The Washington herald., 1910-03-14
BASEBALL BOXING n SHOOTING ""
BOB GROOM HEARD FROM;
WILL REPORT THURSDAY
Lanky TwirLer Prevented from Joining Nationals
On Account of Illness Other Gossip.
By WILLIAM PEET.


Word has at last been received from
Pitcher Bob Groom, and the ianky
twirler viii be in Norfolk by Thursday.
or Friday at the latest The writer tel
egraphed Groom last night. and the fol-
lowing answer came back;
BelIevilIe, III, March 13, 1910.
William Peet, Sporting Editor
The Washington HeraIdl
VIII leave for Norfolk Tuesday
morning. Have been in bad shape
for two weeks with tOnsiIitis, but
am much better now. DO not ex-
peet any trouble over salary Gues-
ton. BOB GROOM.
Kid Elberfeld will leave Hot Springs,
Va. to-day and report in Norfolk to-
night All OF the Nationals are accounted
for except Pitchers Hoviik and Fore
man. Walter Johnson and his friend
Hendricks are not due TO report until
about April /.
When Groom did not show up here
with the other members OF the squad on
March 5, Manager McAIeer thought the
tall slab artist was suffering from q
good-sized crouch, as the manager and
pitcher had not come to terms over the
little matter of a contract Bobby de-
clared he was worth more money than
the figures showed, but McAleer decided
that Groom would firss have TO show
the club his services were more valuable
before the purse strings were loosened.
President Noyes last week wrote
Groom substantially as stated in the
foregoing and received reply by return
mail TO the effect that everything would
be ali right, and that he (Groom) would
sign up as soon as he reported TO Ne
Aleer. the reason why he failed to be
here on the appointed time being on &C
count Of sickness.
It is thought by a good many experts
that Groom Will some day develop into
a crackerjack twirler. His great fault. as
everybody knows. IS Witness, but he has
a fne-sized assortment OF puzzllng curves.
and when he is going right and his
curves sweep the out and inside corners.
he is hard 10 hit. Detroit always found
Groom a tough customer.
The writer published an interesting let
ter from Groom last winter. In il the
pitcher stated that when the season
closed last fall he pitched four games Of
ball near his home in Belleville and only
gave one base on balls, having perfect
control at all times.
When Groom was with the Portland
club, Of the Pacific Coast League, he
pitched beautiful ball during his last year
and had no trouble locating the plate.
There is no reason why he should not
como back.
Harry Frye. the veteran baseball writer,
took little trip to Norfolk last Wednes-
day and when he started TO leave the
boat, after the nights sail, he found that
somebody had stolen his new fur-lined
overcoat. All the sympathy Frye got out
Of Tommy Rice, another local scribe in
Norfolk. was a hoarse laugh and the re-
tort that amy sporting editor guilty of
wearing a fur-lined coat deserved to
lose it
Reports from Norfolk sent in by cor
respondents who have watched the Ma
tiOnals' first week Of training are OF a
most pleasing character. They show
great speed and spirit among the young
sters, who, to judge by these articles,
are fast as lightning. The young CATCH
ers are second editions Of Buck Ewing;
the young pitchers are a cross between
Rusie and Clarkson. and the young bats
men viii all hit $50 sure.
AT this time of the year the youngsters
always look like sure winners. and, as a
rule, make the veterans resemble a stack
Of leaden nickels. In the eyes of the re-