Evening star., 1927-02-17
Harris Must Soe Mound Staff Problem CrS Dates Favor Fans
IMPROVED BOX BRIGADE
SORELY NEEDED BY MATS
Despite Infield and Outfield Strength, Club Must
Show Better Pitching Than 1t Did Last Year
to Be Factor in Pennant Race.
ION must be regarded as having some

son must be regarded as having some
! significance.
AS to the others there is much
! divergence of opinion. For instance,
| Joe Carroll, the mastodonic mounds
man from Little Rock, may or may
not suffer from the effects of being
i divorced from his tonsiiS. the neceS
sity for which will cause him to he
| late getting on the job here. Ralph
Stewart from Birmingham, undoubt-
edly needs polish. In the case OF
Dick Coffman, the Chattanooga
! chucker, it Is feared that his tender
| age of 19 and consequent lack of
experience will prove too great a
handicap for him To shoulder, while
Bob Burke, former teammate of
Carroll, is SO terribly attenuated
that it is hard to conceive of him
being able 10 stand the gaff in fast
company.
Scout Joe Engels original report
on this 20-year- lad was that il
he only possessed a bit more weight
he unqualifiedly could be pronounced
| great prospect and with that end
in view Burke was sent a minute
set of instructions for dieting, eXer-
else, etc. late last Fall. This course
was prepared by well known
physician of the Capital. who spends
most of his spare time at the ball
park and has the interests Of the
team at heart. He assured the club
officials that 1t would enable the
player to put on 10 pounds in SIX
weeks.
Nothing was heard from the young
ster until he reported here this week
when, it answer to a question pro-
pounded by one of the bosses. he
sheepishly admitted he had carefully
Followed all the directions, but has
lost 10 pounds.
Might Change Diet.
AS it is, Burke. who stretches
feet 112 inches into the air, weighs a
scant $50 pounds, but if the doctor in
question can be persuaded to prescribe
something designed to make him gain
weight, there may be hope for him
yet.
For a variety Of reasons, those
whose voices in the councils of the
club merit an audience have conflict
ing notions OF the relative merits of
the candidates for box berths pending
the time when they can be tested un-
der fire.
Clark Griffith is of the opinion that
Horace Lisenbee, the lean Memphis
moundsman, is the cream of the
bunch, while Manager Harris fancies
the chances of Garland Braxton, ex-
Yankee, and Frank LOTUS, although
he may be influenced toward the lat |
ter by sentiment due to the fact that |
LOTUS halls from the hardcoal coun. |
try. just as Bucky does.
Trainer Mike Martin likes George
Murray's knuckle ball and Irving
Hadley's speed. while Coach Jack
Onslow is impressed with the size Of
Lou McEvoy and Leo Mangum.
It is not unnatural to believe that
Altrock 10 rooter for Clayton van
Alstyne, because 1t was Nick who dis |
covered him up in New England, |
while a possible explanation of the
fact that Thomas has an admirer in
Schacht is that AL and Hooky both
think lefthanded and the latter, in ad-
dition, throws that way.
With the arrival yesterday of
Catcher John Berger, the advance
squad is fully complemented except
for Joe Carroll, who Is expected inside
Of a week.