The sun., 1919-07-27
GIANTS OPEN CLASS
FOR COLLEGE LADS
McGraw Has Five Youngsters
Studying Big League Game
in New York Dugout.
BAIRD rs STAR PUPIL
Bowen and Stats Show Great
-Richbourg Is
EARNED Out.
BAIRD IS STAR PUPIL
NJ FREDpRIcK q. LEE.


mas returned 10 itr normal status Is the
presence OF McGraw's collegiate class at
the Polo Grounds. For the last half
dozen years McGraw has done little ex-
perimenting, and most OF the players
who have figured on the National
the runners up Of 1918 came to New
York ready made. They were thinner
man. McCarty, Benton. Perritt. Barnes
Sallee. Rarlden and players like them.
The raising OF the National League
player limit to twenty-five also afforded
McGraw an opportunity to revert to his
former system of carrying a benchful
OF young athletes, who could get their
big league training from the New York
dugout Fletcher, Schupp. Snodgrass,
Burns, Robertson and Stock received
their baseball education in this fashion.
McGraw's present class Of collegiens
includes AL Baird. formerly OF the Louis
lana State University Frank Frisch,
Fofdham's famous football and baseball
star; Chick Bowen and Arnold Stats,
outfielders from Fordhan. and Jesse
Winters, the pitcher who first TT
tracted' attention by pitching for the
Simmons College team of Abilene, Tex.
With the exception OF Bowen and Stats.
all those lads are under contract to
New York. and Baird, Winters and
Frisch have appeared frequently in New
York box scores
Lance Richbourg, former Florida Uni
versity player. also was a member of the
class until last Friday, when he was sent
to Oakland to make room for Phil Doug
lass. Richbourg had the benefit of
course under McGraw. and It is under
stood he will be back with the club next
spring.
Collesians Help Sport.
The return of the collegian to major
league baseball Is a welcome sign. There
is no question that the great influx of
college men who came into the big
leagues In the period between 1900 and
1910. not only raised the type of men
playing professional ball but also i'm
proved the calibre of men.
Any one who travels with a ball club
nowadays and travelled with one in the
EOS can understand how the type of men
who make their living In baseball has
improved In the last fifteen years. There
are still a few survivors of the old order.
but they are hopelessly in the minority.
Even without prohibition 1t is doubtful
II the game would have developed any
more Rube Waddells or Bugs Raymonds.
1t was fellows like Eddie Collins of
Columbia, Jack Coombs OF Colby EDDIE
Grant of Harvard. Roy Thomas of
Pennsylvania, Birdie Cree Of Penn State,
Plank of Gettysburg, Joe Birmingham
of Cornell. Bill Carrigan and Jack Barry
OF Holy Cross. Fred Merkle of Illinois,
Dave Fultz of Brown. John Henry of
Amherst. Harry Lord of Bates, Larry
Gardner and Ray Collins of Vermont
who helped bring about this great trans
formation in the personnel of the big
League mines
In recent years big league Jobs lost
their attraction for the average collie
gian. Before the war there was the
Federal League war, the Players Fra
ternity squabbles. all of them giving the
game black eye and making baseball
an undesirable Job for an ambitious
youngster
Besides the baseball peace brought n
reduction OF salaries and conditions in
che minors became so bad that they were
IN no position to pay college men the
salaries they once were able to offer
crack coiiegians. Then in the two years
of American participation in the war all
the red-blooded college youngsters
locked to the big game and had no taste
for professional ball.
Baird Fields Like Lajoie.
AL Baird is, of course. the star pupil
Of McGraw's present college class. Al
also 10 little older than the others. His
grace In fielding has frequently been
compared to that of Lajoie. He glides
over the infleld and makes the hardest
plays look easy. During the time he
recently substituted for Doyle he gave
one of the prettiest exhibitions of second
base play seen In New York in some
time. So far Baird has only displayed
fair ability a hitter. but what hits he
has made usually were timely. He looks
Ike one of the best young prospects in
baseball to-day.
A spring exhibition date IN Baton
Rouge, La, on the Giants training trip
of 1915 is responsible for Baird's pres
ence In the big leagues to-day. The
Giants had a game with Louisiana Uni
versity that spring and one glance at
Baird convinced McGraw he was a real
ball player. His inheld play In the ex-
hibition was-on of the features Of the
game. After the game McGraw sought
out the youngster and offered him a Job
with the Giants at the end OF his college
career. Baird's folks didn't care much
for the idea of the youngster playing
professional ball, but AL figured he
would like to take a whirl at it. He
Joined the team In 1917 but enlisted in
the navy shortly after the 1917 worlds
series. He got out Cf service in time to
make the Giant training trip last spring.
Richbourg owed his presence with the
Giants TO the fact that McGraw selected
Gainesville, Florida. as the place to do
his 1919 training. They called Rich
bourg the best college player in the
South last spring. and judging by the
night being put up for title to the player.
he has some future. The Giants and
Dodgers had quite squabble for his
services, aid after he had been awarded
to New York the Chattanooga team has
put In a claim for him. Now he tempo
rarily, at least, is the property of Oak
land. For youngster he sure is getting
into print lot
The Giants trained last spring on the
University Of Florida's field, and Rich
bourg, the Florida third baseman, inme-
diately was spotted out as a player head
and shoulders above his mates. He had
all the actions OF Eddie Collins when the
Columbia kid first broke in with the
Athletics.
He hit well in the games played
against the Giant first and second teams
and looked like real conner.
Brooklyn Claimed Richbourg.
McGraw invited him to come to the
Giants at the end Of his college year.
In the meantime Brooklyn had been
tipped on TO the boy. for at the end OF
his college term he signed with the
Dodgers and reported TO that team on
its first Western trip. The Giants took
UP the matter with John Heydler and