Casper Daily Tribune Newspaper, April 15, 1923, Page 9

21. YOUNGSTERS WIN POSITIONS IN BIGGEST CROP THAT EVER HAS BEEN HARVESTED ivory Hunters Turn in Many Stars. BY HUGH FULLERTON. Twenty-one youngsters, new in fast company, seem to have made geod and won permanent positions in the major leagues as @ result of the spring training just closing. A dezen other youngsters are cling: ing on, with managers still undecided as to whether they will be of use this Season and about twenty players, full of promise, have been placed under optional agreements. The optional agreement boys are certain that, although sent back to the minors for another season, they have made good, and are placed where they can play and gain experience, and that they will be back in fast company. Fewer than a dozen players out of all the army taken south by the major league clubs, have been rejected out- right. The result of spring training this season is that the major leagues will have the largest and probably the best bunch of young players they have had in the last decade. The evidence is that the famine in good ball players, which was one of the effects of the war, is over and the new crop promises to be cne of the best that ever has been harvested by the ivory hunters. Twenty-one Youngsters Make Good. ‘The remarkable thing is that, of the twenty-ore youngsters who seem to have won their spurs, only four are Pitchers, wherezs usually the major- ity of the players retained after the trials are pitchers. The harvesters ap- pear to have gleaned mostly third bapemea, especially those for the American leegue, which found six third basemen who will be retained. ‘The leading clubs, naturally, make the fswest changes, having the fewest number of replacements made neces- sary. Yet we find the Giants have be- yond doubt strengthened their two vitally weak positions, center and pitch- ing. Bentley, the star pitcher, and all round player secured from Balti- more, strengthens tho champions greatly, anc O'Connell, while he has shown himself a bad fielder, may im- popes and the judgment is that he can There is more argument over O'Con- nell than over any of the other high priced stars. Some declare he is a failure, while others are just as cer- tain he will be as great astar with the Giants as he was on the coast. Esle ics Bcé Shoulder. + Hels, another of the millionaire clacs without the blare of trumpets that greeted Hale, is as good or better as a layer than the Coast leaguer. Chicago's White So= undoubtedly have made two fine finds in Willie used the fans to expect too much him, and he probably will not be good until he lives it down. Elsh is Myatt, and Brower in one bunch is re- markable, There is much difference of opinion as to Lutzke. Two clubs that looked him over declare that he ig not good when in tight places, while the Cleveland fellows insist that he is best under pressure. On performance and handling himself he looks better than Kamm. Exzzell a Comer. St. Louis appears to have a comer in Ezzell, infielder. Boston Red Sox have found Fowlkes, who looks good, while Washington thinks that Bluege {s one of the great finds of the decade. Besides that Washington is sweet on Wade, who, however, does not appear very formidable to me. Chicago's Cubs have developed Grantham and he appears to be a cer- tain fixture, of great speed, while Adams is rated as a find. St. Louis took an army south and Bottomley is the big discovery, although Holm is Fated high and seems certain to devel op. Pittsburgh went hunting for shortstop and some pitchers, and Boehler, who is a pitcher, seems to have shown his worth. Giants Pick Two. New York has Bentley and O’Con- purchased and really proved be- fore they were tried. Brooklyn found Mullen, seerningly a good man, while ‘Vines {a expected to add to the pitch- ing strength. Boston has nothing to offer and the Phils have Sand, a great fielder who cannot hit, and Mohan, who ts promising. Altogether it was a good harvest. CHARLIE MORAN KEEPS OCCUPIED Charile Moran, Centre college foot- ball coach and National league uin- Bire, seems to be a tireless person. Besides attending to his athletic du- ties the major portion of the year, he also owns and operates a large farm in Horse Cave, Ky. Corn and tobacco are the principal crops. “Uncle Charlie” also has a large herd of blooded cattle. He is a deacon in the Horse Cave church and an earnest re Ugtous worker. JIMMY O'CONNELL. QUARTET OF COSTLY RECRUITS JACK BENTLEY. Are they worth the price? Above are pictured four ball players that cost owners of three clubs the tidy sum of $315,000, and the quartet are more or less of an experiment, 2s none of