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Show MUCH EXPECTED FROM HELLMANN Pilot Moriarty Sees Odd-Year Odd-Year Jinx Shattered. Sight of Harry Heilmann sending the baseball rocketing off his bludgeon over the distant fences of the Texas league circuit this spring would gladden glad-den the hearts of the customers of Navin field, writes Harry Bullion in the Detroit Free Press. Not an ounce of superfluous weight on his gigantic frame, the world's champion hitter is in the best condition condi-tion of his athletic life right now and If all signs are not an unanimous "bust" he'll be a big factor in whatever what-ever success is achieved by the Tigers this year. . Precedent is against Heilmann's leading lead-ing the American league this year, but tradition is apt to fade out before the slugging ability of the big right fielder. In odd years, 1921, 1923, 1925 and 1927, Heilmann led the batters in the American and in two of them compiled the highest average in both of the majors. This is an even year, and his complex is against a repetition of his performance in the four odd years. Still Moriarty, for one, is nursing the hunch that Heilmann is going to surpass sur-pass his best previous performances with the bat, and one .of the four championship years he batted over .400. Heilmann entered the camp weighing less than at any time last season and he tips the beam now at 194 pounds. "Let up a little bit," Fothergill ad-clsed ad-clsed Heilmann, "you're making It tough for me." While It is not generally known, It is a fact that Heilmann Is holder of a batting record that stood for 21 years. He is the only right-hand hitter hit-ter who ever led the American league four times. In his heyday, Napoleon Lajoie topped the batters In the junior loop three times. His last year was 1905. No other right-hand hitter led the league from then until 1921, when Heilmann broke the reign of the left handers. In 1923 Harry led the parade again and in 1925 he tied Lajoie for batting honors by right-hand right-hand hitters. Then, when he slugged his way to the top last year, he broke Lajoie's and his own record by winning win-ning the fourth championship. This spring Heilmann has given every indication that he Is into his stride by the way he hits to right field. Like a bullet the ball sails off the club to the sector back of first base. |