The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-05-02
HEADS-UP GAME SENDS ALABAMA MEN TO MAJORS
By HORACE c. RENEGAR Associated Press Sports Writer)

TI0hNSE Os iGiNE1fAn
 Associated Press Sports Writer)
 TUSCALOOSA, Ala, April 26- Good old-fashioned heads-up base ball rather than any particular coaching system is regarded here as the. secret of the University of Alabama's phenomenal success in sending diamond stars almost di rectly from the campus to the ma jor league show.
 The jump from college to the American and National Leagues, usually considered in the realm of near-fairy tales, has become such a habit on the Alabama campus that the most rabid fan at the institution has difficulty recalling all the big-time players who ma circulated here and landed with Cleveland, the Chicago Cubs, St Louis Browns, New York Giants and other clubs within a few years.
 The proof that no individual system has made Alabama play CTS above average is the fact that students. from the Crimson Tide teams have continued developing into well known professional play. CTS under several coaches.
 Del Pratt, second baseman, was one of the first great stars the Tuscaloosans sent to the majors. He went up more years ago than the average fan can recall and stayed until some six or seven years ago. Since then, Riggs Stephenson, Joe Sewell, Luke Sewell, Ike Boone, Dan Boone, Sam Hinton, Lena Styles, Ernie Wingard, Tommy Sewell Andy Cohen and others have followed more or less in his footsteps for a time at least. Now Grant Gillis, shortstop, and Emile Barnes, out fielder, are making a spirited bid for regular berths with the Wash ington Senators.
 Stephenson and the Sewells graduated to major league ranks under the coaching of Ken Scott, late Cleveland sports editor, who was head football and baseball coach at Alabama until illness, which later caused his death, fore ed him to retire.
 Cohen is a product of Wallace Wade, who is still head coach here but has turned the reins of base ball tutelage over to Sam Hinton.
 The Tuscaloosa teams each year figure in the Dixie collegiate title chase, frequently finishing either at the top or near it. A series lost to Georgia Tech last spring probably deprived Ala bama of the conference title which went to Alabama Polytech- nic Institute of Auburn.
 AS for the prospects this sea son, Hinton is faced with the task of filling five vacancies of gradu- ates who will be seen in profess sional baseball this summer. Ray Pepper, one of last seasons grad uates, is now owned by the St. Louis Cardinals while Sidney Co., hen, of the 1927 nine, is with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. Jack Hayes, short stop of the late Crimsons has been competing with Bobby Reeves and Gillis for the Senator shortstop berth with the triangle scrap one of the most interesting in years, all being said by Clark Griffith to be of big-time calibre. Tommy Sewell, brother of Luke and Joe of Cleveland fame, is now lead off man for the Reading Keys of the International League having been farmed out by the Cubs.
 Quite few members of the 1928 squad already have attracted the attention of scouts who have seen them appear against profes- sional clubs in spring training games.