them has faced big league competition. Willie Kamm, Sox third baseman, cost Owner Charles A. Comiskey $100,000; Jimmy O’Con- nell, outfielder, and Jack Bentley, pitcher and general all around man, cost the Giants $140,000, O’Connel?’s sale Price being $75,000 and Bentley's $65,000. Sammy Hale, third baseman, cost Connie Mack $75,000. This aggregate sale price of this quartet of players sets a new mark for rookies sold to major league clubs. THREE HANDED BRIDGE A NUISANCE. REE handed bridge as it has been played during the last fif- teen years is a nuisance and good play did not afford as great rewards as did patient waiting, which was enough to meke any game tire some. A new way of playing three handed bridge makes a great improvement and introduces a really good game, al- though, of course, it is a poor thing compered to the regular auction. The four hands should be dealt as in the regular game and nine of the dummy’s thirteen cards are turned face up- ward, the other four being unseen. Tho dealer bids and but one bid ic allowed to each player; doubling and one redouble is permitted. When the declarer makes game in one deal he Scores 125 additional points. When the declarer loses each opponent scores in his own column the amount which the declarer lost. The game may also be played by exposing all the cards in dummy, but ig less interesting, as in most cases the bidder able to figure exactly how many tricks he can make in the com- bined hands. Some very tall bidding occurred in the deal which follows, anc also remarkable results achieved by good play. ‘THE HANDs, S—A, J, 9, 7, 3, 2 H—None. CQ, 9, 3, 3. DT. 9. 6. S—10. ‘None. Hoea i007 mies 8. pone ss. 18. West secured twelve tricks [small slam) East bid to the Umit on this deal but the score was desperate and he had great confidence in his partner's playing ability. North and south might easily had made six spades but south knew his partner to be an over- bidder and could not trust him to have as good a hand as north really held in this case The critical situation for the declarer occurred at Trick 2. South did not dare to play low on the club lead and knew that one trick in a plain suit would defeat the bid. After the second trick the declarer only needed to play safely and remove all the black cards from both the east and west hands before throwing the lead to south with the ace of hearts. It was necessary, of course, to compel south to lead up to the ace and queen of diamonds in dummy or to give the declarer a diamond discard and a ruff in dummy on the same trick. It was truly a remarkable result when all the high cards in the north and south hands are considered. Bid- ding to direct the lead is not well enough understood by the average player. When a no-trump has been bid at his left a suit bid by the fourth player is a bid to direct the lead whether that player intends it to be or otherwise. In this situation the sult named is one which a single lead will probably establish or two leads will certainly establish. King, queen, jack and others fs a perfect cxample; king, queen, 10, 9, and one or more others will do; even king,. jack, 10, and othere with re&ntries is some- times @ good suit on which to bid. An example of a very bad bid to direct the lead ts shown in the deal which follows: THE HANDS. S—A. Q. 10, 8. H—A, J. 7. CAL 8, 6, 4. S—KJ,7.6,4. =Te S—. 3, 2. H-K 6, 3, 2. D-4, 2. 6, 5, 3. Score, 0-0. North dealt and bid one no trump. East and South passed. West bid two spades. North doubled, and the bid- be closed. North had the original THE PLAY. ‘Tricks. N. cea Ww. = ps «DQ 3 2 860 5O 3 3c 2s. KO 4 #8 Hz Ht 5 9c 33 7 6 53 98 33 9. D DA DS 8 m0 «6 RK ORO 2 Dio ba HO 10 HQ HS 45 u 10c DS cs eo | oa a DE OS «ES twe tricks only. ‘The bid of two spades was very bad as west would not win a trick in that suit until the fifth round. North felt perfectly safe in doubling as he knew his partner would take him out of a no-trump with a worthless hand, and the fact that south had passed the bid of one no-trump indicated at least two probable tricks in the south hand. The deal was well played by south throughout. While he did not believe the jack of diamonds at Trick 1 to be honest there was nothing to be gained in continuing the diamond suit at that time. South had no wish to give his partner a ruff and allow the declarer to take a discard on the same trick. At Trick 4 south could place the ace of hearts in his partner’s hand abso- lutely as north had bid notrump with nothing in the diamond suit and the king and queen of hearts were in sight, in the dummy and the south hand. After the fifth trick south knew that no more ruffs were