The Washington times., 1937-02-06
By FRANK BUCK o'NEILL

league baseball teams for 1887
Monday: The Detroit Tigers.
By FRANK BUCK ONELL
There's one little fact concern
ing the Philadelphia Athletics
that nobody can deny. Regard
less Of where they finish, they'll
open the season mile over all
rivals. The Athletics will train
in Mexico City this spring, and
all their rival clubs will be at
sea level. 1t may be argued that
on their record the Athletics
really should go to Yuma, which
is below sea level, or maybe
Death Valley. which is the geo.
graphical cellar Of the country.
1t is quite difficult, not to say
impossible, to enthuse over the
prospects of the Athletics for
1887. The boys finished more
or less glittering last in 1886, and
unless something unforeseen hap
penS-like the collapse Of the
seventh-place Brownsville Ath-
letics are apt to finish last again.
There are mighty few pitchers in
in baseball, but somehow or other
you find yourself wishing that
Connie Mack would marshal a
team that once more would scale
the heights. One way and an
other you find yourself regretting
that the old master has to wave
those scorecards at the hopeless
cases who yearly rally to his call.
Kelley Wins Is Games
Maybe Harry Kelley was not
the greatest pitcher in the league,
but he did win Is games for the
Athletics, who Contrived to win
only SO games all season long.
There ore mighty few pitchers IN
the American League who could
have equalled Kelly'S mark.
Kelley is stepping along toward
the baseball borderline. He came
into the league at an age when
most players are ready to step out
and go to work in a serious way.
But at that, he looms as the most
promising pitcher on the roster.
Carl Doyle may be a winning
pitcher for the Athletics this
season. He has shown more than
the average amount of stuff, and
seems to have mastered the tech
nique of pitching. His record last
season would crush this statement
inaSmuch as he didn't win q
game and lost three. Sickness
bothered him, and all ball players
hold out hope for Doyle.
Les Ross and Herman Fink may
be able to improve on last years
showing. The former won 9 games
and the latter took care of 8. You
can forget the rest of them, al
though Philadelphia critics aver
that the rest Of them are men you
can't forget; they're all too ter
rible.
Infield Improved
The infield of the Athletics will
be far better than the pitching
staff. Al Dean is good hitter and
something better than a fair hand
at playing first base. Lamar New
some is a first class shortstop:
not good hitter, but great de-
fensively. Bill Werber, the local
champion, will play third, and he
is a fine ball player. Second base
is open; just as open as the seven
seas.
The outfield is pretty good, with
Wallie Moses a fine center fielder
and Bob johnson a clever hand in
left field. Lou Finney is neither
the best nor the worst in right
field, and the reserves are nothing
to cause enthusiasm.
Behind the bat we find Frank
Hayes, Earle Burcker and Bill
Conroy, for no better reason. per-
haps, than that someone must be
behind the bat
All in all, the Athletics will find
themselves on what may be called
a baseball chute the Chutes They'll
start a mile high in Mexico, but
they'll probably finish in baseballS
Death VALLEY.