The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-03-11
BY Billy Evans

American League Umpire and NEA Service,
Sports Expert
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla, March
1.-THE st. Louis Browns, training
here, are going to be a much i'm
proved baseball machine over the
1926 model.
You ask why, as you remind me
it is much the same team that failed
so dismally last, season.
Truei 1t is much the same team,
but you would never recognize them
as the athletes go through their
spring training to fit themselves for
the long grind.
AS 1 watched Manager Howley-
they call him 'Howling Dan," and I
might add that his voice is already
in midsseeson form-put his players
over the jumps for two hours, three
things impressed me most forcibly.
First, the spirit of the club. Not
in years have seen Brownie team
show so much interest in it's work.
Every player on the field seemed to
be taking his task seriously, intent
upon fitting himself to win regular
berth.
In Fine Condition
Second, the fine condition of the
team for so early in the year. 1t
seemed the players realized the new
manager must be shown and, with
that in mind, only one or two report
ed overweight.
Third, the fact that Howley ap
pears to have added considerable
strength to his lineup through the
acquisition of several veterans of
known ability and a. number of
mighty promising recruits.
Dan Howley, who Is to lead the
Browns this year as the successor
of the popular George Sisler. is q
hustler himself and fairly exudes
the old fighting spirit. He insists
his players show the same stuff.
Last year he won a pennant for
Toronto, dethroning Jack Dunn at
Baltimore, after Dunn had reigned
supreme for seven consecutive
years. He followed this by de-
feating Louisville, champions of
the American Association, in FIVE
straight games.
The Toronto club of 1926 was a
colorful, hustling aggregation that
produced results. Howley intends
that the Browns of this year have
color as we'll as hustle. He insists
those two assets invariably bring
winning results.
Sisler on First
1t strikes me that his infield will
be made up of Sisler at first, Melillo
at second, Gerber at short and Null
len at third. In reserve he has
Frank O'Rourke, great defensive
player and one of the snaartest in
the majors. He also has Shortstop
Otis Miller, of Toronto.
Sisler and Gerber are regulars of
last year. Melillo, who played every
position in the inf1eld except first,
will be used at his regular position,
| second. Mullen, who had a brief
trial with the Detroit Tigers last
spring. will play third. He had a
big year at Toronto under Howley.
In addition to his holdover out
fielders of last season, Harry Rice,
Bennett, Ken Williams and Bins
Miller, Howley has the highly-touted
Fred Schultz.
Schultz is a big husky fellow,
built along the lines Of Harry
Hellmann, except that he is per-
haps twenty pounds lighter. He
hits right-handed and takes q mean
cut at the ball. In the field he is
surprisingly fast, a fine performer.
| 1t will be mighty hard to keep this
young man out of the lineup.
The pitching will be much the
same, plus Sam Jones, veteran star
from the New York Yankees, and
Walter Stewart, a snappy looking
and acting left-hander, another
Howley protege from Toronto.
The veteran Steve ONeill is the