possible in the club suit and so played his remain- ing trump through declarer. He was also careful to make his Ling of hearts at Trick 8, and finally led the dia- mond for his partner to ruff. No mat- ter how the declarer played he could only secure two tricks in the deal, and would have secured but one had not east held the queen of hearts. During tho last week the writer hes seen four deals in which the orig- inal bid was no-trump and a bid of two in some suit made by an adver. sary was doubled elther by the de clarer or his partner. The losses on the bids of two were respectively 400, 400, 600 and 500. In- cidentally, people who have the silly habit of using the double of two as @ signal would have had to lose 1,900 Points on these four hands alone. DOUBLE HEADER GOLF MATCHES NEWEST FEATURE Double header olf matches feature Williams college card. ‘The Williams town (Mass.) experts will play on May 5 at Springfield (Mnss,), meeting Dart- mouth in the morning and Yale in the afternoon; May 12 at New York the card calls for Penn and subsequently Princeton; May 19, at Springfield, Co- lumbia and Harvard will be opposed. ONE HIT GAMES MISSING IN 1922 During the 1923 American league season, there wes not a game played in which a team was allowed one hit. There were several two and three blow contests pitched, but one-hit games were absent. Charlie Robertson, on April 30, 192, shut out Detroit withont the Tigers getting a hit or a runner to first base. FROM BOTTOM TO TOP Although the quantity and quality of available material is the keystone for athletic success, coaching also seems to play more than the usual role at Butler college, Indianapolis, Ind. Until 1920 Butler amounted to Iittle or nothing. Since that year its teams have advanced to the point where they are feared by every opponent And the school’s success is attributed to the ability of Coach Harlan O. [Pat] Page, formerly of the University of Chicago. His knowledge of all the major sports, his sincerity and enthusiasm won the students at once. Thereupon he set to work making good teams out of natural material. Under his direction the football team has played twenty-seven games, winning twenty- two. Last fall the only defeat Butler met was at the hands of Notre Dame. In basketball Butler has won fifty- three games in seventy starts. The baseball team has won a majority of the games played. The college had no track team until Page came. The 1922 array placed second in the In- diana collegiate meet and won points in the western conference and national intercollegiate events. During the last football season thou- sands of fans were turned away as the Butler enclosure seated only 10,000. Before Page came the capacity was 1,000 afd it was: never overtaxed. — © attempt “fll be made to revive the A,\ercan Derby or to es tablis! a stake that would in any w.y rival it at the Haw- thorne track in Chicago, where spring and fall meetings have been announced as a part of the Illinois race revival program. “It will take at least two or three years of racing under present condi- tions before the American Derby classic or one of its importance could be established,” is the way an Illinois Jockey club official views the situa- tion. “If racing is restored by an act of the state legislature, no doubt the American Derby will come back, but Hawthorne could not handle it in the present plant,” he said. It is the aim at Hawtherne to o‘fer @ $5,000 or 310,000 inaugural stake, a simfler one on closing day, with three or four » ces of about that value scat- tered through the twenty-five days of racing. es Col EB. R. Bradley of Kentucky might comfort a lot of his friends if he would just intimate which of his Kentucky Derby eligibles he plans to send to the post at Churchill Downs on May 19, when the rich race is de- cided. There are any number of winter book players who favor a horse run- ning under the Bradley silks, but the Blue Grass breeder has seven eligibles, and even the sharpshooters are finding it a hard Job to guess which of his 3 year olds will face the barrier. The Bradley eligibles include Bright To- morrow, Boys Believe Me, Betty Beall, Blossom Time, Bradley’s Toney, Body Guard, and Blue Nose. k4 * The forty-ninth renewal of the Ken- tucky Derby is not commanding all of the interest in the spring meeting at Churchill] Downs. The $10,000 Clark handicap, over a distance of a mile and @ sixteenth, which will feature the opening, haz attracted a brilliant field and come of the well liked derby elisi- bles will be among the starters. The field includes such high class horses as Audacious, Dr. Clark, Snob IIL, Black Servant, Firebrand, Bunting, Body