The Seattle Star Newspaper, March 13, 1923, Page 13

TUESDAY, MARCH 13. FIRPO As Told to Leo H. Lassen “Dad” Meek and His Big Bat CHAPTE HAVE BLxIY seen a lot of hitters in my time, but there never lived a baby who had a better eye or swing than “Dad” Meek, the old catcher of the Victoria team years ago r b t Meek was f cle-bound. I was telli that traveled Ye way heaviest bats r I But at, far from young, 1 mus- baby, how he could hit! ng yesterday of that wallop a block and a half in the old |; park. He packed one of the in the game, And he handled it like a toothpick. In spite any means. he was, judge wards plate. one It toc of Meek wasn't a bad minor league his size and lack of speed teher by But I never realized how heavy and I ought to be some sort of a/! on weight, day until he fell over blocking a runner about three men back- | at the! ok to bring him to his feet again DUGDALE E to steal secor when the ball was thrown wil Besides being a darn good | —one of the greatest alley known. There were a ters whose slight failings in other the minors. Take old Emi! Frisk, for exan ple. hit a line drive one day that Mike eled miles, it seemed He was one Pug Bennett was another great s! “Dutch” Ruether. ger; Ham Hyatt, also of Vancouver the wide world that they did He still throws a nasty he is running one of the biggest bowling alley lot of great hitters in that old Ne orthwestern ctrevit And what a laugh it was the day he tried | gumpse id base and slid and made id! What a kick that was! hitter Meek was a great bowler men that baseball has ever ball in Los Angeles, where in the city. it hit branches of the game kept them tn He would hit in any company. He | Lynch misjudged and the ball trav: | wicked clouter ugger; Art Bues, the home run king the hitting pitcher: old Fianagan, the Vancouver slug: | Those babies could hit, and Ill tell Weensetay Dugdale will tou the story of Bill James FLORIDA MAKES BUSINESS OF TRAINING BALL CLUBS BY BILLY EVANS IAM], Fla, March 13.—Seven major league ball clubs are training in Florida this spring. That is something of a record in Itself for one state to boast of In five years Florida hopes to be able to tell the world every major league club will do its train ing in this state. That {s the goal| of the natives, as well as northerners who have invested their bank roll| in the possibilities of Florida. There is no question but that Florida boasts the ideal climate of the country in March and April when the major league clubs tnvade the South. Rain is practhmlly out of the ques tien, so that it { to lose a day of practice on account of bad weather. In addition there are/ the financial possibilities. DRAWS TOURISTS During March Florida with tourists. Many of baseball enthusiasts. The chances to overflows see their favorite big league teams! in action always proves attractive. The seven teams now training tn Florida are so conveniently located in relation to each other that prac tleally every jump can be made by motor if so desired, and in a very few hours. & rarity for a team) them are| The east coast of Florida ts rather Jealous of the activities of the tnland j cities and the west coast as to bass Not ball a team will train on his year. Th the fact that the climate there ts per fect for conditioning ball clubs. Next year it is said that Jackson. ville, once @ baseball center; St. Au |wustine, Daytona, West Palm Beach and Miam! will make a bid for major league teama BUILD BALL PARK West Palm Beach has already made a start tn the right direction. Realizing that a good ball park, next to the climate, la the beat possible inducement, that thriving city in- |tends to have one. In a talk with several members of |the West Palm Beach chamber of |commerce recently I learned that the! | city had set aside $6,000 to bulld one lof the best baseball plants in the state. With « good ball park to offer, tn addition to the beat of weather, Wost | Palm Beach confidently expects to house a major league club nekt year} and get the advertising that natural-| ly results. You, wir! Florida in five years hopes to be the training ground of the two major circuits. the east coast deapite | DISPUTE OVER HURLERS STOPPED EW YORK, March 18—It de yelopa that the hitch which finally resulted !n the calling off of the deal between New York and Chi BLOWS MAY END LIFE OF BOXER COMA, Wash. March 13.