The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-05-22
Sunless Sky Greets
Eastern Teams Today
Each Manager Confident
That His eamiWM Make
the Other Fellows Toe the
Mark - Locals In New
Haven for Getaway Tilt
With Danny Murphy's
Champions.

Re-organized and re-vamped, with
the most compact circuit it has yet
known, the Eastern League swings
into it's 1918 campaign today with
games scheduled to be played in New
Haven, Worcester Springfield and
New London. The opening games are
expected to give the hackers OF the
circuit a fairly definite line on their
chances of operating throughout the
entire season which is scheduled to
: run well up into September The
league shapes up better than at this
time a year ago and the club owners
are inclined to the belief that they
will never regret their venture. First
among these is the fact that they
have an almost perfect circuit with
mileage reduced to a minimum and
that in many other respects the league
will operate on far more economical
basis this year than it ever did before.
Despite the fact that the club own
ers expect to put forth all against
these trying conditions brand of
baseball fully equal to that of past
4 seasons they have no fancy hopes OF
making large profits upon their base
ball investments this year and really
arec arrying on the league as meas
ure of protection in one instance as
an amusement to the public in
4 another and from the patriotic stand
point of following the request of the
United States government by keeping
the national pastime alive because of
/ the diversion it gives the public, in
this time of war and the training it
furnishes young men in outdoor life
that they may be better fitted for
army service when the call for duty
reaches them.
To attempt to line up the strength
of the different clubs on paper at the
start of the race is entirely too much
of a problem as the new faces that
will appear on each roster on opening
day will be so many that no compar-
isons can be made with previous sea-
sons. Some of the clubs seem to be
better situated for experienced ma
terial than others at the start of the
race this being especially true of
Providence New London and Bridge
port while Hartford and Waterbury
seem to have secured a good start
despite the fact that they had nothing
whatever left over from last season tc
work upon. Worcester and Spring
field will offer new clubs completely
while New Haven, champions last
year, must get an entire new pitching
corps, that one department tina
brought them the pennant.
The local club will offer the man
ager of last season, Paul Krichell, anC
while the New Haven club has passed
into new hands, Dugan of Hartford
the same leader, Danny Murphy o
Norwich, the old Philadelphia Ath
fletics' captain, will again pilot tn
i outfit. Jack Flynn, who managed thu
Lawrence club, will lead the Ne7
London Planters, succeeding Gen
Mccain, who passes out of leagu
baseball in this section after man
years at the front of Bridgeport an
New London clubs.
Jim Clarkin will revert to his oil
plan of managing the Senators, an
leaving the actual play in charge {
a field captain, whom he has not nan
ed as yet. Bill Carey of Springfield
offers a new manager in Fred Paren
the old Red Sox shortstop, latel
playing in the Maine Trolley leagu
Jack Mack, part owner Of the Wo,
cester club, will be seen at the he'll
of the Boosters again, while Prov
dence, one of the new corners to tt
circuit, will be piroted by Eddi
Bayrs, former Brown pitcher, late
with the American association, al
the last two seasons playing pitch al
outfield for the Grays. The other ne
conner to the league is Harry HincI
man, who will manage Owner En-
mons Waterbury club, having play
second base for the st. Lawrence eli
last season.