Baseball

Jimmy Wilson (Cards) has a good job in a silk mill in Philadelphia. Bob Shawkey (manager, Yanks) and Herb Pennock (Yanks) would rather go after moose than anything else. Goose Goslin (Senators) farms 500 acres in New Jersey. In North Carolina Jakie May (Reds) hunts possums and coons with 20 hound dogs. Waite Hoyt (Yanks) and Mickey Cochrane (Athletics) work in vaudeville. Bill Terry (Giants) who once had a filling station, sells oil in Memphis and sings in a choir. Ray Kremer (Pirates) works in the California oil fields. Dazzy Vance (Robins) used to sell real estate, made money during the Florida boom. Bowlegged Charlie Grimm (Cubs) paints por- traits, plays a $450 banjo, also the zither the xylophone. . . . All of them have something they like to do in the fall and winter--their time for big meals, things to drink, late sleeping, being with the family, making a little money on the side. But now you may walk into a pullman car on one of the overland limiteds and see a bunch of them sitting around, looking bigger in their store clothes than on the field, sunburned from the Florida training season, playing bridge or poker, drinking charged water or ginger ale with nothing in it. For last week the big league ball season opened. Enthusiasts throughout the land agree or disagree on the probable showing of the 16 teams, among which the six following are potent:

Philadelphia Athletics (American League). World's champions last year, they still look on top. Mickey Cochrane is, without argument, the best catcher in either league. They have a prime staff ot pitchers, each a specialist at beating certain teams, notably Grove for New York, Waiberg for Washington. Earnshaw, star righthander, starts against anybody. Great hitters, they are not incomparable in the field but they get along

New York Yankees (American League). Average salary for a young major-leaguer is $5.000. The Yankees are a very highly-paid team. With his $80,000 Babe Ruth gets $5,000 more than the President of the U. S. Lou Gehrig makes about $30,000. Their troubles last year were the left side of the infield, Ruths sickness, Gehrig's hitting slump. They are depending on the batting and fielding of able Left Fielder Dusty Cooke and of Ben Chapman on third. Until the young pitchers show class, much depends on old timers Pennock and Hoyt.

Cleveland Indians (American League). Averill, an outfielder from San Francisco, jumped into fame by batting a home run over the fence the first time he played in Cleveland. As last season went on, his fame grew. Lew Fonseca led the League in batting, and he, with Averill and two fine pitchers--Wes Ferrell and Willis Hudlin--may have to be the whole

team.

Chicago Cubs (National League) Rogers Hornsby, greatest second baseman in the game, kingpin of the hitting combination behind which William Wngleys team hammered through their league to play the Athletics in last year's worlds series, has a bad heel. He says he will be all right soon. Cuyler, Wilson and Stephenson. the pounding outfielders who backed up Hornsby's slugs, are in good shape. Critics believe that if they had been preceded in the batting order by two heavy hitters, the Cubs would have won the league pennant by the first of September. This year they may find the two hitters among their twelve new men. Catcher Hartnett's long-ailing throwing arm has apparently regained its oldtime vigor. They are depending on three great pitchers--Charlie Root, Pat Malone and Guy Bush--to win 20 games each.

New York Giants (National League). Last year they needed an outfield hitter. Welsh was a failure; Roush was out of a good many games; but Melvin Ott made up for them. Manager McGraw got him from Louisiana. He is 21, stands up to the plate in perfect style; his hair falls away from his forehead in a natural marcel. The Giant infield is usually as instantaneously effective as the shutter of a camera; but they are weak at second. All the oldtimers on the pitching staff went bad last year. They think Pitcher Larry Benton may stage a comeback; impartial critics doubt that the evidence justifies this belief.

Pittsburgh Pirates (National League). They finished second in the league last year, but are rated behind the Giants now principally because their best pitcher, famed Spitballer Burleigh Grimes, went to Boston for more money. Youngsters Ervin Brame and Lawrence French are not likely to step into Grimes's shoes. Last year their infield was ragged and they had no regular second baseman, no regular shortstop. First Baseman Gus Suhr is a very good hitter.

Other Players. During the season, newspaper readers will often see the names of:

Charlie Klein (Phillies), who batted only three less homers than Ruth last year.

Arthur ("Dazzy") Vance (Robins), who always pitches in a red undershirt. The shirt is torn and flaps around his arm but superstition keeps him from having it mended.

Al Simmons (Athletics), a water-bucket batter (one who steps away from the plate toward the water bucket when pitched to) but a great hitter for all that.

Frank Frisch (Cards), who has played eight consistently brilliant seasons in the National League.

Lefty O'Doul (Phillies), whose batting percentage was .398 last year, highest in both leagues.

Jumbo Elliot (Robins), 6 ft. 64-in., 242 lb., pitcher, biggest man in the big leagues.

Walter Maranville (Braves), 5 ft. 5 in., 155 lb., shortstop, smallest man.

Charles Gehringer (Tigers), star second baseman, who stole 27 bases, the 1929 American League record.

Tom Zachary (Yanks), oldtime pitcher, who last year won every game he pitched, twelve.

Glossary--Key to sport page headlines.

American League: Philadelphia "Athletics." New York "Yankees.'' Cleveland "Indians," St. Louis "Browns," Washington "Senators," Detroit "Tigers," Chicago "White Sox," Boston "Red Sox."

National League: Chicago "Cubs," New York "Giants," Pittsburgh "Pirates." St. Louis "Cardinals." Philadelphia "Phillies." Brooklyn "Robins," Cincinnati "Reds,': Boston "Braves."

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