, 1923-03-11
ARMY Of
ROCKIES AFTER
BIC TINE JOBS
Large Crop Made Good Last
Year; Another Big Crowd
Trying This Spring.
BY I. e. sANBoRN.

With all the confidence Of youth a
small army OF ambitious baseball
players. eager TO graduate from the
minors to the majors. is busy right
now plugging through the prelimi-
nary preparations, for the final
exams" which viii decide how many
OF them are ready to advance to the
freshmen class IN the big leagues and
how many may try again after an
other year in the prep" ranks.
Five weeks moro will bring them
up to h eve of the championship
season. when the real test for some
of them win commence. And In the
interval a lot Of them will have con
WINGED their teachers that IT would be
OF little use TO let them even try to
pass the examination for entrance
into last company. These early fall
ures will be sent hack shortly for
more schooling or FOR life. depending
on what amount Of budding ability
they can demonstrate to watchful
managers during the training trip.
The ans are divided in heart inter-
est between eagerness for new faces
in the old green diamond frame and
loyalty 10 the old ones. That is what
creates so much interest in the spring
doingH down south. The rooters
want to know Just as soon as DOS
sible-what h new crop of players is
going TO be and the task of telling
them is about as hazardous as that
OF the weather f~orecaster. All signs.
portents and indications go wrong
one way or another sometimes. The
rookie that shines best In the pre-
i'mlnaries may lack the heart to
make the major league grade while
tho less fashy prospect may develop
latent qualities that will make him
n winning bail player.
1922 Youngsters Make Good.
VIII the crop of new talent be Ms
generous in 1923 MS that of last Year,
That is a question often asked. but
the answer cannot be given correctly
until next all after a seasons test
under big league fire. There was an
unusual harvest Of future greats in
1929. and II is doubtful IL It can be
equaled this year. partly because
conditions viii be different.
Opportunity viii not be as large a
factor in the development OF new tai
ent this year as It wal last. The big
leagues had not recovered in 1929
lTbA lnt itAh NtIIs hItillY AOlAOM
Ing the world war, when mightiar
events than pennants occupied the
minds and time Of the youth of the
land. The aging Of the veterans
went right along just the same. but
the. development Of young players
was reduced to a minimum and some
who had made good in the majors
did not return to the game when
they were discharged from service.
That gave the recruits OF last year
a chance to I'll regular positions in
greater numbers than ever before and
proved the contention Tint the som
fdonce that c with n regular job
helps many n rookie 70 make good.
It is impossible within brief space
to cataiog and comment on all the
young players who broke into the big
tent last season. and no two people
probably would agree on the exact
definition Of making good. But II Is
ossible to name n score OF lads who
made places for themselves in the
ranks in 1929. and It is doubtful II
the coming season can equal that
showing.
National Gets Best Break.
The National league seems TO have
better than the American in the
OF now blood last year. but
that may so because Il needed more
OF i. At thai the difference was not
great numerically. and may be only
apparent.
Although no attempt viii be made
here 70 name all who earned permn-
nent big league Jobs, nc N can
doubt that at least eleven OF them
the National league deserved #,