[struggles_mightily]

USA SPORTING NEWS

AMERICA'S FINEST SPORTING DAILY
30th March 1901

AMERICAN BASEBALL LEAGUE: 1901 SEASON PREVIEW

With the inaugural season of the American Baseball League almost upon us, our writers have been attending the training camps of all eight teams, watching the relevant faces both old and new. Our men have pooled their notes and debated upon the chances and prospects of the players and clubs in the hotly anticipated 1901 season. Who are the 'team to beat' in each conference this year? Which sets of rooters had better prepare for a long summer? Only time will tell, but our men in the bleachers hope to help you along with their insider knowledge...

In the concluding part of our preview, we will be taking a look at the four United States Conference teams: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia.

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BOSTON BAY SOX

PITCHING ROTATION

LHP Ed Plank - rookie hurler with a all the tools and a big future -- his best weapon is a hammer curve.
RHP Ned Garvin - reliable pitcher with great stuff and an array of pitches, his control is his only worry.
RHP Sam Leever - hard worker, who probably lacks the natural stuff to be a big winner in the ABL.

SUBSTITUTE PITCHERS

Despite their possible weaknesses in the rotation, Boston boasts a corps of substitutes amongst the best in the league. The centre-pieces will be experienced hurlers Al Maul and Jock Menefee, who will be ably supported by the talented Wiley Piatt and Pete Dowling. Six of Boston's seven substitutes has some big-league experience, with the sole exception being twenty-two year old rookie, Charlie Case.

LINEUP

C Roger Bresnahan - young catcher with a lot of hitting talent who could become the marquee player for the organisation.
SS George Davis - experienced shortstop who combines a very good bat with an excellent glove.
LF Ed Delahanty - simply one of the league's best hitters -- makes almost unrivaled contact, and his large frame means he can really pound the ball.
1B John Anderson - a good hitter who needs to become more patient in order to match the conference's best.
CF Danny Green - very good young hitter who also has excellent speed and should steal plenty of bases.
RF Tommy Leach - young former infielder -- a solid hitter who is also very quick on the basepaths.
3B Harry Steinfeldt - can play almost any position, and is a solid if unspectacular young hitter -- will improve.
2B Herman Long - veteran infielder, below-average hitter.

BENCH

Somewhat like their substitute pitching, Boston's bench is filled with solid veterans who can fill in in a crisis. Klondike Douglass, Kid Gleason, Harry Wolverton and Elmer Smith are all players with decent hitting skills, who could hold down a place in the starting lineup in the event of an injury. There is not much youth on the bench this year, but one notable prospect is Jim Delahanty (brother of star outfielder Ed), who should be a starting first or second basemen one day.

VERDICT

The closeness of the teams in the USC makes it difficult to offer a sound appraisal of most team's chances this year. For Boston, their hitting and pitching are both solid, with their success in the later category largely resting on the young shoulders of "Gettysburg" Ed Plank. They may not match Philadelphia this year -- who boast a more reliable rotation -- but should certainly be in the reckoning for the second-place. They are helped by their strength in depth, which could become a factor late in the year.

Verdict: Should be runners-up, but will do no worse than third.

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CHICAGO CARDINALS

PITCHING ROTATION

RHP Earl Moore - young hurler with dominating stuff, but extremely inconsistent control.
LHP Jesse Tannehill - knuckleballer who should be solid, despite his lack of stuff.
RHP James Callaghan - good all-around pitcher, who doesn't suffer in any particular area, but probably won't be exceptional.

SUBSTITUTE PITCHERS

With only five substitute arms, things could be tough on the Cardinals' pitchers this year. However, the team will be hoping that their best pitchers -- Bill Bernhard, Pinky Hawley and Ted Breitenstein -- can offer enough relief to significantly help the rotation. But if they struggle early or become injured, there is little to replace them with -- only the questionable Joseph Yeager and inexperienced Mike O'Neill remain.

LINEUP

RF Danny Murphy -- promising hitter, who should provide very good contact and some speed at the top of the lineup.
3B Jud Smith - below average hitter with a good glove.
CF Mike Donlin - extremely hot prospect, could become the league's best hitter, and also swings a powerful bat.
1B Charlie Hickman - very good hitter, despite his impatience at the plate
LF Fred Clarke - all-around good player: good speed, good glove and a very good bat.
2B Claude Ritchey - decent hitter.
C Deacon McGuire - very experienced catcher, with decent hitting skills.
SS Dave Fultz - youngster with below-average hitting skills, who is likely to be a liability on the field.

BENCH

If an everyday player gets a long-term injury, the Cardinals could be in trouble. They have three players who could hold down a place in the lineup if required -- outfielders Algie McBride and Patsy Donovan, and catcher Johnny Kling. Apart from this, the bench looks thin, with many inexperienced players (Jiggs Donahue, Davy Jones, Joe Yeager), and players who are simply not good enough to play at this level, such as Monte Cross and George Magoon. All in all, the Cardinals' already questionable line-up could well be weakened even further if an everyday player was lost to injury.

