The Washington herald., 1911-04-04
Nv WILLIAM PEET-


Atlanta, Ga, April a--Conesian John
Henry will start the season OF I'LL as
the Nationals regular first basemah- %
stated Manager Jimmy McAleer after the
practice game this morning In wnicn
the regulars waIloped the Shamrocks
to the tune of to L
lin to to-day il has been neck ana
neck race between Henry and Long
John" SomerIot. with little to choose
from between them. McAleer settled the
question this noon when he said TO the
writer: 81 am going to start John Henry
on first base when the season opens he
is the best looking youngster l ever saw
in NV life Last summer / asked MIN
if he had ever played first and he told
me he had not l said to him, Guess
Won had better try it to-day, for 1 had
nobody else could use. He did. and
his work was a revelation.
when we hit Atlanta I started Henry
on first with the idea that he might de-
yelop. He convinced me the second day
out that he had the makings or a STAR
and l have not changed my mind since.
Henry is a natural ball player. He
makes hard plays look easy, handles all
kinds of thrown balls just as easily as
does Hal Chase, and can throw better
than any man ] have on my team. All
he needed was a little coaching in hitting.
This I have given him and he stands up
TO the plate absolutely fearless.
81 shall. of course, retain John Somer-
lot and he will be used when emergency
requires. but Henry is my regular first
baseman from now on, and | don't care
who knows it
That McAIeer is in deadly earnest about
using Henry was shown this morning
when he ranked the collegian off the
Shamrocks and put him on the regulars,
where he played during the entire game,
ACCEPTING ten chances without an error,
and cracking out ono safe hit.
SomerIot Goes to Iannigans.
Somerlot was releGated to the Yauni-
gans and also played a fine game. con-
meeting Tor one safe drive and taking care
of ten hard chances in a clean-cut man
ner.
As the regulars played to-day so the
team likely will appear on the field when
the umpire cries Batter up" in the
opening battle against Boston, on
April L.
to the hit column again and played their
positions in old-time form, SO it is safe
to predict that these veterans will be on
the job when the American League sea-
son opens
To-days battle was featured by the fine
pitching of Fred Sherry for the regulars
who held the Shamrocks completely at his
mercy, allowing but six hits. He used a
low curve ball with deadly effect, and
had excellent control.
Harvey Bussey, who opposed Sherry,
was the victim of poor support. and but
for errors would have finished the game
with closer score
Germany Schaefer. who returned to the
battle after an absence of four days, had
a had day at short, four costly errors
being chaIked up against him. He COM
planned of 4 lame back, and it was easily
seen he was not himself.
CIeSsler and George Mcbride were the
demon Sluggers both being credited with
home run smashes- The wind carried
Gessler's hard drive out of Conway S
reach. while Corbin misjudged Mcbride
cloGt, both completing the circuit before
the ball could be recovered.
A base on balls TO Milan, the first man
up for the regulars in the opening chap
ter, was responsible for a tally, as Clyde
took second on Elbrfelds out, and came
home on Lelivelt's vicious single TO
right.
Mcbride crashed to deep left for a
homer m the regulars second, adding an
other tally, and in the fourth a batter
hit, two errors by Germany Schaefer, and
a couple of well-placed singles added two
more.
Gesslcr's circuit punch came in the
fifth, the only run to the credit of the
regulars. and their seventh tally bobbed
up in the sixth on MiIans three-bagger
and Elberfeld'S sacrifice fly to Corbin.
The Shamrocks escaped a shut-out in
the third. AinsmILn was safe on Nc
Brides boot Bussey's grounder TO
Henry forced the catcher at second.
Schaefer singled Bussey to second. Con-
roy's roller to Sherry forced Bussey at
third, but Charlie Conway came across
with a smoking single, and Schaefer
scampered home