San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-23
Brooklyn Building Around
Moundsmen, Says Tour
ing Critic, After His
Daily Real Estate AID for
the Grapefruit League.
By JOHN IL. FOSTER.


Clearwater, Fla, March 23.-No
matter which way YOU turn in Clear
water YOU are surrounded with beauty
or find Brooklyn pitcher on the
| corner. 1t is place of flowers,
| fruits and wonderful marine view.
Looking out toward the gulf no one
wonders that men travel thousands of
miles to fish here and looking into
the handsome little ball park that
has been built especially for Brook
| lyn. there is no wonder that Brook
| lyn has selected the town for training
quarters for the next two years and
perhaps indefinitely.
The weather and nature have been
kind TO the teams in Florida. this
spring Training conditions have
been superb and the grounds are vast
ly better than the diamonds of old
which had no turf and were inches
deep in sand Brooklyn has grass
infield which is as good as their own
at home
Men go out from the landing in
boats and come back with huge king
fish. Up the coast they catch tar
pom. Robinson. the Brooklyn man
ager. sits on the sunny porch of his
cottage and tells about Brooklyn
pitchers who are bigger than tarpon.
For he has gathered wonderful col
catching few king fish on his own
account.
At Last a Team With Pitchers.
Brooklyn had pitching staff last
year. 1t was reputed to be as good
as any and sometimes it was.- Some
times it was better than any and
sometimes it was like rhinoceros meat
hash. In 1923 the conditions are
coming mp again where Brooklyn will
begin with pitchers even if there are
abundant experiments on the infield
and perhaps a shift in the outfield.
Grimes seems to be in much better
condition than he was in 1922. Very
likely it is because he went TO Hot
Springs TO boil out. If that helped
him SO has the climate here helped
him. He has been lucky enough to
wander under the rays Of the sun
that is helping all good pitchers to
condition and the combination of Hot
Springs and Clearwater-nOte the
prohibition villages-will make this
spitballcr good pitcher this season
or it will prove that the Spitballers
are out in the National League.
Shriver, who did So well last year
that Robby has refused more than one
offer for him, is another who may
have a good season. In fact. all of
the so-called old-timers look good.
Of the new pitchers. there is Dick
erman. who was with Memphis last
year and who won about two-thirds
of his games. Everybody who had
that he would make n good pitcher for
brooklyn. He stands more than six
feet high and he is raw-boncd. He
has hands in which he can hide the
ball and he has been instructed thus
early how to hide it when he is on
the rubber to pitch. Robbv looked
at him five minutes before he found
possibilities in him and he seems to
be another of those better pitchers
which Brooklyn appears able to pick
up when other teams miss them all
around.
Ollingcr is a pitcher who played
ball down here in Florida last season
and Robby believes that he can make
star out of him.
Grand New Infield.
Some of the ball PLAYERS of other
clubs against which Brooklyn has
played were asked what they thought
of the three new infielders who have
been tried out Most of them inclined
very favorably toward Mullen at
third. He had a good reputation in
the Southern Association last year
and he is apt TO take it along with
him to Brooklyn and elsewhere. Stew
art. who plays second base for Brook
lyn. is liked down in this part of the
world because he has played in the
South.
The combination has been Stewart
at second. Jimmy Johnston at short
and Mullen at third, with Schleibner
of Little Rock in more recent practice
playing first better than he did when
he began. He is slow starter. He
is not so tall as some first-basemen
but he is thick and lands on the ball
as if he meant 10 put everything
over the fence.
With this pony infield playing for
Brooklyn. pony with the exception of
Jimmy Johnston who may be captain
of the team. it is not possible TO get
a line on what the regulars may do.
But suppose that the nony infield
should make good. IL, by some
chance of baseball luck. all these
youngsters are about to blossom into
their better baseball. the BroOklyns
would take the field with team that
would carry a threat with it every
minute> because of its pitchers.
Building OH Pitchers.
That is the only way in which you
can reason out the poise of this pres
ent combination. II is true that the
arrangement may collapse before the
season begins. but as it is going it
is evident that Brooklyn is building
for success with combination of
young and veteran pitchers and with
determination to give the younger
fielders every opportunity TO show
what they can do. After ALL. it is
about as sensible solution MS any
that can be found because there is so
much TO gain if only half the arrange
ment goes right. and there is nothing
to be gained if the team were to keep
Pom as it played and finished last sea-
son.
That Rrook1vn hoe ,,ovar e., ;nJ;