Lockard Here With Plans For Winning Team

January 17, 1924

LOCKHARD HERE

WITH PLANS FOR

WINNING TEAM

Expects Word on Purchase of New Players Shortly Has Invitation Out to Williams to Attend Opening.

CHARLES LOCKHARD, the president of the Seattle Baseball Club, arrived home today from the schedule meeting of the Pacific Coast League held at Oakland Monday and Tuesday, firm in the belief that with harmony completely restored in the Pacific Coast League, he and Wade Killefer could proceed with their plans for building a winning team.

Numerous contracts have been sent out to the men expected to make up Seattle's 1924 team, Vean Gregg, Jim Bagby and. Billy Lane are already signed to contracts and the balance of the documents are going out today, Lockhard declared this morning.

Wade Killefer, manager of the team is still in San Bernardino, preparing the training camp at which the Indians are to report about March 1, and will reach Seattle within a week. Then things will hum for fair, declares Lockhard.

"The schedule meeting was so different from all our other recent battles that it seemed tame," declared Lockhard. "Everyone is convinced that the political battles are over and that the league will go ahead now.

"We have extended an invitation to Harry Williams, the new president of the Pacific Coast League, to attend our opening here and he has promised to try and arrange his affairs to be here. He will go to Salt Lake for their opening, then come over to ours, which is a week later. He is a fine fellow and is going to make a success of his new job. He plans at least two trips a year all around the circuit, something that we never could get McCarthy to do."

Lockhard expects to hear from the various clubs with which he is negotiating for players shortly now and to have some interesting announcements to make for the Seattle fans. One or two of the deals are so involved that they have taken more time than was expected. Player trades are involved, and the other clubs have had to be satisfied as to the men they are to receive.

The player limit was not cut by the league, according to Lockhard. May 15 being the cutting down date, and twenty experienced and five inexperienced men being allowed until September 1, when the lid is again raised.

The league also adopted a new rule regarding waivers which will permit of trades between the Coast League and the other two Class AA leagues, the International and the American Association, without the formality of securing waivers. It is hoped that the other two leagues will adopt similar rulings.

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Seals Take Fifty to Camp.

The San Francisco Seals are planning on taking fifty ball players to Boyes Springs for the annual spring training jaunt.

And out of those half hundred real and would-be ball players, no less than twenty-six are rookies of the rawest kind, youngsters who have never played a game of professional baseball. Four men are young men who were farmed out last year by the Seals, and who have been recalled or another looking over.

Pity poor Bert Ellison, manager of the Seals, when he starts trying to keep that outfit busy at practice.

The rookies, pitchers and catchers report a week ahead of the regulars and some of the youngsters will probably be on their way by the time the veterans come in. That will help some, but Ellison, without an assistant as he is this year, will probably have his hands full.

* *    * *    * *

Love Bothered Riley Most.

Slim Love, the lengthy southpaw who performed in Pacific Coast League circles before being sent to Dallas in the Texas League last season, was the pitcher who bothered Jim Riley, Seattle's baseball playing hockey star most last year."

"Love had that cross-fire for which he is famous working like clock-work," said Riley today. "He kept shooting it in from way over around first base with a deceptive curve on screw ball mixed up and I had an awful time hitting him. He had a good season, especially against the left-handed hitters."

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Portland Discards Blue

The Portland Beavers have discarded the navy blue road uniforms in which the players of the Rose City have been clad for more than twenty years.

In place of the somber-colored "unies" will be a neat gray with a fine purple stripe running through it.

"Just needed a change," declared Fred Rivers, business manager of the club, in discussing the new suits. One of the best bits of figuring that the blue suits brought out was a statement from the Portland pitchers of two years ago that they couldn't hide the ball against them and that that accounted for the fact that they were being hit so hard. 

All of which causes one sport writer to remark that Gregg, Steen, Seaton and Krapp would have been "some pitching staff had they been able to hide the ball, too." (Seattle Daily Times)