New Britain herald., 1930-03-21
WHITE S0X ARE VERY CONFIDENT
Chicago Team Has Little More
 Strength Than Last Year


 little strength that they did not have last year when they finished just one jump from the American league cellar. the 1880 Chicago White Sox are strange ly confident and hopeful for first division berth.
 A different manager and choice crop of rockies is the only real strength exhibited by the Chica- goans. The natural supposition would be that they are not quite ready 10 win a pennant, But the Sox. apparently, never heard of such line of reasoning.
 They arc whooping it up for the lkeable Donie Bush. There is spirit, a spark in camp you cant miss. Even the continued absence of Art Shires, who it appears might be permanently absent. has failed to diminish their enthusiasm. The players, to a man, believe they are headed for the first division. and Bush is not the kind of fellow to tell them differently
 We've a fine looking bunch of youngsters" said Donie. Its too early to do any predicting, but ] believe the boys are going to play some great baseball for me. l think it's safe to say we'll finish higher than last year. Improved hitting will do that"
 Partly responsible for the fine morale of the Hose is the manner in which they have cuffed the Giants about in the exhibition se- ries. Excellent pitching by veterans and rockies alike and hard hitting gave the Bush men three victories before the New Workers took yer dict. A young team, the SoX round ed into shape early and are about ready to go now.
 Except at first, where the veteran Bud Clancy has filled in for Shires during the Great Ones prolonged correspondence with headquarters, the team looks at least as strong in every department as last year, and it's pitching and hitting should show an improvem cnt Although a great spring batter. Clancy neither can field as skillfully nor hit along with Shires for full season.
 In shifting Chalmers Cissell from short to second, Bush has solved his keystone problem. The expen- sive boy from the coast looks like natural" on the right side of the diamond and he is hitting the ball hard. His change of scenery, how ever. left fine. large vacancy at shortstop, and that is where the real battle has ragged.
 Irwin Jeffries, grinnins youth from Dallas. and Ernie Smith, up from Birmingham, are scrapping it out with Bill Hunnefeld, a hold over. with no decision yet in sight. Both Jeffries and Smith hit over 300 with championship clubs last year and one of them likely will get the nod. with Hunnef1eld again booked for the utility role. Willie Kahn at third completes the in- field. John Kerr, who held down second last year, finds himself in a precarious position.
 Smead Jolly, strapping slugger from San Francisco, who has hit around 400 regularly for several years. is the prize addition to the outfield. He reported late and has yet to prove that he can do big league pitching that way. but Bush expects him to break up a flock of ball games. Between him and regular trick in the pasture patrol arc the fleet Carl Reynolds, John WatWood. and Alex Metzler, rcgu- lars last year. and Jimmy Moore, George Blackerby and Dave Harris, three hard hitting newcomers. Moore, who batted at a .J64 clip for Dallas last year, appears the most promising of the latter trio, though he is nursing q broken fin ger at present.
 Two youngsters from lesser leagues are being counted upon to bolster somewhat wobbly mound staff. They are Vic Trasicr. a cool right handler whose pitching fea- tured Dallas drive to the 1929 Texas league flag, and Pat Caraway, a southpaw who compiled a re- markable record with Topeka of the Western league,
 Forming the back bone of the staff the the ageing Urban Fabcr AL phonse Thomas and Ted Lyons, who know what it is all about. If they have q good year, and l1rasier and CaraWay live up to their promise, the SoX should be capable of deal ing some misery. Other holdovers. none Of whom did extensive pitch ing last year, are Grady Adkins. Harold Mckam Ed Walsh. jr, Ted Blankenship, Bob Weiland and George Connally Two, maybe three Of them, seem due for the tall and uncut.
 The catching will be in very capable hands, with Morris Berg, Martin Aury and Johnny Riddle ready 10 go, Berg again is expected 10 bear the brunt, with Autry do- ins first relief. Riddle is q brilliant rl.c,.eL-t