Whitney goes to Buffalo and Burton will likely return to Central League ball", Sporting Life reported. The manager had no difficulty compensating for these losses, however. The sports paper reported, in October 1905, that future major-leaguer Louis "Lew" Schettler, "the star twirler of the Sharon team", was anxious to join the Ohio Works team. The paper added that Schettler "would like a year under Marty Hogan". In December 1905, the paper confirmed that Hogan had secured catcher Lee Fohl and pitcher Schettler, "the star battery of this league for last season". The paper added that the manager had "signed two young Cleveland players in outfielder Hugh Donovan and first baseman Harry [Schwartz]". In addition, Hogan attempted to sign on as pitcher Walter Purdue, "second rush of the Youngstown polo team". Meanwhile, Hogan reportedly "sold out his cafe at Youngstown" in order to "devote his entire time to base ball". According to Sporting Life, the manager even planned to challenge former major-leaguer Charlie Morton for the presidency of the Ohio-Pennsylvanie League, a bid that evidently proved unsuccessful. In January 1906, Morton, as league president, called a meeting of the Ohio–Pennsylvania League. According to Sporting Life, representatives of the clubs were scheduled to meet at Zanesville's Hotel Rogge on January 16. "Assurances have been received that representatives from Akron, Youngstown, Zanesville, Newark, Lancaster, Mansfield, New Castle, East Liverpool, Steubenville and Erie, Pa., will be present", the paper reported, "and from there an eight or ten club circuit will probably be formed, with McKeesport, Butler and Ashtabula as applicants also". (The league eventually formed an eight-team circuit that included teams from Akron, Lancaster, Mansfield, Newark, New Castle, Sharon, Youngstown and Zanesville.) The paper also noted that William J. Maloney, the center fielder for the Ohio Works club during the previous season, would sign a contract and serve as team captain. Among others, Hogan announced the "engagement" of Utah-born pitcher Roy Castleton. The Ohio Works team opened the 1906 season with 16 players, three of whom had been part of the club during the 1905 season. According to Sporting Life, Hogan predicted the club would win the pennant at the close of the upcoming season. He expressed confidence in a lineup that included Maloney of Bradford, Kentucky; Will M. Thomas of Morristown, Pennsylvania; Tommy Thomas of Piqua, Ohio; Fohl of Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Schettler of Pittsburgh; "Dotty" Freck of Columbus, Ohio; A. C. McClintock of