— After lying in a critical condi- tion at Tacoma General hospital since Monday, as @ result of an injury to his head suffered in a pri- vate boxing match at the Sound Social club, Fred Powers, 26, was believed to be dying early today. Powers, who boxed professionally under the name of Freddie McCue, collapsed immediately after finishing | a two-round workout with Jimmy Smith, another professional. Doctors diagnosed Powers’ trouble as acute hemorrhage of the brain, brought on by blows received in the workout COLLINS TRADE) cago for Eddie Collins was over the| pitching question. | New York was perfectly willing to turn over Meusel, Ward and a pitcher for Collins and Falk. Chi cago could have Mays or Shawkey but insisted on Hoyt. That tempor arily blocked matters, On @ later conference, New York agreed to turn over Hoyt with Ward and Meusel, provided Chicago added | Ted Blankenship to the White Sox end of the transaction. Blankenship is the youngster from the South who made such a remark able record with the White Sox h first year out. He appears to ha all the assets of a real pitching find Chicago naturally balked at the Biankenship part of the trade, while | New York refuned to include Hoyt | unless Chicago parted with the young |right hander. | So ended negotiations, altho there | }in a feeling that something may |peee before the opening of the sea | son. Hair Stays Combed, Glossy Millions Using this Greaseless Combing Cream— Few Cents Buys Jar any Drugstore—Not Sticky, Smelly Even obstinate, unruly or sham: pooed hair stays combed all day in any style you like, “Hair-Groom" In a dignified combing cream which gives that natural glosa and well groomed effect to your hair—that final touch to good dress both In business and on socal oecaniona Grenselens, stainless “Hair-Groom" | docx not show on the hair becaune it In absorbed by the #ealp, therefore your hair remains #o soft and pliable and so natural that no one can post |bad gash | west. | New York, Brennan Is Kayoed in 12 Rounds Veteran Deals Out Terrif-| ic Punishment, but He! Crumples Under Attack | BY HENRY L, FARRELL Nine YORK, M h i With right arm that hang» on b and swings with t . e of u eavywoigh nd last night and o ' puffing sy under ao nto Bh yuth ( Bren Amer nan's 4. On right 1 He bis 1 the same h under the jaw was for several minutes In rm early rounds. ad was Brennan, po started away He did al trying for to the « end in the lead! ar & knooke asmumed the ro catcher and allo pponent to do all the work Terribly wild in } Firpo did thing but tire himeeif, and th oun an opened a the South In the howe: ° Is alm. American sixth he memed to hammock From down tnt ff onto him t very ne up un making Y e savag a mam have bor der man and! ap Gay “Another world’s champion, sure. The greatest prospect I have ever seen. Eight more months under proper schooling and he'll have the ude,” he sald Rickard may have reasons for be- ing overenthusiastia, but everyone agrees that while he fs not a cham pion by several thousand miles now, Firpo has great possibilities He has & game heart, immense alze, prodig- rength, mentality above the hing but boxing He can be thught to box when he possesses all the other qualifica tlona. never be, Firpo ts a potential but Senor champion PLAYERS ARE BETTER NOW, VET ADMITS B' RIDGEPORT, Conn., March 13. player who doesn’t At last! One old-time base insist that t were better in the good old days are componed players, rat world “In my time sluggers ‘Jerry” Denny homerun hero. flashy fielders balloon, and husky were poor fielders. “Nowadays, the teams gether on the diamond, overybody keyed up to high speed. We were always busy covering up the weak nosses of a brother player who could hit but not field.” Denny carved hin niche In base ball’s hall of immortals 39 years ago wert we had hit who play to run in a world series game. Denny waa a member of the famous Provi- dence club, National league cham: pions of 1884, and the “series” played with the Metropolitans of can association—now league. Providence games. Despite his 74 yeara, hearty and follows closely all base- ball happenings. Ho was 28 years a professional ball player and one of the best third basemen of his gen eration. the American won all tho wed his huge | Tex Rickard was all puffed up to- | | It may not be for a your or/ jo and it may when he cracked out the first home | champions of the Ameri-| Denny ts still | * a Veteran Fig as Titl hter Thru e Possibility