Evening star., 1936-01-29
TALENT IS SCARCE
IN MACK'S ODD LOT
Team at That Might Manage
to Beat Out White Sox,
Browns This Year.

TN DEFIANCE to those who claim
he will not have any team this
year, Connie Mack will take SO
players-the word is used some
what advisedly-to his Fort Myers,
Fla. training camp next month. The
majority of the Athletics are strang-
erS to most base ball folks. Mr.. Mack
may have recruited them from the
telephone book, but they will eat just
as much as the team he sold off to
Boston, Detroit and Chicago and play
to the same number of empty seats
when the season gets under way at
Shibe Park.
Comics new team may be worse
than the ones he had after the break
up of his 1914 champions, but that is
doubtful. 1t would be impossible for
any one man ever to collect gang
equal to the ones which misrepre-
sented Philadelphia around 1920. MIR
Mack may pull surprise on the boys
who have nominated him to finish
eighth in the American League. He
might finish sixth or seventh, for
neither the White SoX nor Browns are
going to be hard to beat off and when
all things are considered, the Athletics
still have few capable hands.
Has Possible Outfield.
'HE old man can rig up passanle
outfeld with Bob johnson. Wally
Moses and Lou Finney on patrol. That
trio certainly is superior to any the
White Sox or Browns can muster. On
the infield he will have Oglesby, a
first baseman up from Los Angeles;
Rabbit Warstler, Lamar Newsome and
Frank Higgins. Oglesby was a demon
hitter on the Pacific coast. Warstler
is a ne fielder although shy of hit
ting power, and Higgins is one of the
outstanding third basemen of the
league.
Among the Philadelphia pitchers is
Whitley Wilshere from the University
of Indiana, who gave indications of
having a good left-handed hook last
season and with experience may de-
Velop into a star Wilshere is with
the proper club to get experience; with
the Athletics he can work almost
every day.
There are better pitchers in the
game than George Blaeholder, Leroy
Mahaffey, Gordon Rhodes and Henry
johnson, but there also are few worse
earning their pay in the majors. Mack
might get some help from Bill
Dietrich. AL Benton, Harry Kelley, up
from Atlanta after many years Of
Eervitude in the Southern Association; !;
Upchurch and Turbeville. Connie also
has a mess of other pitchers on his
roster and while their deeds are un-
known to most there always is the
chance that one or two may have the
stuff.
No Good Catching.
CONNIE will be short of good catch
~ ing, but he has had no good re-
Oeivers since Cochrane was sold, so
that's nothing new. Frank Hayes, a
youngster who showed flashes of hit
ting skill couple of years ago, is back
from a stretch in the minors and may
be ready. Otherwise the aged Charlie
Berry will have to hobble around back
of the plate. Mack also has Savino
the catcher obtained in one of the
Boston deals, but Savino probably
won't finger long.
There will be little incentive for the
Athletics to play with any great
enthusiasm, but individually some of
the men will hustle on the chance
that Connie may sell them to real
big league club. There are several
teams which covet Higgins, Moses and
Bob johnson and Wilshere would be
an acceptable acquisition for any team
with pennant ambitions. Chances are
that Mack will dispose of the good
players he has left, either during the
coming season or next Winter, as he
likely will be in need of more cash.
One would hesitate to nominate the
Athletics for anything but eighth place
in the American League, but it is no
certainty the team will finish last
until the caliber of the White Sox,
Browns and Washington has been
tested. On paper those three do not
look any too hot and should Connie
be lucky enough to nd two or three
good youngsters out Of the mess he is
taking to Florida the old man might
unset ipt Of Winter r,rndictionc