The Washington times., 1929-02-13


play first base for Chicago ne.
fail to hit up to big league ST
Lena BlackbOurne, White Sox,
manager who knows his oats when
it comes to handling men has this
much to offer about his club:
II had Bib practicing at the in.
itial hassock a good bit last sum.
mer and he handles his dogs in
great fashion. And of course he
can smack that apple. My outfield
is strong and in case of necessity
1 could spare him."
Connie had a feeler' out. an
offer to swap Hale and Perkins
for Falk but l turned thumbs
down on the deal.
"But, here is = hot one," con.
tinues BIackburne. Eddie Col
Inns came to me while the deal
was being talked Of and re.
marked.
LENA, Hale would make
great man for you or st. Louis, or
any other second division club.
There is one to make your
grandmother do a flip flop. put.
ting me and my club in the second
division before the season has
started.
''You know what answered
don't you? l said that in that case
he had better keep Hale with the
Athletics.
II think the White Sox are going
to be right up in the race from the
start. All we need is q good catcher.
First base we have discussed. At
second. we have youngster, named
Swanson and Kerr, a, comparative
kid from the Pacific Coast League.
who had a cup of coffee with the
Detroit club a few years back. /
understand he has the fight and
we want that. CisselI will be At
short and am going to room
with the boy where we can talk
things over.
''WiIIie Kamm had his hest
year last season at the hot
corner and he win play his
head off for me. Our OutfieId
is powerful and the pitching
staff great.
Our strength on the mound
makes 1t necessary to bring the
boys out for morning practice. Why,
when Comiskey sent out the con.
tracts to some OF the boys this
winter with figures that did not
suit them and a few comments
about what they had not done, they
wrote back: How do you know
Whist we can do? We never get
in the game and we don't have a
chance to work out in the morning"
The White Sox, following in the
footsteps of many other major
league clubs, are taking but few
rockies South.
For . month or more the
fans will hear of this and that
phenOm or Of potential pennant
winners, and what not.
When it comes down to cases,
however, the same old stake horses
viii be at the barrier. The chances
OF several of the evenly balanced
clubs depend upon just what added
strength Is developed among new.
comers. The percentage usually is
small--very.
Records show that about one out
of ten of the rockies makes good
the first year. About the same per.
centage OF veterans hit the tobog-
gan.
The only sound method of calcu-
lating chances is in estimating the
basic strength of the several clubs.
The surprises come from the unex-
pected discoveries of new material.
It's pretty certain that when the
situation is summed up in April the
clubs in the National League con.
sidered as contenders will be the
Giants, the Cubs, the Pirates and
the Cardinals. They have the foun.
dation on which pernant winners
can be built with little help.
In the American League the OK.
perts very likely will center on the
Yankees. the Athletics. the Browns
and the Griffmen as the first group
of pennant possibilities.
The most interesting feature of
the American League race is the
chance the Yanks have Of winning
a fourth pennant in succession.
Once before they won three only TO
fall down on the fourth. Many
baseball men express a fear that
something will happen to break the
streak of this remarkable ball club.
1t may be pitchers failing to toe
the mark or 1t may be accident and
illness. Anything can happen to
a ball club over a stretch Of six
months.