VERDICT

If everything goes right for Chicago this year, then the best they can hope for is a second place finish. They probably will not be able to compete with Philadelphia who, in particular, boast a far better pitching staff. They could give Boston a close race for second, despite both their pitching and hitting being slightly weaker. Nevertheless, third is probably the worst possible result for the Cards, as Cleveland simply does not have the pitching to beat the other teams consistently.

Verdict: Second place might be out of their reach, but they will do no worse than third.

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CLEVELAND BUCKEYES

PITCHING ROTATION

RHP Roscoe Miller - rookie pitcher with a great curve but not much of anything else.
RHP George Winter - another rookie, Winter has a large selection of quality breaking pitches, but both his stuff and control are average at best.
LHP Frank Foreman - veteran lefty, who has little in the way of pure stuff and is inconsistent in terms of control -- has a good moving slider, though.

SUBSTITUTE PITCHERS

The Buckeyes will be hoping that quality is a far more important factor than quantity when putting a pitching staff together. They possess only four substitute hurlers, but each has considerable talent. The star is Jerry Nops, a good all-around pitcher with a 91+ MPH fastball. Jack Katoll and Sam Yerkes should both be consistent, although they will be steady and workmanlike rather than in any way dominant. The final arm is the young Bob Wicker, already a solid pitcher, who could become a big name in the future.

LINEUP

LF Jimmy Sheckard - solid, patient young hitter who also adds a good glove in the outfield.
3B Bobby Bradley - another youngster, Bradley is already a good hitter, and would be much better if he could stop swinging at poor pitches.
1B Frank Chance - very good hitter, who should also be among the league leaders in stolen bases.
CF Socks Seybold - good hitter, good fielder.
SS Hughie Jennings - a good veteran hitter, and positive clubhouse influence.
RF Sam Mertes - decent but unexceptional hitter.
2B Tom Daly - veteran infielder, who plays the field well and provides a solid late-order bat.
C Heinie Peitz - decent all-around hitter, and area favourite.

BENCH

Cleveland boasts an extremely deep bench, filled with players of varying skills and abilities. Infielders Jim Ganzel and Harry Smith will help to shore up the defense late in games, even if their bats are not too useful in the lineup. They also have players who could easily step in and play every day, if required -- most notably Hugh Duffy and Jimmy Slagle. Veterans such as Bill Hallman and Sam Dungan should help with team spirit, and will no doubt be able to give helpful advice to the many young starters on the team. The one element lacking on the bench is youth, with none of its members really looking like players with long, successful careers ahead of them.

VERDICT

Despite having depth, as well as some very good players, Cleveland will be in for a long year this year. The rotation is unproven and not up to the standard of the others in the league. The line-up has no major weak spots, but has (apart from perhaps Chance) no cornerstone either. Cleveland's team is not poor on paper, it's merely underwhelming but, however you phrase it, it simply isn't good enough to make any noise in this conference.

Verdict: Likely to finish in last place.

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PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

PITCHING ROTATION

LHP Noodles Hahn - excellent young pitcher, will be a star in the future -- possesses great all-around skills.
RHP Kid Nichols - talented veteran, who will win plenty of games, but probably won't be consistently dominant.
RHP Harry Howell - up and coming pitcher, with all the tools needed to be successful, despite not having the best pure stuff.

SUBSTITUTE PITCHERS

The substitute corps should be no concern for the Keystoners at all. Their key arms are all talented, and could be in the rotation for a poorer club. Jack Chesbro in particular, is probably too good to remain a substitute all year. Supporting him will be Ed Scott and Bill Donovan, both valuable players in their own right. The rest of their substitutes are decent pitchers who mostly lack one key element -- nevertheless, they should be reliable in filling in here and there, when required.

LINEUP

RF Bill Keister - talented hitter capable of making good contact.
C Jack Doyle - below-average defensive catcher, Doyle should still be able to provide a solid bat.
2B Nap Lajoie - amongst the best hitters in the game without a doubt, simply makes contact well and very often.
CF Emmet Heidrick - very good young hitter, who could do with learning when to lay off pitches.
LF Kip Selbach - good, patient hitter who will also be valuable due to his speed on the basepaths.
1B Tom McCreery - decent enough hitter, nothing spectacular at all.
SS Bill Dahlen - strong defensive shortstop, the organization won't mind if he has some struggles at the plate.
3B Lave Cross - solid hitter who provides some experience -- will do a job.

BENCH

Philadelphia has the best bench in the conference, perhaps the league. Almost every player on it could start without looking too out of place. Chief Zimmer is a veteran backstop who offers a good defensive alternative. Ducky Holmes, Lefty Davis and Ossee Schreckengost could all start for other ballclubs, and will offer suitable backups in the event of injuries. They also boast perhaps baseball's number one hitting prospect in Tim Jordan, who should be a key part of the lineup in a few years.

VERDICT

Fans in Philadelphia must be confident that they have a team that can really contend this year. They have a wealth of good players -- old and young -- and should be considered favourites in the pennant race. Their rotation and bench are the best in the conference, and they also boast a solid lineup, with one legitimate marquee player in Nap Lajoie. Injuries shouldn't be a major concern for them, as they will probably always have replacements to step up when needed. Unless the wheels really fall off, expect them to go to the inaugural World Championship.

Verdict: Probable pennant winners.