OCR Text |
Show What Coasters Are Gossiping About in Off-Season Special to The Tribune. SAX FRANCISCO. Jan. "I expect to leave Oakland about February 1 V .aid John P. Cook tonight in announcing his acceptance of the offer to become business manager of the Salt Lake dub. "I have wired my acceptance to the Salt lake management. Am at work now straightening my affairs with the Oakland Oak-land ch.it and expect to have everything in readiness within the next week or so." Cook is making arrangements to make his permaneni home in Suit. Lake. He has already disposed of some of his real estH te holdings in Yolo county and lias several other deals under way. He will also sell out his stock in the Oakland club. Tt is likely thar the following from the Los Angeles Times rfrs to Filly La ne of tlie famous Occidents !s. who played some regular baseball in Salt Lake five or six years ago: Much has been writ ten concerning the professional baseball achievement achieve-ment on minor or major league diamonds dia-monds of Fred Snodgra.hs, Art film ier, Zeb Terry, Fred McMullen. Buster Callan. Emil Meusel and other graduates of the local high schools, but the equal, if not the superior, su-perior, of any of them has received no mention. Reference is made to Fill Lane, who played third for Polytechnic when Zeb was disporting himself at short. Bid whs handicapped because he was the offspring of brunette parents. par-ents. The color line is one of very distinct dem,arka tion in organized baseball, and t hat alne prevented Lane from going straight from high school to the majors. The best that Bill could do was to gra b a berth with the Chicago Giants, which is about the highest point that a negro ba?eba II player can reach in this fount ry. He showed a lot of class there under Rube Fost er, a nd later played sensational ball in Cuba. Three successful seasons he was selected se-lected as a member of. tlie ad-star Cuban team, which was organized to play visiting big league clubs, and in one of these series he. batted an even .600. "I'd give $50,000 if that boy had been born whit; instead of black." declared de-clared McGraw, following a trip to our insular annex. Lane is now a postman in Los Angeles, making less than a tenth what he would have received re-ceived had he not. to quote an old song, "been born that wav." Kenneth Williams, star center fielder of the Portland club, can claim the hon or of being the first of the players outside out-side the city to signify his willingness to take the training trip to Honolulu. Williams was already signed to a contract, con-tract, having completed this Important transaction last fall. The local owners were not certain, however, whether he would care to go. Upon their writing him Kenneth answered an-swered by return mail, stating that they could positively count on his going, and adding that he would be delighted to have such a change from the regular spring grind, which often grows monotonous. monot-onous. It Is believed by those who ought to know that the majority of the Portland ball players will take the same attitude that Williams does, and will be anxious to sign their contracts without delay, provided that the amount named In them is satisfactory. This statement is borne out by the fact that Denny W1lie, the little outfielder, has also written from Los Angeles, where he is wintering, to the effect that Ihe will be with the party, although he I hasn't yet signed his contract. Jt will be remembered that Wilie was one of i the holdouts last year, reporting at the training camp after all the other plavers had arrived. The signed contract of Kenneth Penner. who was purchased from Cleveland on an option, has also been received. Portland Telegram. OAKLAND, Jan. 2$.--Pii Wished reports re-ports to the contrary, "Speed" Martin, the young Oakland pitcher, has not signed a White Sox contract, and his friends say that the young star is preparing to give up all Idea of a career on the diamond. Though it was thought some time ago that the terms submitted hv Clarence Rowland, manager of the Chicago White Sox, were quite satisfactory, the statement state-ment is now made that the document called for little more than "Speed" was getting from Oakland, and that the young pitcher ignored the contract entirely. en-tirely. Martin is working for the Chevrolet Automobile company in this city, and is said to have proved so popular with his employers that they have made him a business offer that would permit him to (Continued : on Following Page.) j COAST LEAGUE CHAT ' , j (Continued From Preceding Pge.) stay here, play Sunday baseball and make more money than he Is offered by Chicago. Martin once befor quit baseball, jump-Ins jump-Ins the Northwestern league and remaining remain-ing away an entire season. "Speed's" admirers ad-mirers and friends hope he will do nothing noth-ing foolish. The young athlete gave promise with the Oaks last year of developing de-veloping into, a start in the majors, and opportunity now beckons to him Martin was well paid by the Oakland club last year. He got more than some of the seasoned members of the staff Now he is offered a still further boost In pay. The major league rules fbrbld an In-y In-y crease of more than 25 per cent over a P?t.or teagus contract. Advices from ; Chicago say that Martin has been offered over J300 per month, which looks like ' pretty soft picking for a player with practically only one year's experience in fast baseball. J MJar'ln las a splendid chance to make ood on big time, but Comlskey Is not tile sort of cltap to stand for anv fooling The American league is a pretty fast proposition for a young pitcher to break Into, and Martin cannot expect to be a regular workman the first season. It will take strict adherence to training rules considerable patience and hard work to make good. The reward is commensurate commensur-ate with the labor involved, and is not to he had by the mere asking With both Elliott and Martin holding out, the Coast league's star battery may be lost to the majors, and the Oakland club be out six thousand simoleons. It's a tough old world. Red Murphy, Oak third sacker. Is out with a boost for Tom Fitzslmmons, the Oakland sand lot graduate, who will try out for the shortstop berth on the Brooklyn Brook-lyn Dodger club this spring. Murphy had occasion to look over Fits In the northwest last year, where both played In meteoric fashion. After watching watch-ing Tom cavort around short in a few games, he beca.me so impressed with the lalter's work tha.t he now believes Fitzslmmons Fitz-slmmons will surely make the Dodgers as a regular member. "Tom owns a pair of mlts like Hans Wagner," says Murphy. "And he can sure go. There are very few better fielders. field-ers. Tom needs only to hit a little harder hard-er and the way he stepped into 'em last year, he should bat an eaay .250 In the National. That ought to get him a job." Oakland Tribune. At the bottom of one of those 1017 Seal contracts rests now the name of Bill Steen, pitcher. "Big Six" got into town yesterday morning from his winter quarters quar-ters at Taguna Beach, which is said to be bounded on three sides by the city of Ijos Angelas and on the other side hy , a shore built In close proximity to the ' ocean. Immediately after arriving "Big Six" called upon Harry Wolverton and they went Into executive session and had a long talk. Steen assured Wolverton that be was never in better condtlon In his life. San Francisco Kxaminer. PORTLAND, .tan. It ' is rumored r? that President Al Bn.um of tile Coast league has under considers tion the neme of pearl Casey as an umpire to succeed .lack Doyle. The McCredles are strongly urging that Casey be selected. He Is a. competent umpire, as shown by his work in the Coast and Northwestern lPagues. He is a Portland resident. |