The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-06


 For the veterans. the next six weeks or so of conditioning and ex- hibition pastiming will mean she'd ding excess poundage acquired dur ing the winter layoff and limber- ing up for competition with eager and ambitious recruits hundreds of whom will strive for big league posi- tions for the first time in their ca reerS.
 This rivalry for regular berths promises to be especially keen among several clubs going through marked process of reorganization, including the Cleveland and Boston Americans, and the Brooklyn, Chi cago and St. Louis Nationals. Interest among fans is centered largely in the prospects of the New York Giants and Yankees repeating their triumphs of the past two sea sons in the face of increasing strength among several of their more dangerous rivals.
 Think They Can Repeat.
 While they are not discounting the opposition they will encounter this year, Managers McGraw of the Giants and Huggins of the Yankees are confident their teams will keep the National ana AmeTlCdu ledS ue pennants in the same city for the third straight year.
 Both pilots declare their teams will be decidedly stronger, although they plan relatively little rebuilding. The Pittsburg Pirates ill McGraw's opin ion, loom as the club the Giants must eliminate to stay at the top of the heap, while the Yankee leader expects his strongest battle from Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers. Cincinnati in the National, and St. Louis, in the American, are picked as the next strongest contenders by the metro- politan club managers.
 MeGraw has announced that he will stand pat on his 1922 champion ship lineup, with the possible excep- tion of centerfield devoting most of his attention to bolstering weak nesses in the pitching staff, which nearly cost the club the pennant last season. Jimmy O'Connell, $75,000 "phenom" from San Francisco. is ex- pected to fill the berth in midfield. but McGraw will give the veteran Casey Stengel, whose come back was 8 sensation last year, and Bill Gun ningham an opportunity to contest for the job with the coast youngster bentIey AUOS
 Jack Bentley, another expensive acquisition, is expected to add con siderable strength to the pitching corps. Bentley starred both as a portside finger and slugger with the Baltimore Orioles for several years. but his work with the cham pions will be confined to the mound, according to McGraw. The Giant leader has dozen or more recruits from whom he hopes to weed out an- other twirling star. He also looks veterans Hugh McQuillan, Jack Scott, Art Nehf and Jess Barnes besides greater effectiveness from younger moundsmen like Bill Ryan, Claude Jonnard and Virgil Barnes Pittsburg's veteran and rd-hit- ting aggregation, in McGraw's belief, will prove d formidable obstacle, un- der the leadership of Bill Mckechnie, who took the Pirate helm around mid-season last year and developed the club into a dangerous contender in the closing month of the cam paign.
 Cincinnati. reorganized with brilliant young infield and good pitching, also figures strongly in Me Claws calculations, while the Chi cago Cubs. with pitching staff above the ordinary, promise to bear watching.
 Huggins bases much of his confi- dence in 1923 prospects upon his be-
 lief that the Yankee pitching staff,
 the deciding factor in last years
 lace, will be even more consistent
 this year and that Babe Ruth. if he returns to 1921 form, will bolster
 the morale and attacking strength of the club.
 The diminutive pilot figures Carl Mays and Sam Jones, whose pitching
 was disappointment last season, 1 will flash old-time form, while Bob
 Shawkey and Joe Bush, 1922 main | stays, will be more effective than I ever. Ruths determination to re- | gain the home-run hitting laurels he
 lost last year has been demonstrated -