Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-16
BY J. ED GRILLO.

| club managers to get together in the mat
ter of arranging swaps.
McAleer'S failure to make trades vir-
tuallv means that he will enter the next
campaign with team made up of the
material he now has on his list. Whether
he will be able to improve conditions OF
course remains to be SEEN 1t does seem
safe to predict that the team will not be
weaker, though there is no reason for be-
ieving that it will be materially stronger
Much, of course. depends ON how the
youngsters secured last fall will develop
1t would not require the acquisition OF
more than two good ball players to make
the Washington team a factor in the race
but that's the rub. 1t is no easy matter
to get two good ball players.
1t is the rarest thing in the world to
hear anything but favorable predictions
for young ball players coming UP for a
! major league trial. But there are two
men on the Nationals list for whom fail
| ure is predicted by the men they played
under.
Monte Cross. manager of the Scranton
team, for whom Warren Miller played
last season. does not think that Miller will
do, and he offers to bet that McAleer will
let the youngster out before the season
opens.
Miller said Cross, lacks everything
that goes to make ball player. He has
absolutely no ambition. and though he
has DeeN playing several Years. ne Has dD-
solutely no knowledge of the game.
He has not a chance to make good
Following on the heels of this discour-
aging information came Bill Friel. man.
ager of the Columbus team. Outfielder
Corbin, secured by Washington from
Akron. played the last few weeks of the
season with Columbus. that club having
secured permission from McAleer to use
him. According to Friel. Corbin is far
from right for fast company. He came
tn WoD tnlIfoJ hlt
that he made a very poor showing. He
seemed to be out of his class. and while
that nervousness might have been but a
temporary ailment. yet it struck me that
if he was nervous with us he would not
be apt to have much confidence when he
went up TO the big show
The Chicago clubs refusal to waive on
Jack Flynn probably prevented the Ma
tionalS from securing this player. Incl
dentally Owner Murphy denies that he in
tends 10 run Flynn over to Louisville. but
insists that he wants him for the Cubs.
for he figures that eventually Frank
Chance will have to quit playing. and he
wants some one to take his place.
1t is. however. not at all assured that
the Pittsburg club will let Flynn out
now that 1t realizes that he is very much
in demand. And what is more. Pittsburg
is not particularly anxious to give the
Cubs anything which might help them.
Flynn would have made a good man for
the Nationals. if for no other reason than
that he has demonstrated that he can
connect with big league pitching.
Barring the changes that may come by
reason of developing some as yet untried
youngsters. the American League clubs
will line up next year much as they did
last. There is not much probability of
any trades taking place between any of
the teams. The one deal made at the
meeting was really fixed up weeks ago,
when Hedges agreed to take Mig Clarke
for Arthur Griggs. There may be some
surprises sprung. for several Of the clubs
may have some diamonds in the rough
among their youngsters. but the chances
are that when the race becomes settled
| the hne-ups of the various teams will be
very nearlt the same as in the last cam
! paign.
''-All this talk about inside ball is dis
gushing to a certain extent" said vel
known base ball man at the New York
meeting. II mean by that" he continued
the layman fan is led to believe things
/ that do not really exist.
/ Inside ball consists of just one impor.
tant thing. and that is this. When a
| catcher signals to the pitcher for a Ger
tain kind of ball to battle the batter. i,
is up to the pitcher TO put the ball as
| close to the point signaled for as DOS
! siole. The catcheT'S signal conveyed tC
the infieldcrs and outfelders the kind o
| ball that would be pitched and they il
! turn would shift about to be in readiness
, for tire Drive. A ball on the inside to
| right-handed batter will find the fielder!
pla wing far to the left of their regular
positions. and a pitch on the outside will
find them set for the drive farther to the
| right.
Base bali men in attendance at the New
York meeting were QuiZZed in regard tG
| the probable outcome of the American
League race next season, and they were
ha hat nc
| Philadelphia Athletics would repeat their
| victory. not only in the American League
| but would also triumph in the contest for
| the worlds championship. The majority
| of them had il dOped out that they would
not make such runaway race Of it in
| the American as last season. but they
| could not figure how any team in the
league could beat them to the wire or
| how National League club could show
sufficiently improved strength to beat
them in the playoff.
| These same authorities on the diamond
| sport expressed themselves that three
| western clubs would occupy the other
| first division berths. and. strange to say
a goodly number of them likes the Maps
| chances better than DetroitS. Chicago
| was picked to run fourth.
! The deal whereby Harry Lord and Am
| br0se Mcdonnell went to Chicago and the
| emphatic statement from Jake Stahl that
! he is through with the game for all time
| are two OF the arguments advanced by the
base ball nghtS That Boston star mas set
and they can't See anything better than
| sixth place for the Red SOX.
| They figure the Highlanders to rur
fifth. as poorly as fifth. notwithstanding
| that they we're runrers-up to the pen
nant winners last season. The argument
advanced by several is that the Yankees
! will find Cleveland and Chicago much
| tougher propositions than last season.
/ Washington is slated for seventh and
| the poor St Louis Browns for last posi-
ton. according to majority of the wise
| men of the game.
You know the sensation Walter John
son created in the American League
| when he broke in. in 1907. and the star he
| has been ever SINCE" said Harry Wolver-
| ton, manager of the Oakland. Cal. team
| In q tanning bee well. you can take IL
| from me that Vean Gregg. whom the
Cleveland club secured from Portland
/ Ore, will cause just as much of q STIR
| Gregg isn't as good as Rube Waddell
He's better. Why. he's got everything al
the other sOuthpaws ever had and then
some. Nobody followed him more close
" than yours truly all last season and
he is a wonder. Any time you see that
left arm of his shooting toward you anG
he let's fly with the ball, you are offer
inc IN prayer to lust touch the ha IL