The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-29
HIGGINS SENDS
THIRD BASEMAN
TO OUT GARDEN
Drastic Measure IN Eff
fort to Replace
Ruth.
By JOHN B. POSTER.


Miller Higgins has been a little
reyolutionist in constructing his
outfield for the time being. He has
chosen class A A. infielder to
play the outfeld Norman McMil-
Ian is the man.
Mcmillan was with Rochester
last year under a good coach,
George Stallings. But Mcmillan
did not play the outfeld. He
skittished around in 156 games at
third base. There he made a fair
reputation If Higgins had been
looking for a third baseman he
Ian a trial at that job. The Ro-
chester player stood up pretty we'll
in his league in batting with an
average Of $40.
When he reported to the Yankees
this year at New Orleans they tried
him in the outfield and Higgins
has enough nerve to keep him
there and tell him to train for the
start of the season. Probably
when Ruth and Meusel get back
Mcmillan will return to the bench
fielder that it will be found ad-
vantageous to keep him tn 1re It's
a fact that the Yankees throughout
all their career have been a team
shy of outfielders. They have man
aged to get good infielders and put
together combinations on the in
field that had real merit, but when
it came to the outfield an adverse
fate never gave them anything
which would balance up with the
remainder of their club. The sea-
son that they had Keller and
Fultz on the team they were about
as well provided for in the outfeld
as they ever had been until 1921.
In figuring on the beginning OF
the season and until May 20, when
Ruth and Meusel become eligible,
it must be remembered that the
New York American league club
loses a combined batting value of
.348 because that is how Ruth and
MeuSel stood as hitterS during
1921. If you take 34S thousandths
out of the hitting Of any team,
even one which is presumed TO
have the general strength of the
New York Americans, you deal 1t
blow straight from the shoulder.
Suppose as much batting strength
was taken from the National league
champions and then try to imagine
the fight they would have to make
to win another championship.
The effort of the American
league club to pull the latter part
n A lrIl IL l. e
May, handicapped as they are by
the loss of two players who can
only sit on the bench and fret, is
going to be one of the most inter
esting spectacles that the American
league or any other league ever
saw. It's a proposition entirely
new in baseball.
John Ogden, the Baltimore
pitcher, has established some minor
league standards that are worth
while, and if he happens to be as
successful for Baltimore in 1922 as
he was last year, he may become at
the finish of the season, perhaps,
the most famous pitcher in the his
tory OF the minor leagues.
Ogden went to the Giants when
at Swarthmore college. An old
professional who knew the WAYS Of
good pitchers around the vicinity
of Philadelphia impressed upon
New York the advisability of sign
ing him. He had good curve ball,
but he seemed to be a pitcher who
needed work to bring him out and
when he was first sent away from
New York the minor league clubs
which received his services handled
him badly. Finally Dunn got him.
The Baltimore manager, even if he
is an old infelder, seems to have
the knack of bringing out pitchers
and succeeded with Ogden. Should
the latter become the star minor
league pitcher of the world Dunn
would have another feather in his
cap in addition to the success
which he accomplished with Ruth.
Dunn knew Ruth's value at the
time that he permitted him to 90
to Boston but if Dunn had only
known into what Ruth might de-
velop probably the Boston club
would have had to pay more than
it did.
The Chicago Cubs have a super
of handicaps to over
come. FIack with his injured skull
and Terry with his bad wrist are
out of the game for some time. That
may bring joy to the heart of some
rookie who gets his first chance to
show what he can do with a big
league team and it may be the be-
ginning of the end for the veter-
ans. The Cubs have long, hard
fight ahead of them.