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Show Hawaiian-Chinese Shortstop May Be a Sesisafieo SEATTLE, Wash., April 7. Vernon Ayau. the Hawaiian-Chinese shortstop who was signed by Manager Bill Leard for the local team of the Pacific Coast league, bids fair to become tho baseball base-ball sensation of the season. When the announcement of Leard's contract with the Chinese player was given to the press, the sporting writers writ-ers of the coast took it as a huge joke. Since the arrival of the snappy little lit-tle shortstop in Seattle, however, they have changed their tune. He Is about tho fastest thing ever seen on a baseball base-ball diamond and it begins to look as if his advent into the limelight with a following mad scramble by the big league managers, is a foregone conclusion. conclu-sion. Riley Allen, editor of a Honolulu newspaper, has watched the progress of the young Chinese for several years and in a letter to a local sporting1 writer writ-er tells how good he thinks the youngster young-ster is. A portion of his letter reads: "Nearly every one who has seen Ayau In action says that he is a comer com-er If he gets off right and the fans give mm half a chance he will be one of the most popular baseball players that ever wore a Seattle baseball uniform. uni-form. He is a clean little gentleman, and can do stunts on the ball field just as flashy as those that made Bancroft Ban-croft tho best fielding shortstop on the Coast." Not alone in Honolulu has the worth of Ayau been appreciated, for the newspapers hero aro loud in their praise of his work. Some authorities contend that he is the equal of Bancroft, Ban-croft, who made such a reputation on the coast for miraculous fielding, while others go so far as to claim his work is even superior. Ayau is 25 years old, weighs 138 pounds and is built something along tho lines of Walter Maranville. He Is 5 feet 5 inches tall, bats right-handed and throws right handed. He was born in Hawaii, went to SL Louis college, col-lege, a preparatory school in Hawaii, and was a crack player even as a kid. When tho Chinese travelers organized organ-ized their team to go to the mainland four or five years ago Ayau was taken along, and ho was then about the best shortstop on the Island. He has made all the trips this team has taken, and has played In more than GOO mainland games. Altogether he has played moro than 1000 games of baseball. |