will | begin the season fully as powerful as when the team closed the 1917 cam paign with the double laurels of pen nant winners and world champions. Among the other clubs the New York Yankees are undoubtedly stronger in every department, with the exception of pitchers, than was the case last year. The Boston Red SoX are more or less of an uncertain quantity, yet many of their followers expect them to be the surprise of the league. Detroit and Washington are about up to the standard of last season, if not a trifle stronger, while the Philadelphia Athletics with a num- Der of youngsters in the lineup can not be figured upon in advance.
 In considering the prospects of the coming season the executives of the two major leagues take cognizance of war time conditions in relation to baseball yet are confident that the national sport will not decline in quail ity of play or in its hold upon it's fol- lowers, since patriotism and recrea- tion are necessarily come ted at this time In a statement specially pre- pared for the Associated Press, Presi- dent Tener gives his views as follows:
 NATIONAL LEAGUE