Guard, Blue Nose, Boys Believe Me, Bright Tomorrow, Dunlin, Pick- eter, Chickvale, Thibodaux, Surf Rider, Rouleau, Blazes, Fair Phantom, Paul Jones, Kai-sang, Mad Hatter, Flying Cloud, Enchantment, and Flagstaff, AS THE TROUTIN’ SEASON NEARS. HILE fussin" around with some trout lures the other night, a pastime that ts both fitting and satisfying at this time of the year, we got to thinking about the lures and fly standards with which Izaak Walton himself was fa- millar many years ago. What a shock the father of angling would get if he could take a look at some tackle deal- er’s window today with its scores and scores of patterns on display. In the time of Izaak Walton, just twelve kinds of artificial files were known. Wonder what he would say if he could see the many, many varieties of lures on sale. A list including innumerable kinds of files, floating bugs, feather minnows, bass plugs, spinners and tiny baits such as the trout-orenos with their al- luring wiggles. * If you will browes through the writ: ings of Izaak Walton you will note that when it comes to the making or the using of an artificial fly early in the spring the father of angling had pretty sensible !deas even though his patterns were few. He speaks of dull Plain colored files for the early spring fishing if a fellow must forswear the humble but efficient can of worms. Last year when the trout season opened up a fisherman was quite out of luck unless he resorted to the plain old garden variety of tackle. Do you remember on May 1 how h'gh the streams were in the middle west to say nothing of all the snow on the ground in the upper Wisconsin region? There wasn't much chance to make a trout believe it was “fly” time and even if he was converted he couldn't see ‘em anyway. When it is a case of buck- ing weather conditions like we had last year it's a glorious feelin’ to know that there is the can of worms in the hip pocket, because when the fly shootin’ game is on the biink for opening day festivities, the use of the worm on a fly casting outfit will invariably mean gettin’ trout in spite of all the dirty work of the weather man. * * But even tf a fellow has to wade through snow on opening day (and many a trout fisherman has done that) fishin’ on that first day of the season is the only thing that will cure that pop- ular fever known as “angloitis,” the spring fever produced by the fishing “bug.” Serums are helpless before the onslaughts of this disease and it takes, a combination of a couple of pals, a trout stream and some fishin’ gear to knock out this fever. You just let a couple of these spring fever sufferers play around with the trout on opening day, and it’s surprising how quick they recover. * * So from now on we have our eye on the weather man. Not that weath- er on opening day makes a great deal of difference to the dyoed-in-the-wool trout fan, If it snows and ear muffs and wool mitts are in order the fish- ing business will be carried on not- withstanding. But have a heart, Mr. ‘Weather Man, and give us a fair shake with balmy breezes and decent weath- er, Then watch the fun! Building New College Gridiron in New Orleans Loyola university of New Orieans has approved the project to construct a new football field. Tt will tnciude a stadium. The first portion of the im- provement is to be ready Sept, 1 Sections of the stadium will be con- structed as needed. REDS SUIT THEMSELVES ON BASEBALL DEALS BY I. E. SANBORN. They do funny things in baseball in Cincinnati, but there is « certain bull- dog consistency about the queer slants they take. If they want to do a thing they do it (if they can), no matter what the rest of the world thinks or says, with a sort of scornful independ- ence of alfen opinion which is uncom- mon at least. Nor does it seem to make any difference that they fre- quently are sorry afterwards that they did not accept the judgment of out- siders. The latest flouting of public opinion in the rest of the world is the signing of J. C. (Rube) Benton to pitch with the Reds this season in spite of the officially expressed disapproval of the president of the National league, backed by a majority of the club own- ers of that circuit. Garry Herrmann made a trade with the St Paul club last fall for Benton, and although informed shortly after: ward that the pitcher was not con- sidered a desirable person on account of his reported boastings about being wise to the world’s series scandal of 1919, the Cincinnat! magnate would not give up. He carried the fight for Benton into the league meeting and lost, then appealed to Commissioner Landis and won because the dictator of baseball gave Benton a clean