Evening star., 1933-03-22
LONG DEPRESSION
HELD ABOUT OVER
Simmons, Dykes and Haas
Reasons for Prosperity
Hoving in Sight.
By STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.

r Prosperity in general may
L or may not be a long way
around the corner. But re-
gardless of where it is, the big
White SoX depression shows un-
mistakable signs at last of being
alleviated.
The big Sox depression, as you may
recall, is almost a whitc-whiskered
veteran compared to the other depres-
sion they're talking about nowadays. 1t
started about a dozen years ago when
the late odd Roman wrecked a great
ball club and his heart for the good
of the game. It has held on tenaciously
through all the intervening years. SEEM
lng!y sinking lower and lower, until at
last it appears to be on the rebound.
Not in a good many past seasons
have the Sox popped up in the Spring
with an outfit that appears as good to
the eye as the cast assembled this
Spring. So maybe the big depression
is going to begin easing up after al.
NATURALLY there IS one big reason
~ why the Sox appear TO be SO
perked up this Sqring-in fact.
Dykes and Mule" Haas, late Of the AS.
One couldn't ada three players like
them to any ball club without helping
1t nightly And when you add them
to a team that needed help as badly
as the Sox you can imagine what they
mean. They've turned a strictly medi-
ocre team into what appears now to
be a pretty good one-probably not a
first division outfit, considering the class
Of the Yanks. the AS, the Senators and
Indians, but nevertheless one that ought
to be strong enough, with an even
break In luck. TO be making stabS at
the first division.
The addition Of the ex-As not only
gives the Sox three skillful players
afield, but more important. it adds a
great deal more punch at the plate.
commodity in which the Chicago South
Siders were badly lacking last season.
A little more power at bat and they
would have won quite few more ball
games than they Gid last year.
Both Simmons and Haas should hit
over 800 for them-they did last sea-
son-and that's going to be a god
send. Dykes. of course, won't hit as
much. but he'll plug glaring and pain
l.
has existed ever since Willie Kamm
was wrapped up and shipped to C!eve-
land.
A PROBABLY true assumption is
"A that Simmons will be the spark
plug of the team. Naturally much
will depend on his physical condition,
about which there has been consider
able mystery this Spring. He spent
weeks at Hot Springs getting relieved
Of some diseased teeth which apparently
were causing rheumatism that settled
in his right wrist and hand.
Simmons reported late to the Sox
camp here, but when he did show uD
there seemed to be little wrong with
him physically. He said the soreness
was gone from his wrist, and the wick
edneSs with which he has been swing
ing bat proves his assertion.
Simmons and Haas are a cinch for
regular outfield berths and Manager
Lew FonSeca will have to choose be-
tween three others for the third gar
dener-"Red" Kress, Elias Funk and
Eyar Swanson. The assumption is Kress
Will be in there most of the time be-
cause OF his hitting ability The big,
good-natured redhead had a tough
season last year, but he has been bang
ing the ball better than anybody else
IN camp this Spring and appears to be
IN for one of his old-time good years
he used to have with the Browns.
Funk Is the best outfelder of the
three, but the little fellow NAV not
hit well enough TO play regularly. The
same is true of Swanson. However.
both are certain to be retained. since
the Sox have only five outfelders on
the squad
THE tnfield seems to be entirely set
L already The release of the grace
ful and valuable Ju Blue means
that Manager Fonseca will get back
INTO the game as the regular first
baseman. Normally Fonseca is a 300
hitter. so he should add some more
punch to the Sox at the plate. Jack
Hayes, one of the young fielding mar
vels of the majors, will be back at
second base He doesn't hit so we'll, but
he makes up for it afield.
Luke Appling. always a dangerous
hitter, will be at his old spot at short
and the youngster should be-and ap-
pears to be-a better ball player this
Spring. Dykes, of course. will be at
third without argument and his pres
ence will mean a vast improvement to
the Sox infeld
Charley Berry and Frank Grubbe still
are the first-string catchers and as
for pitchers Fonseca has one of the
most extensive veteran stafs in the
league. His chief trouble is going to
be the task of wedding out that staff
and retaining the or 10 hurlers he'll
need.
They include Ted Lyons, "Red" Faber,
Sam Jones. Milt CASTOR. Chad KIM
Sey, Ed Durham. late of the Red SoX:
Vic Frasier and Paul Gregory. young
ster who shows much promise. It'll
be hard to oust any of those eight.
The others are Clarence Fieber. a kid
southpaw who is the only lefthander
on the squad and who looks quite
good; Joe Heving, Ed Walsh, jr; Joha
Wilson, George Murray, Fabian Ko-
Walk and Carl Boone. another Young
fellow who throws well. Probably two
or three of the latter assortment will
be retained, but it is hard to tell Just
yet which ones they'll be.
Copyright, 1893. by North American News