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Show I QPrtHT. rAQlP LITTLE ITEMS Oi UI1 I ljUk3e31l OF INTEREST SAX FRANCISCO, Pec. 9. Fresno appears ap-pears once again to be in the lead of popularity for the Seals' "springtime work. Dave Ewing, the Raisin City barrister, bar-rister, was in San Francisco yesterday and s vid he had heard much baseball talk in Fresno. Fresno would really like to have the Seals return, particularly if there would be a chance to arrange games between the Seals and the Cubs. Harry Jayne, long a promoter of city league ball, cherishes the hope that within with-in a few years Fresno will be able to take a place in the Coast league. With the Seals (raining there baseball in-lerest in-lerest would be kept up and it could be demonstrated also that a home club could be supported. :S M TDDIiTCBURY, ' Vt., Pec. 9. Hay Fisher, former New York American league pitcher, who for tho past year has been assistant physical director at Fort Slocum. N. Y., has obtained his discharge from the service, and today ' came here to spend several months on his farm. His plans for the future, he said, are uncertain. Manager Mitchell of the Cubs, when he assumes the office of president at the coming election, will become possessor of a block of stock for which he will be permitted to pay out of the profits, much as did Frank Chance of the old Cub machine. ma-chine. This is understood to be in lieu of any notable salary increase at this time. NKW YORK'. Pec. !. Charles IT. F.b- bets, owner of the Brooklyn club, heard from four of his players from across the seas today. L,eon Cadore. Clarence Mitchell and John Mil jus, pitchers, and Chuck Ward, third baseman, are with the American army of occupation now in Germany or on the way, and in the same regiment with Grover Cleveland Alexander. - its NKW YORK, Pee. fi. .lohn A. Heydler expressed the opinion today that National Na-tional league club owners would vote (o continue the four-club division of the world's series receipts su far as the players play-ers are concerned. He added, however, that the conditions might be amended slightly and the .spoils divided strictly on a percentage basis without any flat guarantee to the' winner. Some fans and writers have thought players given their release at the end of the abbreviated season on September 2 will be considered free agents. Players thus relea sed were over the first draft age, and were let out to prevent pre-vent their being able to collect their salaries up to October 1", as would have been the case had not they been released. re-leased. It is said the original reserve clause in their contracts will hold such players. Anyway, there is a gentleman's agreement agree-ment among the big league magnates, and such releases will be respected. For instance, Terry Turner, who drew such an unconditional 'release, is considered the property of the Cleveland club, al though he was cut from the Cleveland roster Sep tern Iter -. Possibly were Turner to take his case to the courts, he would be told he was j free to sign up where he pleased, but with that gentleman's agreement existing, exist-ing, it is not expected Terry would gam anything by any such action. even i though lie were impelled to do so. ! If is doubtful if any player will seek 'lo have himself declared a free agent. 1 Consequently, each big league club expects ex-pects to control its players just as if the li18 campaign had gone along to its regular reg-ular time of (.putting on October .". -i- Nick Williams, former Cast league jplaver and umpire and for the hu-t few 'seasons manager of the Spokane club in the Northwest ern lea taic, i in a tra in-ing in-ing camp at .Louisville and expected to be graduated shortly with a commission. Willi the war's ending, however, be will probably be discharged soon, and it is said will return lo Spokane to make plans for next season. Nick owns a block of stock in the Spokane club. w During a lull in one. of the "quiet sectors" sec-tors" of France spots where the oppsing troops only went through the motions of warfare and gave each other notice when they are going to drop any shells a ball i game was started bv American soldiers and was watched with much interest by the Germans in the hostile trendies. In the seventh inning a German megaphoned mega-phoned across the open space, ""Petter go under cover now a general is coming and we must shoot something!" And the doughbovs. as though trained in a regular chorus, shouted back: "All right shoot the innplie:'' SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. fi. Jerry Downs, former seeond baseman ami manager man-ager of the Seals, has returned after spending several months in Seattle. Jerry is he was a wav from San Francisco as long as be could stand it. but this "home" and lie quit his job and caniV bark. Said Jen-,' today: '1 worked in the shipyards and played ball in the shipvards league, which had a ureat season Ve had Sunday games only, bnl we pbived to rapacity crowds always, capacitv being about UjUO. The price of admission was Mi cents, so you see there was a pretlv fair 'cut' for the players. I NearU all the players were professionals, largely from the Pacific Const und Northwestern North-western leagues. Some of the fellows known here were Paul Fittery, Pete I St and ridge Karl Shocly, Jack Fournier, ' Tom Beaton, Have Ilillyard. Bobby Cn-trrn. Cn-trrn. Joe Dunn, liuddy Ryan, Bill Speas and Kvron llourk. They are all looking forward to the m 'filing of tiie baseball season, and I think you'll see them all back in uniform." Downs does not expect to play ball next season. He has the opportunity of going into the motor truck- game as a salesman once again, and will in all probability take I advantage of i t. Ptaillv promoters are trying to arrange a ' match 'between Pete Herman and '"Jersey City" Frankie Burns, to take place within the next few weeks. Burns has signified his willingness to e-o through with the engagement, en-gagement, but the promoters are awaiting word from I he bantamweight champion, who has repeatedly sidestepped the Jersey lad. "No mailer who owns the Boston Braves next year, the team will be formidable. HankGowdy. who will be a big drawing card, is coming bark from France to resume re-sume his post as the Braves' star catcher. Babbit Maranvllle, who In a coxswain on tiie battleship Pennsylvania, also will he found at shortstop. The Braves will (Continued on Foliowing Page.) t ; j V SPORT GOSSIP ,l3 (Continued from Preceding Page.) " Q refiain t!:e services of Powell, Kelly and Rett it, the oLUfieKter?. wlio enliRted hist summer. 'ha!ley Jlerzo is out with his annual announcement that he will not plav " ball aLTiiln. but with iMaranville back iii ) ihe inrieid. Herzo- will not be missed. 1 j There is a possibility ihat one or two of the Red Hox sta.rs of UU7 who did not take part in t'ne cliainpionship drivo of f last season may not be available lo service j or barter. ' Lrnio Shore the elongated pitcher, cx-peetM cx-peetM thin week to take Ids examination tor enshjn. He suys, if succpssful, he will not apply for release, as lie wishes to take .-several cruises before returning to profea-L profea-L slonal baseball. Jack Barry, former man-, man-, user of the Ked Sox, is likelv to be dis-: dis-: eharpe.J from the navy al anv time, llis class will graduate in February. Hut Jaek. since he suffered an airavated t case (if water on the knee, has been forced , to I'aii considerably behind in his studies. s PKN'VFLt. Lcc. !). Humors have been , fh'utlntf around pretty tiiick f-r the last se fra days about a mated between Jess i Willaril and Jack Oempsey. i.o be engineered engi-neered aijd promoted hy Colorado bporLimr men. Johnnv Corbet t. who knows all ' about II, said it wKs the real thine, and if Ins plans pan out S.'.O.Onit will be offered 1 WiMard to HK-et )empsey in a twentv-round twentv-round bout fm- the heavyweight c!i:impi-'h-shlp of the world, the contest to take place somewhere in the state of Colorado next spring. Four promt nen ( business men of substantial sub-stantial backing are behind Corbett's campaign cam-paign to set the big fellows together, and if proper arrangements can be made to stage tliB affair, nothing will be left undone un-done and no expense will be spared to make it tin nrtislic and financial success. They stipulate that a certain percentage of the gross receipts shall go as a donation dona-tion to the recuperation hosnital Xo. 21, at Aurora, which will amount to a stun that will go a long way toward putting the Invalid soldiers back on their feet again. |