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Show frank k. baker rtier.eau csnarc tniTfiO Ml" There is a story going the rounds back in the east that Luke Sewell, the veteran backstop, talked himself right out of the National league and back into the American league where he originally started. Anyway, Luke is back with the Cleveland Indiana and apparently pretty happy about it after a ahort session with the ' Daf fines Boyg at Brooklyn. Maybe iff a aign that the boya will do anything to get away from the Dodgeri. Then again, maybe lt'a just a coincidence. coin-cidence. In any event, it'a a safe guess that Larry McPhail and ; a few of the other National league charactera didn't relish Luke'g ; rernarka. The incident took place In iprtnf training. Luke get t telling soma of the boya about a trick he had used to pick runners run-ners off first and third base. As he explained It the Dodger head man walked past and observed that It didn't sound like such a hot Idea to him; that it esamed like a bush league stunt. "Oh, I guess it'a all right, said defensively. "I've worked it successfully on 52 runners." "Yeah," said Mr. McPhaiL That just goes to prove what a weak-kneed, toft touch outfit that American league reallvis." 1 "Well, maybe so." SeweU mused, "but I notice that It waa doing pretty well In its eompetitien with this league at the elose of the last world series.' And Sewell Is back In the American league. When the boys described Charley Kellar, the young Yank rookie, as a dead left field hitter, they wern't fooling in the least. He bats from the port side, and as such it would seem that he'd hit a lot of balls to right field, which he really is facing. But he doesn't. What's-more, the opposition oppo-sition knows his peculiar trait and they certainly gang up on him on the left side of the diamond. This is especially true with Cleveland where Manager Oscar Vitt knows Kellar'i habits from his managerial days at Newark, the Yankee farm, where he handled young Charley for a time. " 1 aaw Kellar play three games against the Tribe. He gathered five hits In the series and clouted some hard drives on several other occasions, but every one of the balls went to the left of second base. The Indian outfielders shifted so far to the left on Kellar thaj any kind of bingle over first base would have been good for extra bases. In fact tha right fielder always moved in at least 123 feet from the right field foul line and at times he waa 150 feet over or almost into center field. The left fielder waa standing almost on the foul line with the center fielder virtually behind the shortstop. As proof that Vitt knew what he was doing in placing his fieldets that way, Jeff Heath, the left field guardian, waa squarely in line for two line drives less than 10 feet inside the foul line. Either one would have been good for either doublea or triples except for the exaggerated shifting of the outfield. As it waa they were easy fly outs. . . Kellar Is a powerfully built athlete, resembling Je Vecchie ef the local Industrial league In physical appearance. appear-ance. Charley covers a lot ef greetad and can really go back en long flias. But unless ha learns ta hit te right field occasionally he'a going t find It Increasingly difficult te drop hits safely la tha outfield. |