The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-02-08
AS WILL HAVE THEIR LARGEST
 SPRING SQUAD
Connie Mack Hopes for Several Finds Among
 IS Pitchers
By PAUL sCHErFELs

eEOANN-"
 (Uni.ed Press Staff C0rrespondent)
 New York. Feb. s.--fIis club fin. ished last in the league race, iast in club fielding and last in clut batting, but Manager Connie Mack has hopes and high ones of tht Philadelphia Athletics moving ur this year.
 A wide-open fight for all posi- tons, the largest spring squad ir the clubs history and four Eegu' lars who hit 800 or better, are the three things that stand out about tho 1889 edition of the As. "
 Most cynical observers believe that Mack's outfit will have te come up with Q pair of Joe Di' Maggios and e brace of Bob Fellers from their rookie contingent, 10 oi whom are pitchers. But supporters of the movement to hold the next world seritj in shibe Park will tell you that the As finished down in the American league cellar only two games out of 7th place while the National leagues tall enders were so awful, they fioun' dered 24M games behind the 7tf place Brooklyn Dodgers.
 Spent All Surplus
 Right after last seasons close Mack started buying and now has spent oil of his surplus in bringing new and better players to augment last years crew. He has the larg. est pitching staff he has ever as. semhled.
 The best of last years hurline corps was George Caster, wht notched i6 victories and lost 20 Luther Thomas, who won Q ant dropped l4, Buck Ross, 9 and it and Lynn Nelson, 10 and Il. Thes' four will probably form the nue. leus of the staff.
 Mack has the following group tc choose new pitching faces from Leon Kyle, Q 20-gafne winner iron Pensacola; Henry Pippen, l7 and 8. from Sacramento; Bill Beekman 20 and i3, from Atlanta; Bob Joyce who broke even in 90 games with Oakland; Jim Reninger, 6 and from Baltimore; Carl Byrd, 8 and i9 from Williamsport; Sam Page, and l2, from spartanburg and Bud Parmelee, the ex.Nationai leaguer who won i7 and lost l3, with Min. neapolis.
 Two Good Catchers
 The catching department offers little trouble. The veteran Franl Hayes and Earl Brueker are one- two on the staff. Hayes hit .2oi 1T 90 games while Brucker took par in only 63 games but slammed the ball for an average of .374, 26 points better than the league champion Jimmy Foxx.
 Two of Mack's hardest hitterl grace the outfield. Bob Johnson hit .3i3 and clouted 90 homers fiv, better than his 1897 pace. Wall, Moses, the other gardener, hit .30' in l42 games. Chubby Dean, tn, other 300 hitter was hampered b, illness but took turns in the out field and the pitching mound jus' to edge into the 300 circle. San Chapman, the other fly-chaser, ane ex-Pacific Coast football star, made Q fast start but slowed down to .25t ct the seasons end.
 When he thinks of his infielt Mack goes in an "open- mind at. every-position" stage. Every spo, has two or three candidates.
 Dick siebert is probably the most certain of his spot ct first. There will be c survival-of- the- -fittest witt Dario Lodigiani having the edge e, second. Bill Lillard, the Coast wow will have the first chance ct short. stop, and ct the hot corner, Jos Fantenbein from Toronto and Bil Nagel from Little Rock will attemp, to beat Billy Werber out of his job
 And that is the mixture of face. old, new and otherwise that Mack will try to blend into 6 club tha, will climb, at least out of the cellar