LULL EPIVVAN Old Bill Brennan, Dempsey won the Jess Willard by givi of his career, Brennan couldn't t world’s ng the ed on he l “pas tand the 4 defeat of the sturdy old war bout with the champion, EW March t 12. have In the panned wht has YORK at he ywe Bi with Car | four years tn July since | Dempsey won the tithe at Tole a in that time he has had th fit of only 19 rounds of actual fighting No champions tn branches | of sport could remain at the top with | such scattered opportunities for prac tice, Babe Ruth was hopelessly handicapped last year by an » forced absente of six weeks, Bill other maintain his form if he could play tennis only once a year and Walter Hagen would put his game on the rocks under the mame cineumstances. ether the enforced abstinence from ring work haa hurt Dempsey remains to be seen and it may be a while before a choice comes to Other fighters in the past ff for three years with off edge, It ali depend the time was spent out tr OK Je the ring. t might Ibe anid that the long lay: off didn't do Dempsey any good, but n't neceeanrtly follow that tt 1 harmwft When he was working | Madison Square Garden on his York, the champ and perhaps better It in hard to got sundation for accurate jin a gym, but it was etrih parent that Dempsey |hin feet, more grac ing ing than result | out vinit ed an good er did a y ap. faster on in his at and more accurate in t box 8 punch ens what but he must f himself, be ars to be in He in the garden with his ume, |be taking causs he good |he good care always j such condition. boxed |three rounds recently with Jamaica Kid, his old sparring partner from Toledo, They went like |bantamweights for three full rour and when they finished, Dempsey was hardly breathing fast. He must be in shape regardless of the rumors |that are passed around about trom time to time. him Critton dinagree on the benefits An admitted evil is sometimes develops of hibition work |the habit It |Dulling punches. But In Dempsey’s daily boxing on the stage for off and on has given him ied style and produced a gen- la fini who achi /tah last tronger opponent, and took the countin the Tilden would have @ terrific time to| that result from stage boxing and ex- | ved fame yweight Mauler night get , the year after Jack championship from the toughest battle a title his “ as mice by younger and th round, His horse puts Firpo in line for a Dempsey’s Future—Day by Day—Grows | Gloomier 2. teral p It hurt b apparently has not Sino he cannot find an opponent rements of the n, Demt the req min 6 actua jon keep him jt | ‘Schaefer Leads in | N eW YORK, March 13—Plainly off bis game, Willie Hoppe, 18.2 balkline billiard champion of the world, was defeated, 600 to 7 in the first block of him 1,500 point match Young Jake Schaefer, here last night r 2 @ brilliant 2 to the cham- with er, Hoppe japparent lack Ir | mined a number of al ualy and with dence usually easy for him, His attempts difficult draw shots were par tive. h run was 189; while | best effort count- ‘LANDIS MEETS HERMANN TODAY ORLANDO, ¥ March 13.—Pat Moran today put something on the ball, for now the battle for jobs on the Reda’ hurling staff. In a fivetnning game terday the veterans defeat ed the Colts, 6 to 6 Garry Her mann tonight will see Judge Landis, when the future of Rube Benton wil be decided. Landis looks askanc at Heydler’s utlimatum that Benton ot play in the National league | after Landis had restored the Robe | to good standing. begins ye KING ENTERS TOURNEY NICE, March 13.—King Gustave of Sweden, under the name of ‘Mr. |G." han entered the Nice tennis |champlonship tournament. He hi Lt {Open competition. CENT press dispatches carried the announcement of the un conditional release of Ralph ("Pep") Young by the Philadelphia Athletics And thus, no doubt, passes another well-known player from out realm of major league balidom The going of Young marks passing of one of the smartest men in the game, For Young was an in- telligent player, played “heads uy baseball, and in his prime was con- sidered one of the best necond suck- ers in the majors “Pap” was a sterling fielder, being sure on ground balls, and could expecially adept in grabbing short ners coming into the bag, While not much of a batter, he waa neverthe- leas a hard man to piteh to, drawing many pasnes. sition, expecially while with the De- trolt Tigers, he brought in many runs by his ability to “walt ‘em out.’ But Young had a jinx. He devel oped it a couple of years ago while keystoning for Detroit. His arm sud- denly went wrong, and try As he might, he couldn't makes the short foam to first base with any degree of Time after time he would make a wensational stop only to fallow it with a weird throw to the cushion. bly tell you used It. Hin whip seemed to become paralyzed the the | cover heaps of territory. He was also | outfield flies as well as tagging run- | And in the lead-off po- | “Pep” Young with the remit that batamen wore getting “lifes” momentarily on what outs. an ho should have been — certain Young's trouble was mental, could throw with great speed, but no uraey, ac | Young was consequently benched M ental Hazard Drives “‘Pep’’ Y oung From Major League; Can’t Throw At Varlous Intervals with the thought that a rest would do the old arm | some good, and that he would regain confidence in it. But the same trou- | ble would always show up again, De- passed Young on to the Ath- For a time Young played fine ball for the Athletics, It seemed as if the Kindly words of Connie Mack had erased the mental hazard that had al- most rulned Young's career, After a few months it returned, and now hin release by Mack sounds hiv knell as a major leaguer. Young's case is without donbt one of the oddest in the history of the ame, tho It has tomewhat of a par: allel in that of Claude Rossman, one. time Detroit first baseman, Rosaman, ike Young, Incked confi dence in his throwing ability, but for quite a while hung on because the ecret hadn't leaked out Winally, however, a certain player in the American league, who had once been a teammate of Rossman's on the Detrott club, tipped off the wenkness, And it waan't long before the entire clreult was aware of Ross man’s Inablilty to. throw From then on opposing players fairly ran wild whenever Claude got hold of the ball, And Rossman, as was the case with Young, way shortly run out of the majors—simply be« enuse he couldn't throw, contender, | Cue Duel He| ots that are | 1 here frequently but never in| Dillon to Head Card | With Le WILL SOME DAY BEAT DEMPSEY, OPINES TEX RICKARD eS Practice ‘Tilt Is Due Minneapolis Bantam Subs | for Foley; Latter Boxer Has Sore Arm BY SEABURN BROW UBSTITUTED the 1ith hour for to Foley, veloped a pain 1 on bis the pa of “ requi noing last randy D nneapo batt with cht tam Lee, bar eve the te in hav on hand. he was outpoin Dillon 6 Singraced daily r and in okeh The 4 card appears to mfter Neth foreed change, except that m tith 1 not with Foley outside the Lee. who holds the Chinese 118. und title, and ts rated aa one of the leading bantams of the country lion figures that if he wine he 1 be In line for another crack at Jeweled hat-band, ot ning fisticuffers for the red off in training Mon A and were reported as gong today ams and Eddie Jackson the semi-windup in n@ go. Both boys Will blensed reach and Jackson r gunn boxed but ones tn y when he beat Billy Johnson here a ago—but he seema to have &# much atuff now as he had when he discaried the gloves. Another pair of bantams have been matched for the four-round special event. Sailor Eddie Buell, who was recently knocked out of the main-event class by Vic Foley's right row of knuckles, f# out to reestablish himself against Spike Carney. Carney {a a local product, but has been doing his public stuff jin rings east of the mountains for some months. Just how he will stack up with Buell ts prob- lematical Gay afterno: for the v ed ready Pat h the a ams earryir Jack the past Kia") | weeks g the heay as Roy Fulton, a heavyweight who! hopes to climb to the pugtlistic |helghts reached by his famed |brother, Fred, is over from Portland to Joust with Kid Kerber, a youth |recommended by Pete Moe, Everett |promoter and manager of box fighters. Kid Fossee, another protere of Moe, will juggie the Levisons with Bamey Goddard in the opening j tilt. The men are lightweights, Vancouver Winner in Puck Final ANCOUVER, B. C., March 13.