OCR Text |
Show SILT Hi HAS NIFTY CLUB TO 0PEIW1II Saints This Year Appear Much Stronger Than the Organization of 1915 or 1916. PITCHING STAFF IS GREATLY IMPROVED Five Veterans Apparently I Ready to Start; Infield Complete ; Outfield Is Best in League. In spite of the continued dry farming farm-ing weather the opening day of tho oflet league will occur on Tuesday, Tues-day, April 3. Taking into account weather conditions of the last few days pome folks might be inclined to doubt this, but we aro in a position to assure our largo and constantly-increasing number of renders that it is tru. Tuesday, Tues-day, April 3, will witness the opening of the I PI 7 Coast league season, meteorological me-teorological phenomena noth withstanding. withstand-ing. If one take a few seconds to reckon up the intervening space of time between be-tween now ;md Tuesday , April 2, one will find that t ho interval yet remaining remain-ing has been materially reduced during the last week. (n fact, the interval has been reduced by seven days. Last Sundav a count of the calendar showed that tnirty days must yet elapse before i the town clock nnnonnces tho arrival of Tuesday, April 3 thirty days of impatient im-patient waiting and impotent longing. By a simple sum in the art. of subtraction subtrac-tion we are sensible this morning that only twenty-three days remain to be worried through and over. JJ-ree-week Wait. Twenty. three davs are twenty-three dais. rfhoy would, comprise an enormous enor-mous interval of time if one had to do without food, or water, or breath during tho entire period, but happily no such st of endurance is required at least vvhave breath and water and some davs we are able even to circumvent the h. c- 1. and obtain a cracker or a pickle or some similar modest article of sustenance. sus-tenance. Still twenty-three is a mighty long time to suck oue 's thumbs, especially espe-cially -when one's ears fairly ache ior ! the celebrated sound of the impact of ! wood on leather. Nevertheless twenty-three twenty-three davs have been, on occasion, known the pass with reasonable swiftness swift-ness and, since the precedent has been established, there is some ground for the belief that they may do it again. Meantime the fans must content their souls in as much patience- as thev may, and satisfy their passion for baseball by reading of doings at Porterville. Club Looks Good. Whatever happens in the next twentv-three twentv-three days, it certainly looks at this time as though Salt Lake will have a pretty good baseball club for the opening open-ing ceremonies. The recalcitranco of Bunny Brief has interrupted the smoothness smooth-ness of the flow of events somewhat, but, strange as it may seem, the sun rises every morning and sots cverv evening even-ing and the government at Washington, while hard pressed, still lives. Even the holding out of Bunny Brief can be endured. en-dured. While Bunny is nursing his wrath and dreaming dreams of ' playing independent indepen-dent ball at Beloit, Wisconsin' Manager Man-ager Bernhard is tranquil in tho knowledge knowl-edge that the first base problem is not a mnttT" of life and death and that Earl Sheely is available for tho job. First base was Sheely 's regular position in the Northwestern league last year, and from all accounts he played- it well. By switching Sheely from a place on the warm, warm bench assigned to a seeoud string catcher. Bombard will be called upon to plug up that vacancy. In the Sraining camp Bill has a young man V-med Anfiuson. How good he is has not yet been determined. Another young man named Jeff Cress has been ordered to report for the purpose of undergoing un-dergoing inspection. Neither of them may be suitable, but second Hue catchers aren't so very hard to get. With Harry JlaniA.h doing the bulk of the backstop- ping, the puzzle is not one of serious concern. Hannah wouldn t be h.ippv unless un-less he were permitted to work in at least 100 of the 197 games scheduled for the Saints, so there is no cause for worry wor-ry over what is going to happen behind the bat. If Sheely comes forward as his friends expect him to do the club is readv to take the field. Pitching Staff Strong. Tiie pitching staff surely looks better thau the corps of heavers with which the Saints started the two preceding seasons. Jean Public. Tom Hughes, Chet Hoff, Rube Kvans and Ollie Kirmayer are five Singers of whom prompt and effective work is to be expected. Lv-diatt Lv-diatt and Blake, from their work in training, appear to be excellent prospects. pros-pects. Roy Bliss evidently has not shown what he is supposed to be capable of, but there is no telling what he may develop. Salt Lake fans are especially eager to see Stanley Dotigan in action. Pouan has been given permission to continue his college work until May, when ho will join the squad. K erst on is another voungster who may emerge fts one of those present. Then there is a chance that Bernhard may make an advantageous trade for Klawitter. Owing to personal reasons, Dutch wants to play with an American association club, and it is likely that sonic sort of trade mnv be made. M il-YJTkfp il-YJTkfp has offered Harry Mornn tor witter. Moran is accounted a good pitcher, but he is a left hander. In r (Continued on roUowinj Page.) SUITS HI GOOD CLOB TO BEGIN ICE (Continued From Preceding Page.) the event that Walter Leverenz continues contin-ues to occupy the distinguished office to holdout Bernhard may decide to risk taking on another left hander. However, How-ever, there must be right banders on some of lho American association clubs for whom Khiwitter could be made the basis of a swap. Already one or two nibbles of this kind have been noticed, but. nothing definite has developed. The matter of trading Klatwitter is in the hands of Beruhard and, since Bill's presence pres-ence is quite remote from hence, it is dulicult to get up-to-the-seeond news from the big skipper. 1-Jven if Salt Lake never got another pitcher the stain as it stands assuredly is a marked improvement over those of 1915 or ID Hi. The infield should measure up with the best of 'em this year, even though Brief lie not a member. The eternal problem at second base, a serious con-dirion con-dirion since the days of Joe Geileon. unquestionably un-questionably has been solved. Karl Crandall, with his long experience, should be the resolvent. Gard Gislason. while lai-I: in cr experience, no doubt will give any infu-lder who aspires to the place a hard rub. Morris Rath at third and Bill (Jrr at short complete the ring. In addition Bernhard has two rooks concerning con-cerning whom we have heard much. Car penter and Kearns are said to be two of the most promising youngsters who have over gone into a Coast league training train-ing camp. The outfield thus far lacks the presence pres-ence of Tommy Quinlan, but there is a strong intimation from Porterville that Bernhard and Tommy have been in communication com-munication and that Quinlan will be with us. It is a Hafe bet that, as between Brief and Quinlan, Salt Lake fans would prefer to see Quinlan get a raise in salary if any raises are to be given. Tobin and Hyan are seemingly sure of outfield places. Buddv is ;l i-Wh, and reports of the speed and hitting capacity of Tobin seem to make him a cinch also. With an outfield composed of Rvan Qipnlan and Tobin the Saints should have the best combination in the league. Jimmy Shinn is also on the roster and available for the utility outfield position posi-tion if a right hand hitter is needed. In the event that Gislnson or Carpenter or Kearns draws the utility infield place Orr would be available for outfield duty in case of emergency. Taking it by and large, therefore, the 1017 Salt Lake club looms .both large and capable. |