Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-24
BY J. ED GRILLO.

BY j. ED GH1LLO.
In keeping with the policy of. Jim Nc
Aleer. announced in these columns sew
eral weeks ago. the Washington club has
already secured more minor league play
ers this summer than it has during the
past four years.
To date seven men have been added to
the focal list, of which number two, Hen
ry and Mover, have already reported.
Scouts Kahoe and Padden are still out,
and before the drafting season opens sew
eral other promising youngsters will have
been secured. What is more, Jim Nc
Aleer has a long list of names of players
for whom he proposes to put in draft
He does not expect, of course, to get
more than a small percentage of these.
for no doubt several of the other major
league clubs have their eyes on these
same players, and when two or more
clubs draft the same player the question
of possession is decided by lot. 1t fire.
quently happens that two players are
drafted from class A club, from which
the rules allow but one man to be draft
ed and in such case the player to be
subject to draft IS also decided by lot.
In this way McAleer expects to lose sew
eral of those he intends to draft, but he
will have enough left for all purposes.
Five of the seven players added TO the
local list have been purchased outright.
They are Second Baseman Cunningham
from New Bedford, Catcher Ainsmith
from Lawrence, Pitcher Meyer from
Youngstown, Out:ielder Swain from VAN
couver and First Baseman Somerlot from
Terre Haute. Henry came from Amherst
College and Warren Miller will be re-
called from Scranton, where he was
loaned for the season.
Last year Dixie Walker was really the
only player purchased from the minors.
and not a single man was drafted. The
standpat policy was also followed the year
previous, when Gray and Groom were the
only additions to the team. but SO long
as McAleer is at the helm there is to be
no season that new material is not to be
added regardless of how successful the
team may be.
The clubs scouts have lines on several
other players who will most likely be
secured within the next few days, so that
by the time the drafting season starts
McAleer expects to have the best avail
able timber out of the minor leagues on
his list.
There is nothing in standing pat said
McAleer yesterday. Il did that in ST..
Louis several times when my team look
ed as if it ought to improve the next
season, and it proved serious mistake.
No matter how strong team may seem.
it needs new blood from time to time to
keep 1t on edge, and the shape we are in
We cannot overlook a chance to better
our condition by making change or two
and that is exactly what we propose to
do. To date We have been tairly sue
cessful in securing youngsters we were
after. and. we have lines out for several
more.
Warren Miller, the outfielder who was
sent to Scranton this spring, is from all
accounts a much improved ball player.
and as soon as it is possible to get him
here he will be given a trial. The rules
are that when a major league club has
all option on MINOR league player the
player must report to the major league
club by August 20 or be subject to draft
and SO Miller can be looked for to JON
the team about that time.
McAleer had Mike Kahoe look Miller
over recently. and he reported that the
youngster was much improved, had taken
on twenty pounds of weight and handled
himself with more confidence than ever
before. Miller showed enough natural
ability last spring to warrant the pre-
diction that he might develop. and ii he
has improved McAleer hopes to make
him one of the regulars. for fast, good
hitting running mate for Clyde Milan is
badly needed.
There is nothing more amusing than to
see batter all set and on edge, laboring
under severe tension, waiting for one of
Walter Johnson'S fast ones and then have
hin. push up one of his slow ones. When
the ball is over it never fails to fool the
batsman. He either does not hit at it at
all. or If he does he swings long before
it has reached the plate.
Johnson is mastering the slow ball. His
lead yesterday gave him a good oppor-
tunity to practice 1t, and he did so with
telling effect. Every now and then he
would send a slow one to batter, and