The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-17
Providence May Break Into
Eastern With Weak Outfit
Eddie Eayrs is Having His
Trouble Finding Players
-O'Neil Back on Earth
Again - Other Circuit
Gossip.

with the opening game of the sea-
son carded with Brown for a week
from Saturday, Manager Eddie Eayrs
of the Providence Eastern leaguers
hasn't any sinecure on his hands in
rounding up a strong team. The trou-
bles of manager this season are go
ing to be many and varied, the war
working many inroads on the rosters
of all clubs in every league in the
country. Providence is not any diff
ferent from others all over the coun-
try regarding baseball. Every club, of
course, has it's reserve list, but no one
can tell until the players report how
many of them are already in the ser
vice of this country, are likely to be
taken in the draft, or will enlist in
the near future.
With the great majority of players
in baseball in the draft age, only
few under 81 and not many belong
ing to the married men class, it is
safe to say that seven out of every
ten men in the Eastern eague are
eligible for army service. Therefore,
it can be seen that managers this
season have their work cut out for
them. When the Providence team
bought the Portland franchise and
holdings, there were a dozen or more
players included in the deal. Of
them, however, Manager Eayrs will
not get more than three or four.
Recently he received word that
Tamm, a woodworking infielder,
who hit .272 last season, and Brown, an
outfielder, who banged the ball at
1898 clip, expected to be called soon
and could not come to Providence.
Brown, whose home is in Texas,
and who is a particularly good man
in this league, is waiting for the draft
and wants a chance to play ball in
that. section of the country until he is
called. Tamm, who has chosen avia-
ton, is awaiting call and also wants
permission to play around New York
until he isJtold to report In the case
of Brown, whose home is so far-away
from there, Eayrs is going to try to
make some arrangements with Fort
Worth, Dallas or San Antonio for the
services of the outfielder, but with
Tamm, Eayrs has decided that the
infelder might just as well play in
. Providence as in New York until he
is called.
Nothing has been heard as yet
from Chester Sweat, the inf1elder and
catcher of the old Portland team.
Sweat is a valuable man in this
league. He hit for 1902. in 10 games
last year and played both in the in
field and behind the bat. DoweH and
Brewer, first basemen, are also to be
heard from, and it is doubtful if Harry
Lord will come to Providence to play
third. MCNEIL, who was with the
Grays last year, will undoubtedly take
care of the catching job this season.
He was sold to Portland, but the lat
ter club did not live up to its agree
ment with the result. that Norman will
again wear the uniform of the
Grays He is a married man with
dependents and is in class of the
draft.
At the present time Mcneil and
Smith, catchers; Kennedy, Shriver,
Mulrennan and Spaid, pitchers; Eayrs,
Whiteside and Denny Gearin. out
f1elders, are the only Grays who have
signed contracts. Eayrs went gum
shoeing yesterday, however, and be-
fore the end of the week the number
of signed players will be considerably
increased. McCaffery of Toronto
wired Eayrs offering to buy Eddie
Onslow outright. Onslow was sold tc
Little Rock, but refused to go there
and Indianapolis opened negotiations
for him. Now that McCoffery of To
ronto is after the first baseman, he
will probably be sold to either one OF
the clubs this week.
Mike Massey, Grays' second basemaJ
last year, notified Eayrs last weei
that he is in class la of the draf
and that he had a chance to play II
Shreveport until he was called. He
asked Eayre to loan him to that clut
until he was called, as it would hardl!
be worth while coming to Providence
to be called back again. With the
catching and pitching department!
pretty well taken care of, Manage
Eayrs needs a couple of infielders and
outfielders to round out his team. H,
already has lines out with Jack Ega1
at Milwaukee, McGill at indianapolis
Dreyfuss at Pittsburg, and severa
others and by the time the opening
game with Brown rolls around, it is
safe bet that Eayrs will have a stroni
team in line.