Show Baseball sa Experts Dope DopeS I S Coast leagues Lg's 96 1916 fla flaTHE Race TH THE E TELEGRAM TEl herewith publishes the opinions of four of the leading baseball writers in the other cities on the relative strength or weakness of the six clubs chubs in the Pacific Coast league All of them seem to have a keen regard for Frank Chance and his Angels Angela for the reason that he has such good big league connections from which to bring on good players on short notice Salt Lake is generally credited with being weak but none of the scribes are picking the Bees for a sure enough cellar position this spring They are willing to believe that Blankenship may surprise again as he did at atthe the close of the 1915 race I The opinions follow Al Joy veteran baseball writer of or orth th the San Francisco Examiner says the says the Los Angeles t team am looks best He writes as follows it I As the clubs stand today your correspondent correspondent correspondent cor cor- respondent admits that he likes the look Jook of ot the Angels Ang But this doesn't o mean that he is going to make even a a. mental wager with himself that the Angels will win the flag or or that they will beat the Seals out in the race Wolverton is a conservative manager and when he says he is satisfied with Continued on page e 4 BASEBALL EXPERTS Continued from page 1 his club he merely means that he is satisfied with it for starting the sea sea- son He does not mean that the club as it stands now is Ideal for tor the long fight figh t. t And he has wires out in many directions directions right now for men who will be certain to bolster up the spots that look weakest Just what Harrys Harry's plans are he is holding as a deep d dark rk secret But he has dropped a hint or r two that indicate some big surprises are In store before long As to the other clubs I like Ue the Oaks better than the Tigers In fact the Oaks look to me to be as formidable formidable for for- as the the Seals Seals save that they are are weaker in the outfield The infield Is fast and aggressive There is plenty of hitting strength at all points and a fair amount of t speed The Tigers are going to be bo an aggregation aggregation aggregation gation of fighters and will be a popular popular lar road club if Ham Patterson keeps his temper under control Ham in his old Coast league days had the nastiest disposition of ot any man in the league He was in constant trouble with the umpires and drew frequent He will have two good catchers and his pitching staff staff- will be stronger than the fans have generally thought It is questionable however if it some of the veterans he has signed will be able to stand the seven months' months pace Ills his Infield does not look to be up ip to either Seals Angels or Oaks in hitting but butwill butwill will show a lot of fielding l sP speed particularly par par- r. r l at short and first t Patterson e I thinks particularly well outfielders outfield outfield- ers era Daley Mattick and Doane Daley and Doane are known to all the fans They are good mechanical players but that lets them out for neither has ever shown much spirit of aggression Here we have given space to four I clubs and have completely passed up the Uie Portland Beavers and the Salt Lake Bees This does not mean that they I are not to be considered They loom however as a couple of dark horses horses- in this race and they might some up and upset all calculations Blankenship's Salt Lake organization did not look formidable a year ago It upset all calculations however due chiefly to the wonderful form fonn displayed by Joe Gedeon who had been marked almost as a lemon the year before after atter his disappointing showing with the Angels However class or lack of class showed itself the Bees falling to the bottom along in Then Blankenship went out and got new newmen men men Brief Brief Quinlan Fittery Breton and Lynn were added to bolster up the I weak spots and up the Bees began to climb Had the season gone a a. month longer they would perhaps have been een the pennant winners instead of the Seals The Portland club is a puzzler McCredie McCredie Mc- Mc Credie Credle ha has reorganized completely He has a large collection of young ball players They have have havea a lot of speed but so far they have been decidedly It may be that McCredie is I ba back k on his old system He has has has-gener- s gener generally I gener-I ally started slowly kept at his cluB Until un until Un- Un til it got to working like a machine and then simply climbed up to a pennant Taking present lineups for the doping doping dop dop- ing big the average fan would pick the Angels and Seals to be the winner and runner up with the edge in favor of the Angels The Oaks and Tigers should fight for third place with the edge edgo in favor tavor of ot the Oaks This leaves the Bees and Beavers for the cellar