San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-15
die IS CAST;
'RUBE' BENTON
PITCHES CAME
Foster Warns of Coming
Clash Between Lands
and Heydler.
REDS HAVE TROUBLES
Delightful Florida Bali
Fields Just as Rough
as Anywhere.
REDS HAVE TROUBLES
BY JOHN Il. FOSTER.

Copyright. by The san Antonio Light.
Orlando, Fla, March Io.-kube
Benton pitched his first game here
for Cincinnati Wednesday afternoon.
It wasn't a National League game
such as Cincinnati will play after
April IL, but it was a game in which
Benton participated as a probable Ma
tional League player and 1t created
so much talk in the Red camp that
a strong eastern breeze sprung up
TO blow the news west to John A.
Heydler, president of the National
League, who is taking a vacation on
the coast, while Commissioner Lands
is touring the Florida orange and
grapefruit league.
And at this point it might be ln-
teresting to state that it was learned
today that Savannah fans are agi-
tating to have the commissioner re-
instate Joe Jackson when Lands Wis
its that city, and will present to the
latter a petition asking that jackson
be put back into baseball. Somebody
should dig up Cramer, Hall Devlin
and Nichols Of the old Louisville club
and ask to have their names cleared
But to return TO Cincinnati pros
HDtClS. tut Ittu Wv hhN
Officials are interested in the course
events have taken. They do not dis
cuss anything for publication because
the National League season has not
yet begun. Perhaps this matter may
not come to a head before then, and
there seems TO be no particular rea-
son why Benton cannot train with
the Reds if it wishes him 10 do so.
Landis or Heydler?
The main thing toward which all
the agitation tends is whether there
is to be a man in authority in base
ball who is superior to the president
of either major league, and, if that
is the crisis which the present situa-
ton brings about, history will record
for the first time in the national
game that a major league president
becomes a subsidiary official to one
nan rule.
As one man put it: "The fireworks
now have been spanked; let the sky
rockets soar and the Roman candles
flare, be the conflagration what it
may" 1t may be inferred from that
remark that the national game is off
again to another shindy.
Thus Benton's first practice game
becomes an epoch in series of years
which is so full of epochs that little
epochs spill over the tailboard every
time the old wagon starts up.
Benton is some overweight. He did
not try to speed anything. He is
not as stout as he has been in some
spring seasons and will train down
to condition quickly. He hooked one
or two and seemed to have the utmost
confidence in his arm. He is far from
being all through as a pitcher in the
major leagues and unquestionably is
willing to try to prove it.
A Florida Ball Field.
Cincinnati is furthest east of the
major league trainers. The teams pla.
on the fair grounds here on a diamond
that is devoid of grass as a Mexican
dog of hair and that has an outfield
navigable only for craft that can ride
q rough sea.
Orlando, which represents the At
1antic side of Joe Tinker's league. is
entirely surrounded by lakes. Indeed,
there are lakes right in the town, to.
gether with orange groves, grapefruit
groves and large red poinsetta BIOS
SONS. Tinker apologized for the eli
mate "Wednesday because the wind
blew with an effect of GOODNESS.
Had it not rained for two days
nothing of the kind would have hap
pened," he said. "This is one of
! the cities of the sunshine circuit. Next
to it is Leesburg, which is up in the
country, tied to some pine trees to
keep it where it belongs. The town
threatens to develop"
IL Why This Changed Moran?
Pat Moran, not wearing a uniform
as he does in the summer season, but
clad in a suit of brown and a wide
black felt hat, directed practice. When
Pat directs ball game in the regular
season he says words. He sat on the
bench in parctice yesterday and never
opened his mouth except to save 9
!, baseball that boy was trying tC
pinch. But he never took his eyes
from the diamond, except once, AM
that was when he spotted the kid.
4 He mixed his regulars and his rock
les and played them against each othel
without consideration of their feel
ings.
Three regulars are missing. Cave
. ney, who plays shortstop in the bus,
season, is presumed to have left Cali
| fornia and is somewhere between her,
/ and the great desert. Daubert is a vic
tim Of the "flu," which chased tn
| latest train all the way from tn
north, and those who are not coughin,
are sneezing, likewise, the other wa
round, while the good folks of Or
lando console them by telling then