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Show What Coasters Are Gossiping About in Off-Season Special to The Tribune. DETROIT, Dec. 5. Cliff Blankenship, ex-manager of the Salt Lake club in the Pacific Coast league, the man who discovered discov-ered Walter Johnson, Joe Bush and a few other major league celebrities, wants to be a scout for the Detroit club. Blankenship lias written President Navin offering his services for the coming year, but as the Detroit magnate is out of town no action ac-tion has been taken. The Detroit club's scouting list Is pretty pret-ty well filled up, but inasmuch as room can generally be made for a good man, there is a chance that Blankenship's services serv-ices will be accepted. "Tub" Spencer has one to tell on 'Walter 'Wal-ter Johnson's first game in the American league. Spencer was catching for St. Louis at the time, and It was against the Browns that Johnson made his first major league appearance. "I was about the first fellow to bat against Walter," says "Tub." "and the first ball he threw me was pitcher with nn overhand motion from somewhere over his head. I hit the ball so hard that it almost carried the second baseman into the outfield, but he held on to it just the same. "When T came back to the bench the rest of the- Browns wanted to know right off what Johnson had. I told 'em that he didn't have a thing, and that If we wailed for that high hard one we'd beat his brains out. "The next time I wenj up to hit there was a runner on first, and the hit-and-run was up. Johnson wound up and. instead in-stead of pitching from over his head, he threw a sort of half side arm. I stepped in to make some more trouble for the second baseman, and the next thing I knew that ball had broken In at least a foot and banged me on the wrist so hard that I can still feel it. "The next three times I went to the bat I didn't get a hard ful. And I'm the bird that said he didn't have anything." any-thing." Billy Pouthworth. star outfielder of the Portland team, before leaving for his home In Columbus, Ohio. Inst week, asked that some kind of a trade be made for him. as he preferred playing in the east to coming bark to the coast. The McCredies, while they gave him no definite answer on this point, assured him that if he could b traded for some player of equal vnluo tbv would be willing to nuike a deal for him. It is n prwttv sa i wager that they will hnvp troublp in doiutr this, however, as out fjfldors nf Snuthworth's caliber am not found dan'-'ling loose, ready to be plucked. Taking t eyry thing iniu consideration. Southworth was the most valuable outfielder out-fielder on tiie Portland club. Vie was the only member of the team among the regulars reg-ulars who hit .300 for the season, and he was a better defensive gardener than either Wilie or Nixon. Williams, who Joined the team in September, is just as good a fly chaser, but he won't hit as consistently as Southwortn, it is believed. The little Beaver fly chaser had planned to remain in Portland for the winter, but received a message from his father to the effect that his mother was seriously ill, and for htm to come home at once. Before leaving, Southworth made his request re-quest for a transfer. The McCredies would dislike to lose Southworth, but realize that it is not to their best interests, inter-ests, or to his, to have a man on the team who Is dissatisfied. Billy is a fair-minded fair-minded fellow on the other hand, has always given the best he has had in him for the Portland club and could be depended de-pended on to do so In the future, if he was convinced that no desirable trade could be made for him. This may cause Manager McCredie some additional worry, as far as his outfield is concerned, as he is firmly convinced that eilher Denny Wilie or Bill Nixon will have to go. also. This pair of birds loved each other as much as a Turk does a Rumanian, Ruman-ian, and for the sake of team harmony one or the other must be disposed of. 1 Charley Swain's All-Americans have yet to suffer a defeat at the hands of the I crack teams of Honolulu. They won their fourth straight game last week, defeating defeat-ing the Twenty-fifth Infantry team 3 to 0. This was the best exhibition of any game of the series, the soldiers losing chiefly i through errors. Rngan. the soldier pitcher, pitch-er, who the island scribes thought would be invincible, held the visitors to five hits. Chief Johnson allowing four. The three runs were all made In the first inning. in-ning. From that point on shut-out ball was played. Jimmy VIox, sold to Los Angeles by Pittsburg last season, and who refused to report because of an injury, has not yet developed a desire to come west, according ac-cording to Powers. Viox has a hunch that he may be in line for the management manage-ment of the Toronto club. Hence his preference pref-erence for remaining in the east. cil was the decision not to play the MM-cilebury MM-cilebury college eleven of Vermont on next Thanksgiving day. The Vermont school will take a trip west next year and requested re-quested a game. The first basketball practice of tne year was held yesterday afternoon. No official call for men has been made yet, but a large number of ambitious candidates are already working out. Lowell Rornney, captain of the basketball team, and Coach Norgren appeared on the floor for a short time. The first regular practice will probably prob-ably be held next Monday. |