The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-04-13
FAILS
TO GIVE DETAILS
Change in Position of Outhelders
Not Announced-Smith's
Return a Feature.
By THOMAS S. RICE.


ftial game, next TO the coming to life /
of Charley Smith In many of the ex-
hibition contests the Nationals were shy |
on details and let the minor .eaguers
play hob with them, as well as over
looking opportunities to score for them
selves.
When the big league bell rang it was
. different. The men knew what TO e0-
pect from the enemy and the proper
counter move for every maneuver.
Constantly looking for something to be
slipped over on them, they were ever
alert. and much of the stuff that the
bushers got away with in great glee
was gone to reaDpear no more until
next spring.
Looked Like Real Thing
We like to repeat-they looked like
ball club Even if they lose the next
ten games. they looked like a han club /
at least once this season. In this con-
nection it should be remembered that /
Street and Mcbride felt twice as bad as
you have felt on many day when you
have sent word to the boss that it was 4
absolutely impossible for you to work.
A man recovering slowly from the grip /
with a bunch Of extra cold scattered /
through his muscles, has small feeling 4
for cutting 1idoes, but Street and Nc
Bride nobly concealed their state of /
health and played splendid ball
Charley Smith was carrying the /
Trademarks lantern through the car one /
night on the recent training trip. and /
somebody asked min what he was /
looking for my curve ball. replied /
Charles. who had made a rather fool
Ssh record in five innings on the Arc /
tic circuit that day. BY cricky, he /
seems TO have found It. for he was the I
goods yesterday with both curves and /
speed.
. The Greatest Comfort
His sudden coming 10 life. was pos
. Eibly the greatest comfort Of the en-
: tire game. He did fairly well with the
Yanigans, Manager Tom Hughes, OF
that crowd. sending Smith in TO pitch
nearly every day. but the very morn
ing the Yanigans and Regulars joined
forces at Waco, Tex, Smith began TO
complain OF his arm. He pitched once
in a while after that, but showed little
until the game in. Toledo. There he
had everything-speed. control. breaks.
Judgment. He only worked three IN
@nings, but after that he told Cautillon
he was ready. He repeated his state
-1nents so fOrcibly on the train coming
him a chance, rather than gamble on
Burns OF Hughes. whom he had noc
seen for a week
Smiths rejuvenatiOn or resuscitation
is one of the most encouraging signs
of the times, and we don't mind de-
laying TO talk about II. We have been
chewing the rag so much about Walter
johnson. Bill Burns, and Tom Hughes
we have not paid much attention to
Smith. bat he has now jumped right 10
the front. and II he does not tear
mn 10 of g q no
that. with the other three stars ana
him, Washington viii have the best
. pitching staff In the American League.
Il With that stan. Wild COnrOy on third,
and Unglaub in the outheld 20 knock
9 timely triple now and then. maybe
we won't have some ball team. Is II
not so? Il Is.
Evans Boosts Smith.
one Of those with whom Smith made
5 a hit was Umpire Billy Evans. Billy is
a newspaper man and an athlete as
5 well as an arbiter. He has the repu-
tation of knowing the game as well as
any man VINO follows It. Talking about
the game this morning he remarked:
Smith pitched one OF the best games
ever saw. and / never worked with a
pitcher who had more good points, His
curves were simply great and his con-
troll so good II was dead easy for the
4. umpire. Reckon New York thought Toe
Esntillon had been holding something
back 70 spring on them in that first
game. and you can't blame them for be-
ing surprised
Same Old Nuisance.
Reverting 90 our own pet hobby-the
zscoreboard on the fence-we must say
we were disappointed. We expected to
see the whole lineup on the fence, but
Il was not there. Then, the changes
were not announced Milan played
center field. but was on the scOreboard
20 play left. and Unglaub was billed for
center When they took their places
milan was In center and Unglaub in
sieft, but we do not remember that any
body drew attention 10 the change and
sthere were probably hundreds Of folk I'm
the stands VIII. never knew the differ
ence. That was absolutely inexcusable.
Such bulls as that were the very things
about which we kicked all last summer,
and which caused the American League
10 adopt the scOreboard scheme. The
fans were simply misled, and those who
bought scoreca rds without being told
1rauded just that mucn. II was not 50
bad with Washington players, for a
vast majority Of fans here naturally de
tccted the change, but suppose Engle
and Hemphll. whose faces are known to
comparatively Nv here, had been shift
ed around. The entire crowd might
ton newspaper men. and the press as
sOciations have been led TO making
another bull like that last summer,
when they all carried the wrong line
up OF the Boston team.
Why Is an Announcer?
The Washington club has a manager
and an announcer. and why In blazes
don't those high-priced officials have a
conference just before the game and
publish abroad the new men or new
positions via a megaphone. incidentally.
let them tell all those present. It's all
right for us in the press box. but the
roOters In the paviliOns and bleachers
have just as much right 10 the infor-
nation as we have and should get IT,
The doing away with the present nui-
sance Is such a simple matter Il makes
US tired 10 think that fun grown bust
ness men should continue to inhict Il
on the public.
Having got this wheeze out of our