The Washington times., 1936-02-06
StursGOne,
ASHopes
Faint

This Is the SeUenth of q series
of stories on hoD the major
league clubs tDiLl line up this
spring. The Philadelphia Ath-
lettcS are discussed today. The
Chicago Cubs tDill tolIotD tomor-
TotD.
BY FRANK BUCK" O'NEILL
The class in mathematics will
now come to order. The Philadel-
phia Athletics finished last in
1885, "a games or thereabouts be-
hind the Detroit Tigers. The Ath-
letics then had Jimmy Foxx, Eric
McNair, Johnny Marcum and
Roger Cramer in the lineup. How
many games will be added to the
"loSt" side of the column by sub
tracing Foxx and McNair and the
rest Of those boys from the roster?
The first boy or girl solving that
problem will receive 'arf a pint Of
empty peanut shells, which will be
twice the probable attendance at
Shibe Park next summer.
Conceding the Athletics that
grand old American chance to per-
form miracle, it is hard to figure
them as anything but a dismal
last. In fact, they may possibly
equal or surpass their American
League record of winnins only 80
games in a season. Very few peo-
pie If any are greatly interested
in watching team make record
for defeats. 1t is a matter of his.
tory that Boston fans lighted bon
fires on the Commons after the
Braves and Red Sox snapped out
Of their losing Streaks which lasted
approximately three weeks.
Strength in Outfield
The strength of the Athletics is
concentrated in their outfield. AS
the team is seen at this writing,
Bob johnson will be in left field,
and right good ball player he is.
johnson hit .299 last year, but
slapped % home runs over the
fences Of the league. Wallie
Moses is a good outfielder, and
Louis Finney is another. Moses
nit 1926, and Finney clicked at a
.273 clip or thereabouts.
Now when you've said that,
you've told the tale of the Ath.
letics. No other department of
the club compares with the outer
patrol.
At third base Frank Higgins
stands out among the infielderS
OF the league. The Athletics
placed a tag on his sleeve marked
$4,000. Warstler is a good ball
player at short, and Newsome is
about average at second base.
Goodness knows who win play
first base, but its a cinch that he
will remind the Quaker City ma.
tiveS of Foxx.
Mack Hopes for Best
The veteran catcher, Charley
Berry stands out as the best re-
ceiver on the Philadelphia pay roll
this year. Conroy, Hayes, Patten,
and Savino are aSpirants for place
with the team. They are promis-
ing youngsters, all of them, but
how well they will pan out is an
other thing entirely. However,
with that amazing capacity for
treating each year as a new ad-
venture, Connie Mack is hopeful
for the best.
AS the team is set forth on
the roster just come to hand, the
man who looms as the leading
pitcher of the Athletics is Vernon
Wiltshire. This young southpaw
finished twenty-eighth in the
earned run ratings of the Amer.
ican League last year, winning
nine games and losing as many.
He allowed fraction more than
four earned runs per nine-inning
game.
AL Benton may develop into a
good pitcher this season. He is
young and big and strong. But
off last years record he won't
do much. He allowed only seven
runs per nine-inning game. Harry
Kelly, of Atlanta, a man whose
age never passes the 30-year
notch, come wind, hail or fire,
is another pitcher. He was with
the Giants, who left him in Mem
phis half a dozen years ago. Now
he is in the American League.
Heigho. it is hot in the sum-
mer in Philadelphia, even with a
good team. But it's going to be
a burning desert isle when these
birds cut loose. Or should we
say when these White Elephants
cut loose?
And this year, as this reporter
sees the baseball situation, the
Athletics are the Americ
Leagues White Elephants.