OCR Text |
Show I SPORT SHORTS v J Chuck Ward, who will cover the territory between second and third In the Robins' Infield this season, has been playing great ball, and is ready for the opening gong of the season. Tho lnfleldor has entirely recovered from tho operation he underwent iu winter, and the knee which handi capped his playing last season is now In good shape. Chuck'3 fielding in the games against the Yankees, and the cne played with, the Senators, was of tho mid-season variety, He covers a lot of ground and his throwing to first baso has been speedy and accurate. accu-rate. Fred Fulton is out on the Pacific coast and he seems to bo having a hard time of it getting men to meet him. Fred had a match with Gunboat Gun-boat Smith practically clinched when tho size of the "modal" all fightori arc amateurs on the Pacific coast-Smith coast-Smith was t6 get waa declared to be too big by tho Portland commissioner. As Gunboat would not accept a smaller small-er "modal" the bout had to bo cafled off. Fulton and Smith may be matched at an Oakland club for fbui rounds. Fulton is not allowed to fighi In San Francisco because he got In bad there with tho authorities during a former trip. Edward Barrow, manager of the shattered Red Sox, comes to tho defense de-fense of Pitcher Carl Mays of the Yankees by declaring that the latter does not use tho "bean balK" "Mays 13 a good fellow and I don't boliove that ho would try to hit a batsman any moro than would Walter Johnson," says Barrow. "Nobody ever questions Johnson's fast ball, although al-though somotlmes lt'speeds so close to the batsman's heud that It looks intentional. "It's unfair to charge Mays with such unsportsmanlike and cowardly tactics. He is a great pitcher and doesn't have to resort to Intimidation." Intimida-tion." "The Reds are . not ' overconfident because thoy won tho pennant and the world's championship last year," says Pat Moran. "Thoy realize that they will have to fight hard for every game. The- Giant?. Brooklyns. Cubs and Pirates will not be easy by any means this season, and tho Reds know it. 1 will make no changes in the llncilp. Tho R6ds will havo some good extra men, however, in Seo, Crane, Schrelbor and Gerncr.and I may use them now and then to give the regulars regu-lars a rest. But 1 cah't afford to tako. many chances, and the champions will'' be ready for a quick getaway on April 14." George Stallings, manager of thou Boston Braves, has a tremendous task on his hands, and if ho falls to Improve tho team this year ho will have to glvo way to some other loader. As usual, Stallings has a raft of plny-ers plny-ers down south. He probably will keep Holkc, Pick, MaranviJio and Bockcl In tho Infield, but the outfloldl selections still aro in doubt, nlthougnl Powell, Crulso and Mann seem best.i Gowdy, Wilson and O'Neill will do tho catching, while the pitching staff Includes In-cludes Rudolph, Scott, .Jones, Oosch-ger, Oosch-ger, Fllllngim. Mllldr, .McQuillan and others. Shades of the wprld's champion cham-pion Braves of 1314! Among tho old-timers who havo tried to come back of late is Bob Moha, the Milwaukee cave man. Moha has boon doing a little fighting in the middle west of late and has mon with a modcrato amount of success. Moha Is one or tho freaks of- tho ring. H w shorter than the average lightweight, light-weight, but has thicker arms and legs than most heavyweights. |