Evening star., 1926-03-22

No one will exactly pick Cleveland
TO win the pennant in 1925. and yet
If the team got going on what II has.
shown from season to season II might "
stand the ma ior circuit of its affilia
ton on it's blooming head. A dark
horse is about what Cleveland is, but
the tar is on 50 thick that ayhe
they can't get it scraped away. -.
While the C1evelands have their
infield problem and their outfeld
problem. the big question lies with
the pitchers. If Chle comes up with
something and Shaute comes back
with what he had two years ago. and
Sherry Smith is himself and three or.
four other things happen in the pitch
ing line. including Levsen. as likely
as not the Indians will do the scalp
dance more often than the skirt
dance. p
Must Have Good Pitching. e..
But this pitching outfit must do
something. The team is hopeIesslv'
beset with trouble without good pitch
ing, because there are weaknesses
that are going tn hurt like hiAzse n
the pitchers can't keep the defense
IN. ''
Shaute looks good. He has been
pitching well. Strange case, his"
Two years ago every American
League manager was saying:
"1f only ! had him" This season
he hobs up with speed and q curve
hall that whips itself around the hat
ters' legs a il did in his good seas son.
and If he is like the tyrical leftha nder"
II Is sure that he will have a good
year.
Buckeye Is First Choice.
Buckeye. of course. is more or less
first choice and the best het for Cleve-
land. 1t is pretty generally figured
that he will he one of the stars Of
the American League pitching out
hit in 1926. If he is and Shaute turns
IN with something. the Indians can
bother the clubs that do not like left
handlers
The third haseman business also
has it's influence on the Cleveland
destiny. They got Hodapp from
indianapolis by paying large sum
of cash last year. Hodapp in 1924
doomed as the best Young ball player
in Florida. but no one took him be
cause all of the big managers figured
he needed seasoning and they wanted
1ndanapoli to finish the job.
Of course. if Lutzke ever gets In
the game as he should there is no
one likely TO put him out. Speaker
can't think Of Hodapp except at third
base. He does not want TO shift Joey
Sewell from short. hecaus Joey can
surely hat and without batting C1eve-
land will have 4 unanimous struggle
to do any better than it did last year.
Orioles Sire Up Well.
The writer dropped in on the BAH
timore Orioles AZ their Punta Gorda
training camp and found Boley ap-
parently anchored TO the Baltimore
club until death do us part" be-.
cause Jack Dunn can't seem to hitch
up with the Chicago Cubs for trade.
| No attempt Is made in these parts
! to deny that the Cubs were after
Boley, but no one gets ball player
| from Baltimore without paying fully
| for value received.
How this will affect Joe McCarthys-
! plans Is a question. He surely did
want Boley. no matter what any in
dividual says. and Boley would have
done the Cubs immediate good. And
the Cubs must have a lot of imme-
diate good if they are to get any,
where.
Baltimore expects to win another
championship this year. and II prob
ably will. AS Dunn has been beating
around the bushes as usual and dig,
ging up ball players that NO one else
seemed to he able to perceive
Monahan Looks Promising.
He has picked up a young first
haseman named Monahan. whom ha
found around the Midatla ntic League.
This kid has started out as if he
will take the International League
by storm.
Dunn has Maisel at third base.
Baltimore fixture with nearly all the
pennants that have been won, and
Corn is in right field. while Walker
plays left and Fisher center. All of
these boys hit the ball more or less
hard. Sandqulst is at second base.
and with any kind of pitching Dunn
sees no reason why the other clubs
of the International League should.
stop his pennant iuggernaut in 1925.