The mirror., 1922-03-09
WINTER BASEBALL
Selected

somewhat smaller measure, financially, tne
Pacific Coast Winter League-the first
idly-backed, properly-governed venture
of its kind in Organized Baseball-has
finished its season. By its two-fold sue
cess, this unique league has apparently
justified its existence so that residents OF
the Summer all-year-round-Slope seem as
sured, for several years to come, OF wit
Messing a real fight for real pennant
while the East and Middle West sections
of the country are alternating, baseballi-
cally speaking. An unbiased review of
the season, just ended, the calliber OF play,
the attendance and the impression made
leads to the belief that the newcomer in
baseball has made good.
On several previous occasions, league
of the kind now proved feasible has been
projected but, for various reasons, the plan
was never before put to real test. This
year, backed by real baseball brains and
cash, the organization was off to flying
start, the four teams getting into action
while the Worlds Series was being played
and the Giants were proving that bad
start in the annual classic does not neces-
sarily mean poor finish.
According to real estate agents on the
Pacific coast they never have rain or snow
or anything bad in the weather out there,
so the promoters, all of whom are con-
nected with the regular Pacific Coast Lea
que, determined to take advantage of these
gifts of the Gods and, by adding some
new touches, launch real league. They
didn't attempt to overdo it by drafting
schedule that would compel the players to
perform through the entire off-season, but
wisely determined on 70-game schedule
figuring to begin operations on October
9Th and finish by December 10th. AS
matter of fact, the weather-man out there
must have been in rebellious mood for no
one of the four teams was able to play
every game scheduled-only one club get
ting in more than so games. Another club
played but 81, another 50 and a third
81.
With the perspicacity of born showmen,
the promoters realized that a league COM
posed of players, no matter how switched
about, from the Pacific Coast League
(Which had just ended its season) would
hardly pay so, to lead the four teams, thev
imported from the major-leagues four OF
the greatest players of the game. Of
these four, the American League furnished
three, the National one. The Americans
were Ty Cobb, manager of the Detroit
Tigers, Harry Heilmann, also Tiger and
a remarkable slugger and George Sisler,
the wonderful first baseman of the St.
Louis Browns. The older circuit sent its
brightest luminary in Rogers Hornsby, last
season the greatest hitter in baseball and,
as second-sacker of the Cardinals one of
the real stars of the national sport.
Cobb assumed the managerial reins at
San Francisco, Sisler went to Vernon
Hornsby to Los Angeles and Heilmann to
the Mission club. Each team had a
sprinkling of major-leaguers but stars Of
the minors were in the majority. The
promoters figured that people on the coast
would pay to see these four players of the
first magnitude but were wise enough te
realize that the Big Four must be pro-
vided with teams to make a real race
And the clicking of the turnstiles proved
the. promoters right. Heilman was th'
only one of the four that had graduated
from the Coast League to the majors; Cobt
had been seen in game or two out there
but Hornsby and Sisler were new. TIL,
rosters of the four clubs were interesting
for they contained three distinct classes Of
players-frst, the major-league stars a
managers; second, brilliant Glass Az
players who, many of them, were booked