The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-13
"Play on Level" Is Message
From Judge Lands.
Season Officially Opens Today
in Major Leagues.
OPENING GAMES IN 16 CITIES
American League Has Added
Feature This Year.
New York Picked as Winner of
1921 Pennant.

Chicago. April 1S.-"Play on the
level"
This is the message from Judge
Landis that ball players will carry in
their minds when the season opens to-
day.
The dictator of the national sport
gave 1t on the eve of the opening game
at the homecoming of the Chicago
Cubs.
Il am rookie in the game as far
as baseball is concerned" said Landis.
Never before in any field of actfy-
lty IN America has anything been
scrutlnized as will our activity be
scrutihzed this season. We know why
this is going to be without going over
painful subject.
III player is caught mapping at
flrst' if he muffs a ball, there will be
Winks OF the eye in the stands and
whlsperings, I told you So
We will tolerate that only for a
snort time and the characteristic spirit
OF fair play will kill that attitude"
The 1921 baseball season officially
opens today in both major and semi
major leagues. Sixteen teams of the
american and National leagues forti-
1ied by drafts of recruits cross bats for
the start of the new pennant race.
The same number of teams in the
American association and the Inter-
national league face each other for
their opening games
! Weather Is Lowering.
| Weather for the premier bouts on
| the diamonds was not so propitious as
tRe 1ans could ask. In nearly a dozen
OF the sixteen cities where the OPEN
ers are to be staged lowering skies
threatened this morning to disDeIl
hopes for the perfect day" the fol-
| lowers OF the Great American Game
mad hoped would be their lot
| in the major lea n1Jes fha oil
tunate cities to draw games on the
opening date of the season were as
| NATIONAL LEAGUE: Boston
Braves vs. Brooklyn Philadelphia
PhiHies vs.. New York Cincinnati
Reds VS.. Pittsburgh. Chicago-Cubs
VS.. st. Louis
AMERICAN LEAGUE: New York
Yankees vs.. Philadelphia. Wash
ington-Senators VS.. Boston. Detroit
fingers VS.. Chicago. st. Louis
Browns VS.. Cleveland.
The visiting clubs will open their
own parks within week.
The American league has an added
year in the fate of the White Sox of
chicago. With ranks depleted by the
world series scandals and the suhse-
quent election from organized base
pan OF ITS best players, the Sox now
! have a stiff battle ahead to maintain
Tnru the spring training period, the
Sox have not shown any special come
| back ability, chiefly because of the
apparent inability of Comiskey to OBJ
holes in his lineup. Whether or not
he will be able to develop a fighting
spirit sufficient to keep from the cell
lar position will be seen in the course
of the next two weeks.
| With the White Sox out of the run
accented a
thorities on the game that the chief
favorite for the 1921 pennant in this
+, league will be New York.
n National Three-Sided Fight.
New York. April 1s.-Today the
National league gets away on what
has the appearance of the closest race
of years. Last years dual battle be-
tween Brooklyn and New York will
! become a three-cornered affair with
Pittsburgh as the newcomer.
Practically every club in the league
has been strengthened during the win
: ter season and all seem to have
chance to finish near the top.
, Last year was baseballs greatest
! season and there is no reason to be-
lieve that the records Of the past
season WIN not be equalled if not
eclipsed.
Association Is Open.
Toledo. April 13.-The familiar cry
of "Play baIl'' will echo in the Ameri-
can association parks today when the
eight clubs swing into action for the
opening games of the twentieth an
nua1 pennant race.
The St Paul club, winner of the
1920 flag, will start the season at Mil
waukee: Minneapolis will take the
field at Kansas City; Columbus at
Indianapolis and Toledo at Louisville.
! No club in the American association
came up from the south favorite for
the championship honors. Unless
> there are radical changes made in the
I early season there will not be a first
/" choice in the group.
Naturally one looks for st. Paul, the
. runaway champion of 1920, to occupy
! a lofty niche in the race. but in spite
I of the fact that Manager Mike Kelly
b will receive player help in part pay
ment for some of the stars he sent up
, last fall. 1t is unlikely he will be able
1 to replace Catcher Bubbles Hargraye.
Third Baseman Goldie Rapp and
Pitcher Combe.
Right now the association looks like
a mighty well balanced league. All
clubs had good training weather in the
O south and are in good condition for
: the early part of the race.
: Baltimore Leads International.
! | Baltimore, Md. April 13-BaIti-
4 more first. Buffalo second, Newark
third. Syracuse last, and Jersey City
" Toronto, Rochester and Reading fight
e ing it out for the other positions Il
t the way the International league racs
: stacks UP at the start
s Later on this lineup may not stand
Il It all depends on what men LarrJ
e Doyle gets for Toronto from the New
/ York Giants and how George Stalling'
l. fares in building up his Rochester
Il club with players from his majoi
: league friends.
d These two clubs are the question