New-York tribune., 1919-02-26


did most of the heavy work of the
receiving for the team year ago
And at that time Huggins had at his
command no less reliable an artist
than little Al Walters, considered in
1917 about the. niftiest backstop pros
pect since the advent of Ray Schalk
Of the White Sox.
A Bulky Fellow
Hannah is, at least, bulky, husky
fellow of "iron-man7 tenacity not
particularly brilliant. perhaps, but
possessed of the necessary stamina to
stand up under all manner of rough
usage. He came here from the coast
reputed slugger, and though he failed
to MT terrlhcally in fast company, as
he had pummelled away in the sticks,
especially after the big league pitchers
mastered their midsummer hooks. he
nfevertheless fogged the pellet up to
the average set for catchers.
Because of his iron mould he is an
lnvaluable asset to club possessed
OF no other experienced backstop, now
that Al Walters has passed on to the
worlds champion Boston Red Sox.
Hannah might have fitted in bit bet
ter with some other club possessed
or more speed than that of Higgins
1918 ensemble, for he is particularly
SLOW of foot and inclined to clog up
the bases some. Yet this defect should
not be 50 noticeable the coming year,
Huggns having taken pains to correct
last years striking fault.
Elmer Miller aod Frank Kano NAV
or may not be important to the sue
cess of the New York Yankees. The
issue is strictly UP to these young
men. If they possess the necessary
ability and the ambition thev NAV
easily make the grade, for the one
striking, existing weakness Of the 1919
Yankees seems to be the outtield. Hug
gins has in Duffy Lewis star Of the
first magnitude. And there the garden
trlo's strength stops, if we except Ping
Bodle, who proved more or less of a
disappointment in New York livery
last season.
It seems case Of do or die just now
with Miller. Never did an outhelder
come from the sticks with brighter
prospects than he. In minor league
company this fellow has always be-
haved after the fashion of a combina-
ton of Ty Cobb and iris Speaker.
There is nothing at which he cannot
SHINE IN even the fastest minor COM
pany. But in the big show he is an
altogether different proposition.
lies OelI into hnOtS
He ties himself into knots at the
plate. He loses his base-running cum
ming and throws but inditferently
though at killing flies he is about as
deadly as the mighty Iris. But New
York has already played along for two
years with Mr. Miller. If he fails to
arise to the emergency after all this
nursing he can have no recriminations
save for himself if he is consigned to
the oblivion of minor company.
Frank Kane made considerable stir
as a busher up New England way in
1917, but as yet he has had no oppor-
tunity to bid for major league laurels.
Late in the fall of 1917, after having
been drafted by the Yankees, he en-
listed il the army. He was in the
service continually until week ago,
when he was discharged from Camp
Sherman. Kane and George Halas, of
the Great Lakes training station, are
two young outfielders who will receive
every attention and courtesy from
Miller Huggins this spring.
Though none of the officials of the
club would think Of admitting the fact,
from hints that have slipped here and
there it is to be presumed that the
XII ais VI 1IcdIeT new OrKS three
major league clubs are not so serious
IN the matter of hold-cuts as one
might naturally suppose. 1t is known
that the most important cogs Of Nc
Graw's team which will challenge the
Cubs haze been put in order, and there
is deep suspicion that far more
Yankee contracts have been received
than those already bulletined.
The status of the Brooklyn club is
hard to determine. President Ebbets
announced from the start that he
would not make public the names of
players who had signed until the eve
of the departure Of the Dodgers to
Jacksonville, Fla. AS the Squire of
F.~tbush is determined that no un-
signed players will report at the clubs
expense for spring training and as
Brooklyn's plans for said spring train
lng go merrily on it is to be presumed
that Charles II. is holding no bag.