The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-02-28
MAJOR LEACUERS
SHIFT INF|ELDERS
Managers Working to Bolster
Weak Spots Early
MANY CHANGES PREDICTED
Situation Is Worse in Amcd-
can Circuit

New conditions. the drafting and voIun.
tAy enlistment n players. The passing
offs very few veterans and ihe acquisition
Of quite a number Of the more prominent
among the minor league hall players
will cause n big shin IN Tho forces NJ
the sixteen big league clubs this coming
season.
seysfal of the hest pitchers have been
taken into the service NJ Uncle Fam
A few OF the higher grade backstopa have
gone the same WAY
Some Of the best ouiflelfrfs In major
league ranks will he missing. ~ well
But the infeld. that vital spot In a team
defense, IL the place whore Tho most
radical changes will be noticed for 1918
No wonder that fully ten " the flHr
teen big league managers are blhg
awake nights Just at this time 'nd'hNni
ing 60 find a solution for n problem ihai
Will prove pretty hard 70 solve IN on'.
fielder may be replaced FOR time by y
player OF inferior caiihre without the
substitutlon seriously affecting team
defense There are pitchers enough on
hand In every club 10 rescue hnr mate
who IN temporarily slipping, but inil'l1rs
ere born and not made. You ,hnhoi
above any raw experiment IN Tor q iryoui
link in the infield chain always courts
disaster.
As an instance NJ this look hack N
the season Of 1911 when Helnle wagner u
one had year practically robbed lh" l.'l
sor Of fine chance 10 get away WIN
championship Remember that The White
sor, until they secured a man VINO wnnll
allow the shift Of Buck Weaver io thlrd
base had 10 pay the penalty for one weak
spot In the infield a weakness NJ sec
ond base kept the Tigers out ~ pos
slble championship for three seasons.
And not until the Cleveland clnh aug voc
Harris IN out ~ the bushes ~ play frHi
base aid Lee Fohl'E men cut much figure
as oontenders In tho American league
campaign.
Va, EN- Figuring.
u 4, with A knowledge ~ this fact inst
every big league uanagef NJ this precise
time IL trying 90 figure out some pWn
nv which his lnfleld can he strengthened.
Excepting In three or four very fortunate
instances, the ray Of light has NOT hp-
pearrd Never before. or ~ least since
the American league made - denui I,,
such a general decentralization or lhl'e'u
been noted a..
When the hell rings IN April and the
bor azores are forthcoming FOR the iliHl
time the fan will only have 10 scan ln'
various rosters TO see Just what tIenlcn-
dOua changes lne Ulk ltNtu' i'''' ',I.t.h.1
undergone since the 1917 race ilnlhh'u
last October Indeed, " one were nW
able 10 keen track of the various mlet
and exchanges that have ChNrhcletlLe"
baseball during the winter months the
chances are that he would he WHINE
10 wager that some careless psln,v, .,,nr.i m"I
made a bundle Of mistakes SO general
has been the shifting, no sensational lhe
trades. that even the PLAYERS themselves
can hardly realize how greatly the h''u'
alton has been altered
Scattering Red Soy.
A few months ago the Red SoN inheld'
one OF the very strongest I'm the country,
included HoblitEell. Galner, Barry scott
and Gardner as the regular primary de-
fense Now Barry has gone, and Gamer
with him. There Is no certainty that
larry Gardner is 20 be retained Even
such splendid utility men ms JanNrln'
.Cooney and McNally have been tempo
rarily removed from the big league
Their going has paved ne WY LOT 'h'
coming Of the great "Stufty' Mclnnir
Johnny Evers. bred and nourished IN
th, National league, last year with the
Braves and OuRkers, In now ked Soh
infielder In good standlng, while thai
great veteran, Larry Lajole, has good
chance OF ultimately landing here. Man
nger Barrow will have TO do considerable
figuring to adjust new inticld In ord'r
20 get the best possible results,
The Cleveland club, losing Joe Harris
and Guisto, the other first sacker, Is sun
floundering around In the marts OF nhse-
ball trade trying to procure likely suhsu-
lfutes The New York Americans, hhan-
doning all hope Of making really great
PLAYERS out Of Joe Gedcon and Fritz Nal
sci has turned this pair over TO st LOUIS
lwhIle the Browns In exchange nave tIhu-
cd TO the Yankees the hard,hlttlng w
'rin Pratt. The latter will he tho single
new face in the New York inncld.
Browns Lose Two.
! The ST. Louis club through trades
with New York and Washington, has
lost both Laven nnd Pratt two great IN
fielders, and the Brown manager VIII en-.
deavor TO get from Gcdcon and Mals'l
the work that Bin Donovan oi the Yam
KEGS was never able to procure But on"
member Of his inneld did Grifiith lose
and this player. Joe Leonard, was hardy
90 be considered regular Yet Griit vii
send him at short in place of George
Mcbride a veteran tried and true, yonnp
Doc Lavan whom he got in trade from
The Detroit inncld will miss FRS
Baseman Burns, while the Athle,ic'
must mourn the loss Of "Stulty Nc
Innis, Whitley Witte and the hard-hit
ting third baseman, Bates, This vii
mean a new Philadelphia inneld. Thl
White Sox alone remain Intact. although
there Ia some talk that Swede Risherj
In the National league the situation 4
not quite so bad The Braves lost Ma
ranville to tho navy, and then, ate
purchasing or. rather securing, Larr
Doyle from Chicago. at the expense a
two valuable PLAYERS, traded him 20 IN
Giants In return for the versatile Charlc
Herzog. The latter iH n holdout, and n
his eventual disposition depends IN
makeup OF both Boston and New Nor
infields
o'Mara, brought back from the minors
10 going to displace Olson at short 10
the Dodgers: Jack Miller, second base
man Of the Cardinals, has gone into N
service and must be replaced; Pittsburgh
will have new shortstop, Cincinnati
new second baseman and the disposlto
of Vie Safer, to be used as the basis 70
n possible trade. may disturb the integ
rity Of one OF two other infields. The onl
team in the National league 10 shar
the good fortune Of the white SoX
the Philadelphia club. Fortunately Mo