The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-07
CHESTY CRACKERS
 LOOK FORWARD ID
 SEASONS OPENING
Higgins Expects to Put Out Team Which Can Repeat and Win the Pennant
 Again

Bob Higgins, veteran catcher of the Crackers baseball team, Southern league champions of 1920, left today for Bay St. Louis, Miss, where Charlie Frank, the portly pilot of the Atlanta clan, is getting every thing ready for the arrival of the old-timers and recruits to begin their training season.
 Bob Higgins departure in itself is not a news item, but Bob Higgins took with him certain young men that will in all probability furnish material for many news items before the 1926 schedule of the Southern League passes into the well- known oblivion that fight scribes love to talk about when live news stays away from the news offices.
 Bob Higgins is strangely silent about the identity of the two young hoperuls refusing to divuige any names what ever The veteran backstop did chirp, however, that one of them was a left handler, secured during Bobs recent visft to Nashville. Higgins describes the youngster as possessing every quality
  and adds that he is an earnest worker. believing that the path to the big tent can be negotiated only by studying the rudiments of the game.
 Fortunately, the writer can give some more definite information about the pros- poets of the 1920 Crackers In a nutshell the "paperv team of Atlanta pill-chasers that makes it's initial bow to the public on April IA, is approximately 30 per cent stronger than the winning contenders dur ing 1919's hectic struggle.
 WON WITH YOUNGSTERS
 It will be recalled that the Southern League pennant winners of the old year were made up for the most part of young sters. fresh from college, and lacking a polish to their play that only work in professional circles can accomplish. We look at the pitchers and find this true in nearly every instance
 Roberts, Boone, Suggs, Thorburn, Styles right on down the list 1t becomes evident that the Atlanta club of 19l9 was youngsters crew, full of the fight and zeal that won the pennant for the Gate City, but winning it not through polished style of play that belongs to. well-seasoned aggregation. What is the situation this year? Most of the pitch CTS journeyed to the big league last year. and under the guiding genius of Connie Mack saw the performances in the big tent from the vantage point of reserved seast Some few of them went out in the big ring and did stunts with the world-famous performers They prohted much, and the windom of Cornelius Mack will be turned to good advantage by che pitchers that will return.
 With the same bunch of twirlers, good enough in 1919 to pitch games that won over the best material m the league; young enough to stand the passing o1 another year without the bug-a-boo of .slipping,'' and having the advantage of several weeks in the shadow of the .hig boys" it doesn't take an income tax compiler to figure that in pitehN-s, Atlanta will be especially blessed for the 1920 pennant chase.
 Of all the thousands in Atlanta, m-cr~ ested in every development of the Crack CT machine. only one is worried about the problem of catcher5, That one is Bon Higgins Bob, as the first-string catcher of 191S did more to win the pennant for Atlanta than any other two men taat came within hailing distance of Ponce de Leon Park Bob Higgins is not brilliaqt, in fact, he's a plugger; but the veteran is inst the kind of plugger' that's meant to direct the way to the hiding place or the bunting to the flashy players, the applause gathers, of any pellet-chasing crew Last year Bob took the pitcher recruits fresh from the sensational ac- tion of college diamond battles and unpre- pared for the tribulations of the profes- sionaI baseball player, and made blg league material of every single one. lie did this because he was 'plugger,' and because he knew the four base game from ;ts every standpoint For that reason, Rob Higgins is credited locally with the development of the pennant-winning Crackers.
 As has been mentioned somewhere in the rambling paragraphs, Bob Higgins is worried about catchers. As yet Char t,oes not prn not he has signed any catcher to alter nate with Higgins in receiving the sla1lts of the star moundmen This will prop ably come later, but until it does come Bob Higgins will have sleepless nlghts and an appetite that would certainly have pleased Hoover in his palmiest days
 SPLENDID OUTFEILD
 In inc outfield, Atlanta will be more than strong. The Crackers will probably not be touched. In the center sarueh, we have Captain Sammy Mayer beloved in Atlanta for his clouting proclivitles and despised in other cities In the south- ern League for approximately the same reason is with us again, and will prob ablv resume his old habit when Bill Brennan starts to lodging Southeth League pop bottles in 1920.
 Sammy has taken to golf during the winter months, but the practice dld nm little good He polished his swing plt' but if he ever connected, it wasn't m sight of the numerous caddies at East Lake Country Club flower, that means nothing to the story, except that sammy Mayer is hoping to have more success with the Spalding baseball than ne W ese. had with the golf ball that is a member of the same family.
 Happy" Herndon last year ranked the Crackers chief exponent or the Baoe Ruth home-run treatment for ailing ba-e- ball games, will be ''in our midst thls year in the role of outhelder The .filro ,oemher of the Crackers 1920 outer garden triumvirate has not been announced, ana probably will not be until the Atlant' l@We NeUer Close