San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-02
Foster Even Puts the Soft
Pedal on What Looks
Like the Best Pitching
Staff in the American
League, Because That's
the Way II Looked Last
Year.
BY JOHN Il. FOSTER.

here TO train, feel as backward as
violets in Labrador in February.
The players haven't lost their win
ter chill. 4 few times they have been
blessed with sunshine. Then, daring
to cut loose. which is the baseball
vernacular for throwing and running
with all steam on, they have acquired
a good sweat. The next day, with the
wind frisking back TO the east. they
have run for their sweaters and dom
ned their arctics.
Were you to take the Yanks as
they are now and rest easy on their
ability TO win the championship in
their league. the awakening would be
like that of the slumbering man who
fell out Of the tail end of the lumber
wagon when the mules in their frolic-
some manner ran away. They are
behind the pace which they have set
in the past and which they must set
by several incidental mile posts.
They're Not Hitting.
They have not dashed very heavily
| into their batting. They aren't hit
ting with the freedom of players who
| begin TO feel that the season is near
ing. rs witness the games with
Brooklyn Nor do they heft their bats
with the ranturous fondncss of small
boys who wish that batting might be
all of baseball and fielding be reserv-
ed for the pupils who are to be
punished.
There is a rare contrast between
the players of the Brooklyn club and
the Yanks. In fact, there are several
contrasts which will develop as the
season moves forward. A principal
contrast is in complexion. The
Brooklyns are tanned rich choco-
late, as. il they had been spending
their days at the equator. The Ynnks
look bleachcd, not having had suf-
ficient sun to wear away the winter
whitewash.
BY force of circumstances, standing
pat. the Yanks may be in the position
of the Cleveland club which. after
winning the championship, felt that
it had yet another title in its circula-
ton and held onto its players until
they became anaemic. Then Cleve-
land had to rebuild and the club has
been rebuilding ever since.
Looks Gloomy, Mates.
| 1t is not fair 10 the American
League champions. who are evident
" not in their very best condition
at this moment. 10 say that they are
not likely TO repeat their victory this
year. but il is fully as apparent as
the lighter in a cigar store that they
are against the hardest fight they have
had since they welded into a cham
| pionship machine. 1t is equally ap-
/ hot tha.. ,,,nrino
slowly toward the zenith of their sue
cess, so far as training goes, than
they would like to move. They arc
by no means in as good condition as
Detroit, the White Sox. the Athletics
or Cleveland and Washington for
that matter.
Lack of condition will not have the
! least effect on their team work. That
is something other than condition.
Poor condition will prevent good team
work but poor condition will not last
forever unless team is paying toll
to time.
Ruth is thin and vet he looks well.
His surplus. weight that bothered him
in 1922 has been dissipated into the
universe. He does not need to train.
Take look at him and you will say
! that he needs to take it easy and
| enjoy recreation in the open rather
than to over-exert himself chasing
around the field. The better that he
builds up for hard season. the bet
ter it will be for the Yanks. He
begins playing as the curtain rises
this season with no message of Christ
mas greeting from the commissioner
of baseball.
Ruth Center Of Hopes.
Ruth can't win the pennant alone.
The point is whether he cannot have
much better year than he had last
season and that is one Of the founda-
ton sections in the campaign of 1923
which has been laid by the Yankee
board of strategy. Much of the Yanks'
hope is built on the possibility that
Ruth will come back full tilt. IL he
does, 'the future will have its happier
days untir>t the result is decided one
way or the other, and il he does not
old Bill Crouch and all the little
Grouches are going to sing, "Oh. them
were the happy days, long ago."
Witt should start well. He is es-
sentially spring player. The fever
Of youth courses through his juglar
very fast in April, MAY and June.
Meusel certainly looks fit this spring.
IL Ruth fails for lack of by strength
for he has been hit hard by the
"flu"-Meusel is going TO take up
some of the slack BY his own better
work. Offhand,. it is worth venture
to say that Meusel will play better
ball for the Yanks this season than
he has played since he has been a
member of the team. That's help.
Dugan and Ward,ar in fine trim to
the outward eye. Pipp played his
best baseball in 1922. II that was
his noon mark, he at least should
come close to reaching it again. His
agility at first is not quite what it
will be when the sun gets warmer
in the North, but his batting seems
to have started where he dropped it
and went home to hibernate. De-
lightful omen for the Yanks in that
it was the good work Of Pipp which
helped the Yanks a lot last season
when the field crowded thickest to-
ward the finish.
Schang has added another year. II
he should happen to be injured, it will
help youngster to come through. but
it may also upset team that finds
pointed bayonet thrust its way
wherever IL turns.
Same Stuff About Pitchers.
The pitchers of the Yanks are a.
wonderful lot when you look them
over. 1T not one of them is to have
bad year what in the world can be
done with all Of them? Four pitchers
are enough for any championship