The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-15
M'QUILLAN up
and SIGNS Il
new PLAYERS
i

81 BRUCE COPELAND,


Manager George McQuillan Of
next yesrs Islanders has not been
letting grass grow under his feet
these last three or four months
since the close Of the Three-Eye
league season.
No; George has been very much
alive in his efforts to organize .
Rock Island professional baseball
team that will rank among the
leaders on and after next May 1.
The big fellow has taken It, upon
himself to sign II new players.
which. added to the nucleus Of last
seasons array. are promising. to
say the least.
Through the cooperation OF our
own Joe Berger, manager Of the
Wichita club Of the Western league.
Rock Island now owns Shortstop
Frank Murphy, whom McQuillan
believes will be one Of the leagues
most brilliant performers next
year. In addition to the purchase
Of Murphy. the Islander manage
ment has bought Pitcher Brooks
and Optfielder Martini
Good Slab Prospect
Brooks is described rs q big left
handler with 4 world Of stuff; Mar
tint, whose home is in Muscatine,
is one OF the best Outfield pros
poets in the market. Berger is
overloader with, both pitchers and
outfielders, 20 he saw q chance to
do his old friends . good turn BY
yielding Brooks and Martini to
Rock Island.
Martini played only part Of last
season for Wichita, being excused
in mid-season because he wished
to be near his family. 1t seems the
player has always been discomfort
ed to remain away from his folks
for long. Moline tried to grab him
of q couple Of seasons ago, but al
that time the player was engaged
near his howe and the deal fell
through. However. he has signi-
fed his eagerness to play here next
season. -
The Newcomers.
Manager McQuillan has signed
the following new players for try.
outs next spring: Pitchers Floyd
Westphal, Walter Miller, Frank
Zeumann and E. ]. Mccartney
Catchers Raymond Smith and Les
ter Thornton; First Basemen Joe
Meyer and John Grow; Infelder
John s. Kuenn, in addition tc
Pitcher Brooks and Outfielder Mar
tint.
= The following islanders of last
rear have been reserved: H. A
Dennis, Arthur Weiss. Cornie Nc.
Inerney, Elmer N. Benson. Walter
Halas. Gus Purpura, William
D'Neill and Red" Shackleford.
Manager McQuillan made a per,
sonaI appeal for the retention Of
Elmer Benson, in whom he believes
will be the backbone Of the new
club. Benson was not released to
Des Moines last season, as many
believe. He was merely loaned to
that club after the New York Yanks
had called in Second Baseman
French, which left a gap in their
infield.
Act Of Diplomacy.
It took endless patience for a
good player like Benson to perform
for such a dub like Norman Clock
son last season. Elmer has very
little patience with such conditions
and might have been lost to the
Islanders next season II Manager
McQuillan had not soothed him
into signing a new contract by let
ting him out to Des Moines two
weeks before the close Of the
Three-Eye season, and paying him
in full.
Lack of space today precludes
writing "Hoo's Hoo" among the
new batch Of players signed. but
such matters will be produced on
this page tomorrow. Manager Nc
Quillan has many interesting things
to tell Rock Island baseball fan
dom. They, too, will be published
here tomorrow.