Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-27
BY J. ED GRILLO.

OF the thirty-odd players on the re-
serve list Of the Washington club there
is but one who was identified with the
local club in 1907, Tom Hughes. and
he is coming back after spending a year
in a minor league.
There is perhaps no better evidence of
could boast of four years ago than the
fact that, barring Hughes and Falken-
berg. all the other players then wear
ing the local uniform have dropped out
of fast company. An entirely new struc-
ture has been built here. and where it
would have been possible in 1907 to get
waivers on the entire tear, t..ere are
not many players on the list of the local
club today which the other seven clubs
would pass up without giving them a
trial.
When one stops to look over the list of
players of the 1907 team the wonder is
it finished as good as last. Warner and
HeydOn were the catchers,' Patten, Kit
son. Hughes and Falkenberg. the pitchers
though there were others given trials
during the season. Hickman, Atz, Ander-
son, Schlaf1y. Perrine. Cross. Altizer. Mill
and Charley Jones were the other play
ers. Surely such team could not win
In any OF the class A minor leagues,
and yet it represented the National Cap
ital in a major league campaign.
Considering the fact this entire bunch
OF players has been routed and a new
team taken its place, the progress made
by the local club has been astounding,
notwithstanding the fact that it has failed
to finish higher than seventh.
In 1907 there were not even the signs
or a nucleus for team which had a
chance to be in the race or do better
than finish last. Today it would not re-
qufre more than the addition Of high
class man or two to make the Nationals
nrst division possibilities. with a look-in
for the flag.
1t takes time to build up winning
team. 1t is not so hard when you have
something to build around, but when an
entire team has to be changed in a few
years it is seldom that any great artis-
tic advances are made in that short space
Of time.
The team which represents Washington
today, though 1t could do no better than
finish seventh in the last race, is 500 per
cent stronger than the one Joe Cantiilon
took hold Of in the spring Of 1907. Every
department has been strengthened, and
while, of course. there is still much room
for Improvement. the prospects for a
winner here are brighter than they ever
were before.
Even the pessimist who is constantly
growing about our ball team must con-
cede that compared to the kind Of teams
Washington used to send to the slaughter
the present aggregation looks like a
world beater. And the fact that this has
been accomplished in very few years
shows clearly that the local club has not
been idle. 1t has been trying. and, in a
way, has succeeded. True, results alone
count in base ball. and the Washington
team is still a tail-ender, or near it. but
let the management have a good break in
picking up good ball player or two and
the Nationals will be hobnobbing with
those teams who are conceded to be fac
tors in the race.
Compare the infield Of 1907 with the
one of today and the two do not belong
in the same league. There was Lave
Cross at third. There. is no doubt that
Lave had been . good ball player In his