Show bet I iy t PRANK FRANK K BAKER Few barnstorming pitchers have boasted as much speed on their fast ball as John ohn Kerr of the Hawaiian Ha club lub displayed here rec recently in a l gan game against Wasatch J Oil of the Amateur federation Spectators who watched the the pound the big fellows fellow's 1 offerings for 12 h hits ts and a 9 7 triumph may have wondered a little about the b ballyhoo l which credited Kerr with a al r six hit performance aga against Babe Ruth and the rest of the major majori i league stars last winter in Honolulu O One e need not be skeptical for long however for the Hawaiian Hawaiian Ha Ha- wailan undoubtedly would be a tough hombre in the warmth of his bis native sea level atmosphere I Against Wasatch Kerr had a puzzling change of pace 4 mixing a tantalizing slow ball with his fast ones His curve I however however if if he really owns one one was was quite another matter He usually got nothing but a fat delivery over the plate when he resorted to the hook and the shellacked it hard I Kerrs Kerr's apparent difficulty with his curve here in inthe I the rarefied atmosphere recalls the problems the pitchers used to meet in the days of Pacific Coast league ball here bere Hurlers accustomed to working in the the- lower altitudes along the coast couldn't get the same stuff on the baM baH here in in n the lighter air until they got better accustomed to the altitude and therefore worked just a little differently than they did on the coast I 1 On two occasions Kerr bore down t tp fan batsmen with three pitches the stickers fanning the thc air helplessly on each pitch Altogether he lie struck out only seven sc men a performance equaled by Reese Llewellyn southpaw chucker 9 Aside from his apparent difficulty in getting his curve to work vork Kerr also seemed to have c a tendency to groove too many pitches for what would be smart or crafty mound work No mention of Coast league days is js quite complete without some conjecture about the possibilities of return returning returning returning return return- ing organized baseball to Salt Lake City The pros and cons have been pretty well exhausted I during Curing the past few years wit without out Zion Zon getting materially material material- ly Iy closer to league membership than it was on the thc day dayBill Bill Lane anc and company moved their sagging assets to Holl Hollywood Hollywood Hol Hol- l lywood wood so many years ago 4 It occurs to tome me however ever that instead of working alone atone Salt Lake City should combine interests with Denver in conI convincing con con- I the league moguls that the game could be made to 1 pay in the 1 I Instead of seeking a single membership which would necessitate the long expensive jump to Utah for a single series it would be smarter to seek two memberships so that thata thota a coast club could pIa play two series in the course of one trip into the heart of the mountains The same underlying ing theory that might make Salt Denver-Salt Lake ake City scheme successful led Coast league moguls to work h hard ard d toward towar the reorganization of Seattle's club last year when the Washington club was on the verge of failing California teams find it advisable to have two foes in the Pacific ac ic northwest If only one member came from that territory terri tern I tory be tory be it either Portland or Seattle the Seattle the trip to the northwest would be even more of a problem than the hop to Salt Lake City but the double stand there keeps such jaunts with within n the budget If both Salt Lake City and Denver were in the thc league the circuit would have a it similar setup here herc Denver is not as far out of the question as roll folks folia alon along the thc Pacific ma may believe either cither 1 for a team could play in either Salt Lake or Denver one afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon and still reach the other in ample time for a game the next day Trains leave Denver about 6 each evening and arc are in Salt Lake Cit City by breakfast time tilDe the thc next morning Eastern service is is similarly convenient in carrying a ball club 1 S S Denver ought to welcome the idea too for the Colorado city has been as eager as Salt Lake City to be in organized ball being a member of the Western Vestern league for several years along with Pueblo S j Like Salt Lake City though Denver forced the expansion of of the league beyond its natural territory in the Missouri valley valley valley val val- II ley so the setup didn't last t If b both th these queen quee citi cities of of th the thc really comI combined com corn il I ed their forces thc they co could ld gain a r respectful audience with ith the Coast league which would like only too well welli i to remedy the of members around the San i. i Francisco bay region t i- A well spread membership would be much better than the setup that tha has franchises at Oakland San Francisco Frani Fran- Fran i cisco and the Missions all within walking distances of 1 I each ach other not to mention Sacramento but a few hours' hours 4 ride away I i You can wager your mortgage on the family home- home tead that hat the Coast Coas league would prefer two thriving ti clubs lubs in In the mountains to all the congestion around the I J Golden Gate It |