LEAGUE FLAVOR TO BASEBALL OPENING

The first gun of the 1926 baseball season will be fired on Tuesday night, February 9, when the annual meeting, with decided innovations will be held at 8 o'clock at the Varsity Club, preceded by a dinner for former winners of the Crimson baseball H and last year's lettermen, it was announced last night by Manager Davidson Sommers '26. All aspirants for the diamond squad this year including Freshmen are invited to the meeting and invitations signed by Captain C. L. Todd '26, Coach Fred Mitchell and Manager Sommers have been sent to the ball tossers of previous University teams.

Will Be Gala Occasion

Along with the new plan of inviting former stars, which is expected to add greatly to the spirit and enthusiasm of the initial meeting, the added innovations of slow motion pictures of baseball action, which will be presented by Leslie Mann, National League star, and the awarding of the Wendell Bat and the Win-gate Cup will make the annual event of unusual interest this year. Coach Mitchell who is taking over the reins as head coach this season following the resignation of E. W. Mahan '16, will open the assembly with a short talk on the plans for the season and changes in the conduct of the various squads.

The Crimson veterans of last year who will be present at both the dinner to be given by the H. A. A. and the meeting that follows are: Captain Todd, hard hitting outfielder who was awarded, last year, the trophy presented by Barrett Wendell Jr. '01 for the best offensive play, with a batting average of .358, M. F. Amsden '26, outfielder, W. P. Ellison '27, outfielder, H. L. de Rham '27, catcher, R. W. Puffer '26, pitcher, J. E. Tobin, '27, first baseman, William Uilban '27, outfielder, and Isadore Zarakov '27, infielder.

First Practice Next Day'

The first practice of the year will be held the day following the meeting, for Freshman pitchers and receivers in the cage. The University candidates will probably be called out about two weeks later. Coach-Mitchell will be building for the future as well as striving for a winning nine this year and expects to give as much of his time as possible to the first year men and the seconds in an effort to develop the material for the succeeding years. Claude Davidson who assisted in the coaching last year will be in charge of the 1929 squad.

The slow motion pictures will be accompanied by comments and explanations by Leslie Mann, who is an old friend of Coach Mitchell's and was invited by the Crimson mentor to show the films. This will be the first year that the Wendell and Wingate trophies will be presented at this time and an additional innovation will be the awarding of pictures of the prizes to the winners for permanent possession.

Mitchell Explains Innovation

"The new type of meeting will be a good thing for the creation of interest and enthusiasm in the coming season," said Coach Mitchell yesterday in com- meeting on the formal opening of the season, "and the inspiration which will be furnished by the presence of former players should prove a decided benefit. The reason I am going to call the Freshmen out first is so that I will be able to devote my whole time to them for the first week or two and find out to a certain extent the kind of material which I will have to work with during the next three years.

"After the outdoor season starts I am planning to work with the first year men and the second team at least one day a week if possible and keep in touch with the coaches of these two teams. In this way there will be ample opportunity for men who start slowly or improve rapidly to get a chance in faster company.