bill of heatth. Red Fans Want Benton. It doesn’t matter a tinker’s cuss word to Redland tans what the rest of the baseball world thinks about it. They want Benton and they are going to play him, Once the fans of Cincinnati demand ed Christy Mathewson as manager at about the time Big Six had reached tho end of his great carecr as a pitcher. ‘They him at a heavy cost from the Giants, who had no place for him, but undoubtedly would have made one through sentiment alone. Herrmann was told by many men who knew base- ball and knew Mathewson intimately that the great slabman was unlikely to succeed as a manager, having none of the essential qualifications for the fob, and that he never could become popular in Cincinnati because of his inability to mix with the hol pollol. Redland had its mind set on Mathew- son and got him, but realized soon enough that tho disinterested advisers were right. Reclaimed Chase Once. Once when Herrmann needed a first baseman desperately Hal Chase was reclaimed out of the outlaw field, to which he had sentenced himself by a flagrant of contract jumping from the White Sox in mid-season. By dogged perseverance Cincinnat! ob tained the right to sign Chase and did 80, only to regret it very much a little while later. No outside advice against the wisdom of reclaiming Chase had any weight with the Red owners. They had to learn by personal experience. That has been typical of Cincinnatt in other ways. “Many years ago” a college mate of mine installed the joke trolley system, on which the Ohio city prides itself as being the only one of its kind fn the country. My “sage strongly advised em the double trolley idea, but the city athers wanted it. So they got it. But they can’t get rid of it as easily as they did Mathewson and Chase, Opening Big Day. Cincinnati is the only place on the baseball map where every man, wom: an, and child thinks he or she must at- tend the opening game of the season or be considered a nobody. Consequent- ly thousands of Redland folks work every known pull to get reserved seats for opening day and storm the gates for what space is not reserved. Then 60 per cent of them forget all about the Reds until the following Aprilk— unless they lead the league. Apparently utterly unconscious of what the rest of the world says or thinks, Cincinnati is proud of its world’s champions and cannot under- stand why any one should imagine any cloud on that title just because some of the opponents of the Reds in that series confessed that they “ laid down.” Without expressing any opinion about the desirability of Benton as a player, it can be forecast from the foregoing precedents that Red fans are likely to regret once more their in- sistence and disregard of good advice. ROWLAND SURE TO MAKE GOOD AS AN UMPIRE Sy Perkins, the Athletics’ great catcher, thinks Clarence Rowland will make an {deal umpire. “Rowland understands players,” said Perkins. “He knows that they often have a kick coming and that they lose their heads in e heat of an argument. For that reason he will be inclined to be lenient, though any one who knows Rowland knows that he won't permit any player to run over him. He is game to the core and will battle just as soon as any one. Clar- ence is a diplomat, however, and it is hardly likely that he will have any trouble. “T have caught a number of games which he has umpired and his judg- ment on balls and sirlkes appears ex- cellent. He misses a few, of course, but then the best of them miscall them occasionally, “There is no reason why he should not become one of the most successful arbiters in the major leagues.” CICOTTE, FORMERLY $12,000 YEAR MAN, GIVEN $3 DAY JOB DDIE CICOTTE, former Chi- cago White Sox pitcher, who left organized baseball fol- lowing the world’s series ex- posé in 1920, accepted appointment as a Michigan gamo warden. Cicotte’s salary will be about $3 a day. Tho White Sox paid him $12,000 — year in addition to & bonus, MAJOR LEAGUES NOTRE DAME IN BIG DEMAND AS SPORT MAGNET Fighting Irish Always in Front. BY WALTER ECKERSALL. Although trend of the times points to wholesale organization of associations or conferences to be composed of cel- leges and universities in various sec- tons of the country, Notre Dame ts probably the only institution in the country which does not belong to en association and is still In demand as an opponent by the leading universities and colleges in the country. Just how this situation comes about {s rather hard to explain, but ft seems to be the consensus that the public knows {t will get a run for its money whenever the “ fighting Irish” go into battle. In years gone by Notre Dame athletic teams were