The day book. [volume], March 02, 1914, NOON EDITION, Image 26

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
. ins
la right here at hime, and no one will
claim on a day like this that our fair
city is a spot for spring training.
Hal Chase, the best fielding tem
perament now operating around first
base, has not decided whether to re
main with the Sox or-jump to the
Federal League. The Feds have
made him a proposition, but Hal re
fuses to tie up for less than $10,000
a year and a bonus of $5,000. For
this amount of coin he would sign a
three-year contract.
There is a strong chance that
Chase will get his desires, and then
he will be face-to-face with the prop
osition of playing in one place for
three years, without a place to jump
to when he becomes dissatisfied with
his surroundings.
Nineteen hits were made by the
Sox first team against Paso Robles
yesterday, which is more than they
will make again until the first game
of next season's training trip. This
remarkable total will gradually
shrink under the warming spring sun,
and as the athletes move eastward
their swat column will assume its
normal appearance of four to eight
hits.
The game was a farce and did not
prove the worth of the athletes. But
they had considerabel running to do,
and this worked the stiffness out of
winter-deadened muscles.
Another record was established.
Reb Russell pitched four innings and
allowed five runs and six hits, two of
the swats being homers by the small
town catcher, whose name is Backus.
The Sox have renamed that guy
Whackus.
Ellis Johnson, the fair-haired
grapeviner, who was prevented by ill
ness from getting a trial with the Sox
last year, pitched two innings
against the Paso Robles gents and
set down six of them on strikes. He
exhibited a houseful of speed, but had
considerable difficulty in taming it
and driving the pill where he wished.
The second squad played like mid
season Sox representatives, getting
licked by Santa Clara College, 7 to 0,
only collecting five hits.
Again today the Cubs will tangle
with the St. Louis Browns, and O'Day
plans to use some of his veterans in
the line-up. Saier will be out with
his injured leg, Mollwitz taking his
place. Heinie Zim and Bronkie are
also suffering from slight ailments,
and may be given a day's vacation.
Roger Bresnahan will go behind
the bat for the first time this season
in actual combat, and try out his
wing "shotting the Brownies dead at
second base. The Harp was over
weight when he reported, but has
worked .off the surplus flesh and is
about as small as he ever will be. '
Bresnahan and O'Day seem to be
getting along in perfect harmony,
and Roger is being consulted by the
manager on many questions concern
ing the abilities of the youths trying
for regular jobs with the Cubs.
O'Day will, in a measure, follow the
lead jof Connie Mack and John Mc
Graw this season, and will leave the
disposition of many mooted questions
to the decision of a board of strategy,
composed of himself, Bresnahan and
Tommy Leach, who reported for
active work today.
They will meet each morning be
fore the game and plan the after
noon's campaign, going over the bat
tle of the day before, and deciding
just what mistakes were made and
who was responsible.
Humphries," Pierce, Smith and
Cheney form the quartet from which
today's pitchers will be selected.
Humphries is farther advanced than
any of the others, and may be allow-'
ed to work five innings.
O'Day is handicapped by the uncer
tainty of the makeup of his infield,
due to the dilatory tactics of the Na
tional League leaders m dealing with
the alleged trade of Evers for Swee
ney and Perdue entered into by Mur-?
phy and President Gaffney of the
Braves.
The legality of this .deal will be de
cided March 6 at a meeting of the