Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-15
Base Ball Tap Today BROWNS Formidable
STAR NOT FIGURED
IN SEASONS PLANS
burst at First, Robertson on
Third-veterans in All
Other Positions.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence of The Star.
q T. LOUIS, Mo-, April 14-The
y st. Louis Browns have pre-
- pared themselves as best they
could under the circumstances to
get along without the nonpareil
George Sisler throughout the sea-
son of 1928. With Sisler under
physicians care as a result of sinus
infection and impaired eyesight,
the effect of an influenza attack.
the Browns have come to that point
where they abandon hope OF his
presence in the lineup at any stage
of the race.
1t may be that George will return
to his place at first base in a month
or two. At least there have been
reports from his attending physician
that June l is the date set for his re-
turn unless complications set in, but
Manager Fohl and the Brownie play
ers are putting no stock in reports
these days. During the training sea-
son they had been informed at vari-
Gus intervals that Sisler would report
in a week, ten days, two weeks; and
when Sisler failed to show up they
decided that Georges case was more
serious than they had supposed, so
they trained to go into this years
battle Sislerless.
Battle for First-Base Job.
To this end Manager Foil staged
an elimination tourney at first base
and came north with Cedric burst.
last year a reserve Brownie out
fielder, as the regular. Green as
pea Of things first basic when he
took up the burden, burst, natural
player, quickly picked up the duties,
until now he is rated very capable
fielder. His left-hand hitting has
been weak-too weak, in fact-but 1t
is truth that he has good eye,
together with good base ball sense.
and may develop.
The difference between his play and
Sisters may be made up by the new
conner, Gene Robertson, at third base,
the improved pitching staff and the
determination of the veteran players
to play their heads off in an EFFORT 10
prove the club is not one-man al
fair 1t is recalled that they did this
very thing last year. when their star
pitcher, Urban Shocker, was out or
the game for weeks at an important
stage of the campaign.
In the Shockerless case the Browns
set such d pace they picked up about
eight games on the Yankees in two
weeks. They started this rush when
four games down to the New Workers,
and at the peak of the offensive they
were almost as many contests in front
of gay Gothams prima donnas.
Robertson Is Going Strong.
Robertson, Brownie, reserve short
stop in 1919 and again last year, will
be the regular third baseman this sea
son. He has benched the other four
candidates for the job-the veterans
Frank Ellerbe and Eddie Foster and
the recruits Cy Simon and Homer
Ezzel. He is superior to any third
base aspirant the Browns have had
during their present era of good base
ball.
Like burst he is natural ball play
err A st. Louis boy. he has graduated
from the corner lot to high school
and the muny leagues, to college. the
minors and the big tene He has had
experience galore-two years on the
Browns bench and two years in fast
minor society.
Robertson proved a fine defensive
player down south a ground-coVerer,
an accurate strong arm thrower. a
heady player He made one error,
this on the first chance given him,
in the fourteen games in which he
participated.
A fast man and dfminutive, with a
keen eye, he was given the lead-off
position by Manager Foil and will
start the season in that spot. on
| the southern exhibition tour he
| batted $50. ntson, therefore, in
dicates that he will be better all
round third baseman than the Browns
| had last year. This being the case,
| the infield will be better balanced
| than it was despite the absence of
Sisler, and the Browns should be in
| the race, for the other seven posi-
| tiens will be taken care of by vet
| Grams.
The keystone combination will be
M he CHI -tSfn he
| league, Walter Gerber. and by Marty
| McManus, rated as equal to any sec
| ond baseman in base ball.
! Veterans In the Outfield-
| Ken Williams home run hitter;
Bill jacobson and Johnny Tobin
| represent one of the best outfield
| combinations. in either leagues. They
| will play in the positions they oc-
| cupied last year, left, center and
right, respectively.
| Hank SEVERED, who batted 400 in
thirteen exhibition games in the
| south. has indicated that he will be
even better behind the plate this year
than he was at any other time dur
ing his career. He will handle the
bulk of the catching. Pat Collins will
on the job for an emergency.
The. pitching staff looks stronger
| than the one Manager Foil started
! to juggle at last years outset and
continued TO JupRle at the emu oI the
! season. Foil has primed SSocker and
| Pruett, sensational southpaws, and
| Van Glider for starting duty. They
! will work in the order named. The
j other veterans he will rely upon are
| pixie Davis. Ray Kolp. Wayne
| Wright, right-handers; Billy Bayne
and Dave Danforth. left-handers.
Any one of these is likely to win a
regular starting job, although 1t Is
| probable that Foil will use them only
| in soft" spots-that is, opposing
clubs they were effective against last
year.
Pitching Recruits Weak.
None of the newcomers on the
mound is looked upon as capable of
| southpaw, who was with the Browns
| last spring and who held out for more
| money this year until few days ago,
| long enough to miss the entire train
! ing trip. The other recruits are
! Kithogue, Jim Elliott and Right
Handler Charley Root, Hollis Thurston
and Lou Kraft.
With the club lined up in this man
ner the Browns look to be weaker
| than ever against left-hand pitching,
] for both burst and Robertson are
| southpaw swingers. So are Ken Will
| liams and Johnny Tobin. The at
| tack in case, however, will be helped
/ along by the pitchers, for Manager
| Foil has developed one of the best
| hitting pitching STATS in the game.
! Vangilder batted .343 last year.
GIANTS RELEASE THREE.