Evening star., 1926-03-25

Sisters problem begins easily
enough, because 1t puts him on first
base. Then it tightens at once, as he
isn't quite convinced in his own mind
whether it shall be Mellilo at second or
McManus.
Mellilo is a ball player who re-
sembles q pin wheel In the way MS
arms and legs fly around. In action,
II ia hard to tell which Is arms and
which is legs, as all of them move at
once. Now and then he makes one
think Of Herman Long who played
shortstop in the olden times for the
Boston Nationals. Long moved SO
quickly that 1t took good eye TO
keep all Of him in sight and when In
motion you might take an arm Tor
leg. or a leg for an arm were 1t not
for the fact that he did wear stock
ings over his legs.
Mellilo drops to the left side and
scoops the ball, and he drops to the
right side and scoops 1t, and the
beauty about it is that he scoops 1t.
A bali finds a large concave BOW In
the palm of his hand and finds no way
out of It.
Living Up to Reputation.
Mellilo came out of the American
Association with the reputation OF be-
ing one OF the fastest ball players
that had been picked up in that organ
izatfon in some time, and his reputa'
ton is keeping steady company with
him. He may not bat as well as Sisler
would like, and that is why he has not
tumbled right into the field and stuck
there through thick and thin.
The other problematicai second
baseman is McManus. That any one
NfcNTanlIc esaon1G in
credible, because last year, after Nc
Manus finally settled down to play
ball with the Browns. he was regard
ed as one of the fixed stars. The
Yankees were reported to be angling
for him all the Winter with bait that
would bring a shark to the surface.
Gerber Better Than Ever.
Gerber is at short and better than
ever. Some folks say that he Is the
best shortstop in the American League
and yet it is by no means assured
that he will get the shortstop's job,
for there is another infielder by the
name of Lamotte who is quite well
known up and down the American
League coast who is giving him
run for a regular berth.
Folks have argued that Robertson
had third base cinched. But he
hasn't. Sisler has McManus third
basing for him part of the time. The
fact is that the Browns have a fast
Unfolding bunch that spark up wheth-
er they are rubbed on their backs or
their ribs and that the boss of the
team is at his wits end to find which
of the combination is likely to bat
the best, for that seems to be the
main thing on Sisters mind.
The Buffalo Internationals, whom
the writer looked in on at Palmetto,
should have an infield this season as
good or better than any infleld in the
circuit.
Kelly still is at first. If he were a
little more active he would not be
with Buffalo. Possibly no young ball
player has been secuted more thor
oughly than Kelly. Yet, he still is
with Buffalo because he has one or
two defects, which, In the eye Of the
professional scout. are very serious.
At second Buffalo has the fastest
fielder in the league, and when the
season is over this youngster, Thomp-
son, should have more chances to his
credit than any other infielder in the
circuit except possibly a shortstop.
Thompson, who was obtained from the
Pittsburgh Club. and who once played
with the George Washington High
School, in New York City, is one of
the fastest infielders in class AA ball.
The shortstop is Sam Crane. Crane
is an inflelder who has heen in and
out this long time, and yet he still