Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-04-12
(By the R)

Aged salary whips topped by wise
cid baseball heads ana the money
wings of impatient youth anxious
for first taste Of major league
aiorv. ouivered alike today as the
hammer lifted on the gong to an
nounce the opening a another base
ball season.
pennant winning predictions We're
tabled for future reference. All of
ficial statements were in and all
that remained of .the preliminaries
was to stage a few parades and toss
out the first ball on eight major
league battlefields. But Mr.. Fan, fed
up on the dope was prepared to
lerch in the bleachers and figure it
all out for himself.
His show me" attitude, an an
nual scepticism, brought his critical
gaze to the aged legs of Ty Cobb,
Eddie Collins and Zach Wheat,
novitiates gathered in the Philadel-
phia fold to add the punch which
experts believe will bring the Ameri-
can league flag to the Athletics in
September. However, he will watch
closely the New York Yankees,
champions of 1925, for out in the
sun gardens, the American league
champions have a $1,000 punch"
of their own that overshadows even
dope sheets
Last year the Yanks were picked
to wander in the gloom of secoEd
division because of kid infield that
could hit, out wasn't expected to
do so we'll on ground balls and q
pitching staff that was canny but
ancient as pitching staffs go.
But the punch of the Babe and his
mates pulled the through. Now al
though the kids of the infield are
veterans, another year has been add,
ed to the arms of Herb Pennock
Bob Shawkey, Urban Shocker, Dutch
Ruether and Waite Hoyts. Ruth
however again may deliver the de-
Gliding blow.
Despite. the widely prevalent ex~.
pectation that the Yankees ano
Athletics will club it out between
themselves, there is at least susa
nicion among the fans west of the
Alleghenies that if the pennant race
is to be decided ON punch Detroit
will be reckoned with. The Tigers
have a combined outfield wallop that
is second to none and an all-aroune
attack that will make many a Pitch
er's fternoon unpleasant
N Then too, iris Speakers big bat
will reinforce the clubs of Goose
Goslin, Sam Rice, Joe Judge and
Hucky Harris in the Senator fold,
while Cleveland generally is placec
in the first five" among the con-
tenders, i5argely because Of the
strength of the Indian hurting corps
Mr.. Fan may be interested in the
possibilities of the new pilots at the
helms Of the White Sox, st. Louis
crowns and Red Sox but apparently
he does not consider them dangerous
pennant factors.
Although critics foresee Pitthurgh
and New York locked in titantic
struggle from the start in the Ma.
tional league, the bleacher expert
likes the appearance of the Giants
for they, too are q gang of slug
gers. Rogers Hornsby, clouting in
Athe form that brought him cham
pionships, furnishes a marked con-
trast to the second base situation in
the Pirate outfit where, Hal Rhyme,
a comparatively weak sticker. has
the call over several rivals.
"Theres base hits in that out
field" the fan muses. as he runs his
eye over the list of Eddie Roush,
George Harper, Al Tyson, Heinie
Mueller, chief among the Giant gard :
eners. But, in rebuttal, the Pirates
have such ciouters as Paul Waner
and Hazen Cuyler in the outer works
plus an infield GORDON with etars
such as Traynor ana Wright, who
rank we'll up with the Hornsby-led
Giant cast.