— | Saved by the sensational work |of Mickey Mackay, Vancouver won the Pacific coast hockey champion: |ship in the second playoff tilt with | Victoria here last night, altho the visitors won the game, 3 to 2% In the total scoring for the two playoff |games, Vancouver won the title by @ 6-to-3 count, ¥ Mackay scored both goals for the Maroons, thereby preventing Vio- toria from pulling into a tle with ordered hin hurlers to} necessary for the title. |perate game, With the goals stand- |{ng 3 to 0 against them at the open Ing of the fracas, the Cougars realized that they had nothing to lose and everything to gain by adopting a reckless style in an effort to pile up a commanding lead, Both clubs slowed up after. the torrid initial period. Frederickson scored once for Victoria in the sec. | ond sion, while the final third of the game passed without the bulging of the twine, The Ottawa club was reported as on its way to the Coast to engage | with the Vancouver club in the an- | nual Stanley oup match, The Sena- tors emerged Bastern champions, Several members of the Ottawa team are suffering from Injuries ved in recent games, and a in poor shape for a titular series, according to advance reports. Summary Skinner + Mackay Parkes Denenney Scoring Mackay trom ¢ » Frederickson Vancouver, Mackay, Ontman from Dinderdate, Recond Poriod—Victoria, Frederick fon, 17:33, ‘Third Pertod Ponaltion: Firat Pertod |ulon; Vancouver awarded penalty |Denenney minned. Second Per Moeeking, 2 minutes; Frederickson, 2 minutes, Third Perlod—None, MONTGOMERY, Ala., March 18.— Tho deal that sent Sammy Hale, $75,000 Portland player, to the Ath: Jetion, in not yet completed, as Frank O'Rourke has refused to report to the Pacific const league team, Hale had a sprained foot and te doing little work, couple of} Vancouver and making a third game/ Victoria’s puckmen played a des.) will | FS) Daily, Chief Says @ Leader of Indians Believes in Hard Work; Is Muster- ing Clubs of Colleges and Near-By Cities to Tangle With His Coast Leaguers BY LEO H. Sporting AN JOSE, Cal., Indian basebal . LASSEN itor The Star, Now at Beattie Indians’ Training Camp March 13. ] squad fac -From here on the real work, A game every day, regulars vs. yannigans, when nothing better in the way of exhibi- tions is in view, is the order given out by Gray Wolf Wo day for the at sIverton. Monday was a light hletes, the skipper letting the boys sleep late because of the three games played over th The da season so far, corps and bun’ was the order of the day. John Dill, a new catcher fro: and caught in the infield prac | and a good whip. e week-end, was the warmest of the trainin Light hurling for the moun ting practice for the regulars m San Diego, arrived in camp tice. He displayed nice speed Ed Spencer, veteran catcher with the Indians for two or | three seasons, was a camp vis He liked the looks of the squad. over, the Southern league by Seatt' itor Monday, looking the boys Spencer was sold to le last fall, but plans to stick in California, where he will work and play ball for one of the Standard Oil company teams. 7 The next exhibition games f day, with the regulars meeting or the Indians will be on Sun- the Santa Clara nine here and the yanns making another | to Los Gatos. Gardner Is | | Impressed | by Rookie Jimmy Welch, Youthful First Sacker, Catches Eye of Veteran Local Flinger BY LEO H. LASSEN AN JOS March 13-—Venerable | Harry Gardner, the famous spud magnate of Oregon, has seen a lot of young ball players come and go during his long tenure of service as| a pit r in the Coast league and when Harry gets garrulous concern- ing young talent he speaks from ex- perience. Gardner thinks that the best re- cruit in the Seattle camp this year is @ young first sacker named Jimmy Welch, who is performing in fine style for the Yannigan club, “Welch handles himself well around first base,” says Harry, “and he knows how to handle his feet, the most important requisite for a first sucker, And I like the way he 0s after a ground ball. “Welch stands up at the plate like Jimmy O'Connell did when he played for Frisco. Hoe isn’t a long distance hitter like Jimmy, but he has a nice stand at the plate and he knows how to handle his bat.” Welch in given little chance of beating “Doc” Johnston out of the first base position with the Seattle club this year, but the Indians will keep strings on him and he may be retained as one of the five recruits to be carried by the club thruout the season, PETE RITCHIES LAST TRIAL Pete Ritchie is on his fifth training trip with the Indians and if he fails to make the grade this year it will just be about the last chance for the little catcher. Ritchie has never been able to quite cut the mustard with the tribe. He is showing up just fairly well and with two good catch- ers on the club in Everett Yaryan and Frank Tobin