positions But these present lineups will not continue Every club will make changes and it may well be that in October the first shall be last and the thel thelast l last st shall be first Be that as it may It can safely b be said that the league is stronger than it was last season that the clubs are more evenly balanced and that a faster grade of ot baseball can be ex ex- It might also be predicted that the fans are going to come with a rush and that this will be one one of ot the most prosperous years in the history of the game The city commission went into I high last night night- and speeded UI up the 1 proceedings to a point breaking all all' records so that several members could attend the opening performance of the grand opera Under the state laws the commission must begin its night sessions not later than 8 o'clock and andas as the clock in the joint building tower struck that hour the meeting was al almost al- al most over Seventeen seconds later the meeting had been adjourned but until not a resolution had had been adopted giving the city a half holiday holiday holiday holi holi- day today that they might attend the opening game of ot the baseball season The state government was was not so good to the public servants who also are baseball fans tans but the at attended attended attended at- at tended the game anyway in force Working to operation co with the guards and sleuths at the state house bouse a proclamation was issued to the public public pub pub- lic lie at large advising that all state would go on strike at noon today and people having business with the state offices were cautioned to transact it early Without ut disorder and no opposition the boss servants being of ot the same frame of or mind and bound for the same place 1 e. e the ball park the public servants left the capitol about noon and proceeded In an orderly orderly orderly order order- ly but somewhat noisy manner to the Majestic park there to witness the opening struggle for the 1916 championship championship championship cham cham- of the Pacific coast with the Bees and the Oaks crossing bats in in inthe inthe the Initial performance I ers era are in good shape Scoggins gins ap apI appears appears ap- ap pears due for a a. good year Thompson I may mayor or may not do Sizing it up would say the Anels will have heavy hitting good pitching and fair fielding in incidentally incidentally incidentally in- in a really great manager in inFrank inFrank inFrank Frank Chance Vernon Vernon Two Two great catchers In Spencer and Whaling with Mitse as a good helper Greatly improved batting and far tar better spirit on club Infield will be f fast st with fielding stars at third short and first and a steady reliable player at second Pitchers look strong Fromme E. E Johnson G. G Johnson and Quinn look like four powerful right handers banders Mitchell and Arellanes Arellanos also good Hess Hitt and Decanniere will allow Pat to select two good south south- south south- paws Good base running team tean fine fielding club Club with hustling aggressive leader in Ham Patterson San Francisco Francisc Not Francisco Not as strong on offense or oi defense as in 1915 unless I Wolverton springs some n new nw w men Bohne is nC not RO Roy RCy Go Corhan han b by a long way N Neither r. r Autrey nor will hit wl with h Heilman Hellman Schmidt wil be missed behind the plate Seals will have better letter pitching evening up the theother theother theother other losses considerable A strong club in batting and base running also a good defensive club With Wolverton at the helm the champions must be watched Oakland An Oakland An Improved ball club Will miss Ness Nes and Johnston on both offense and defense Better Infield except except ex ex- at first base and outfield will be stronger except in center Elliott may show as a manager although b baseball s ball men do not figure him with other lead ers Elliott will have better pitching but the Oaks do not look as strong as first three teams mentioned Salt Lake Lake Lake-Blankenship Blankenship lias has strong ball bail club His team will hit well but Gedeon will be missed from second base and the loss of ot Williams hurt his heaving staff a great deal Blank must get et a couple more good pitchers before his club will be a pennant winner Team Is dangerous at all times with or without any more hurlers Portland Portland Portland-An An improved team McCredie McCredie Mc Mc- Credie Credle will have ave a really great outfield In Southworth Nixon and Wilie Ills His pitching should be bett better r and 1 his bis is in infield Infield infield In- In field strong The Portland team looks look like the dark horse of or the tho league If there is such an animal The outfielders outfield outfield- ers era are good hitters and speedy base runners Club will be stronger stronger every every way Watch out for Mac |