looked upon with suspicion, The coaches were accused ef harboring professionals and that athletes seldom attended classes. In those days Notre Dame was no worse than any of the leading institu. tions of the country. Professionalism ran rampant and eligibility rules were not near so strict as they are at the present time. As the athletic saying goes, "A coach had to beat another at his own game.” ‘There can be no deny ing the teams of twenty-five years ago Were composed of players who some time or other had received compensa- tion for their athletic skill. Start House Cleaning in 1905. Since 1905, when tho real house cleaning started in all sections of the country, the pro has been weeded out. Gradually coaches have learned they must follow the trend of the times to secure the competition which will make their seasons successful from the self-supporting angle. Certain coaches and athletic directors were told they would be dropped from all schedules unless the athletes lived up to all re quirements regarding amateurism and scholastic standing. Some tried to dodge the issue for = spell, but as years went by nearly all coaches have cleaned house, with the result intercollegiate athletics are now on a cleaner basis than ever before in history. Some proselyting still goes on, but this is a feature which will never be eliminated as long as the present enthusiasm in college sports exists. Officials of the University of Notre Dame were among the first to realize the necessity of keeping step with the leaders in their quest for simon pure athletics. This happened shortly after Jesse Harper, a former Universtty of Chicago athlete, took over the athletic directorship. Harper lost no time te get rid of those who had the slightest suspicion of professionalism. Follows Conferenée Rules. He made up his mind to follow as closely as possible the rules which govern competition in the western con- ference. Institutions not only in the middle west but in all sections of the country took notice of this action, with the result Notre Dame was a much sought for competitor. Harper com tinued to prove conditions during his régime, and with the advent of Knute Rockne, the present director of athletics and coach, conditions were and are being improved. When college football players were accused of playing professionally « few years ago was among the first to start an investigation. Two of his players were the first suspected. They admitted having played in Wis- consin and were summarily barred from further competition as represent atives of the university. The same condition existed when players of Notre Dame and Illinois engaged in a post- season game at Taylorville, [lL Offenders Admit Guilt. Some years ago Notre Dame won & cénference track and field meet. Two of the athletes were protested for hav- ing competed longer than the allotted time, Their cases were investigated by Notre Dame officials, with the aid of Big Ten representattves. The offend- ers admitted their guflt and the honor of winning ‘went to another team, as the points won by the suspended ath- letes were taken away and given to those who finished next in order. Many other instances could be men- tioned to show that Notre Dame is Playing the game clean, at least as clean as any university or college in the country. It is more or lees of an honor for any football team to be chosen to meet West Potnt. Still Notre Dame has played the Army for a number of years and these annual clashes are looked upon as among the most interesting in the east Whenever any gridiron struggle of an international character is proposed Notre Dame is one of the first elevens mentioned. Those in charge of such affairs know that Notre Dame is representative of its section and will play the game as it should be played. Stiff Grid Schedule This Fall. Not alone does Notre Dame mest the Army, but {t will meet Carnegie Tech this fall, together with Georgia Tech. It will go wost to meet Nebraska, aside from meeting some of the teams in the middle west. Coach Rockne does not have to look for contests. Each year he is besieged with offers, and no matter how strenuous the competi tion Notre Dame will play, irrespective of the number of hard games, on suc- cossive Saturdays. ‘The same conditions prevail in base- ball and track and field athletics, The Hoosiers will meet Yale in a dual meet this spring, while the baseball team will clash with some in the south, not to mention some of the leading weat- ern conference nines. Year in and year out Notre Dame has material because of its grade schools, which are yearly feeders to the varsity squads in all branches of intercollegiate sports,