there {s little chance of Ritchie breaking in yery often, MEARKELE IS. HUSKY CHAP Clyde Mearkle, the former Penn State infielder, is shaping up well at second base for the youngsters. He ls @ husky fellow and ts a good hitter. He {ts strong and takes a good out at the ball, but he doesn’t swing like a Babe Ruth. Instead he {fs out In front of the ball all of the time and he's darn hard to fool. ORANE EXPECTS GOOD YEAR Sammy Crane expects to have a good season with the Indians this year, Crane is a much better batt player than he showed with the Tribe last year, Harry Wolverton Is using him at shortstop now on the regular team, However, if Harry Baldwin, who !s stationed at third base, falls down, Wolverton can shove Crane to third and use Billy Orr at shortstop, Orr, by the way, is in wonderful condition. BIGBER BEST OUTFIELDER—ROHWER Carson Bigbee, former University of Oregon athtete, has developed into the best outfielder tn the National league, according to Ray Rohwer, Seattle's new outfielder, Rohwer was with the Pittsburg club last year and he says that Bigbee has everything that a great fielder needs, Rohwer, by the way, looks like the best bet for the regular Seattle out- field this year along with Brick El dred and Billy Lane, He takes a nasty cut at the ball and he knows how to hit, He can field and throw, too, Wolverton has him stationed in right field at the present time, ANKLES BUCKLE UNDER BAMBINO NEW ORLEANS, March 13,—Asa result of too much training, Babe Ruth's ankles “have gono back on him" and Manager Huggins has or: dered the big slugrer to take tt easier until he entirely recovers from Champ’s Ready for Luis Firpo LOS ANGELES, Cal, March 18—Jack Dempsey ts willing tod meet Luis Firpo “any time a pro- moter can put the bout on in satisfactory manner,” the cham- pion declared today. Commenting on the knockout of Bill Brennan by Firpo last night, Dempsey said: “I knew and have sald that Firpo was a good hitter, Brennan is not as good as he used to be, but still is mighty tough and Firpo must have been a fighter to stop him. I am ready to fight any man any time a promoter can put the bout on In a satisfao- tory manner. Firpo, of course, is a] i FF Jimmy Richardson, business of the Seattle club Iast year, wr ones tor of the Spalding stores for the Southern district, has been a visitor ts camp. He likes the pepper the boys are showing for Harry Wolverton, E4 Barney hes discarded his red gm Gershirt. Barney once hit a homer with the bags loaded while wearing a flaming rt and he kept right on wearing for good Iuek. But he dant have. & Very good season last hes let the red flannels year, Ernie Schoor ts the eed A ll Brick Eldred has been bothered siderably in practice by an injured on hie throwing hand. WHITE SOX ARE — TRAINING HARD SEGUIN, Texas, March 13.—A seven-inning practice game between: _ the yannigans and regulars wag, planned by Kid Gleason today to. groom the White Sox squad for the _ opening of the spring exhibition se- ries with’the New York Giants ot San Antonio Saturday. Three belated arrivals, Eddie Rafferty and Roy Elsh, rookie outfielders, and Harvey. MoClellan, utility infielder, were put _ thru stiff workouts, : O’CONNELL IS : ON HURT LIST SAN ANTONIO, Texas, March 1) —Jimmy O'Connell, the Giants’ 915«, 000 rookie, js laid up with a fore arm, The attment fs not serious, Jack Bentley, the $65,000 Baltimore” pitcher, ts still holding out and Mo Graw 1s planning to pick one of the other rookie southpaws for the pitehy ing Job. % MENOSKEY SIGNS HOT SPRINGS, Ark., March 13.—~ a Mike Menoskey and Johnny Mitche — ell have arrived at the training camp! — of the Boston Red Sox, Menoskey” Js expected to sign his contract to. — day, Manager Chance has been ute — able to get In much work because of rainy weather. MALLORY’S NET - GAME IMPROVES sg NICE, March 13.—Mrs. Molla Male lory, American tennis champlon, ade 7 vanced to the second round in the championship tournament here tos day by defeating MIX, Sant Ommercy at 6-1 and 61. King Gus tave of Sweden started In the men’s doubles and was soundly trounced, AVALON, Cal, March 18—-With Manager Killefer back on the Job, his recent fIlness, Bob Meusel camo to an agreement on terms, leaving Herb Pennock tho only player not under contract, after a two weoks' absenoo, the Ght cago Cubs held a lght fielding and batting practice, tapering off with @ climb over @ mountain, WITH CHANCE. |