The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-20


Appearances possessing a world OF speed
does not need much more to be developed
into a winning slabster. Take Dixie
Walker. for instance. He has the ply
sque and the speed. The rest is easy"
Manager Jim continued: The conf
dence begins to ooze out of a batter
facing a mountain Of flesh on the slab.
who turns his back on the plate dou-
bles up like a cantilever bridge, and
wheels the ball plateward with light
ning-like speed. MIR. Batter will think
before attempting to crowd the plate
for fear of rap on the Uranium which
might mean a rapid transit into dream
land for an interminable period.
consequently a husky. boasting a side
arm or under arm motion. employing a
wide curve which he flashes over the
outside Of the plate and world of speed
is usually on speaking terms with tickle
Miss Victory"
The Washington players are still JOSH
ing Wild" Conroy about an express
package of bats he received after the
season closed last fall.
1t seems that Conroy wrote to one OF
his friends on the team to go to the club
house at National Park, Washington. and
pick out two bats. which were plainly
marked "Conroy."
The rest of the boys thought il would
be good joke TO send Conroy all the
old bats they could find lying around
loose. and a fine large package contain
ing seven broken war clubs, half dozen
heavy bludgeons, which were seldom
used. together with Conroys own pet
bats Was Grated and shipped by express
charges to be paid by the receiver. Con-
roy had To take wheeIbarrow with him
forced to pay so express charges to
the agent at Moorestown. n. J.
He laughingly said in reply to one OF
the taUnts hurled at him: Boys. l had
enough kindling wood TO last me nearly
all winter. so the money, after all, was
well invested
Pitcher Bob Groom has invented a new
ball. which ne calls tho snake ball. and
states that just as soon as he has it
under control he Is going out after
Walter Johnson's great strike-out record
OF last season.
To pitch this teaser Groom holds the
ball loosely with the thumb and third
digit letting il roll off the ends of his
fingers. He proposes to mix the snake
ball up with fast one. and declares
that it will fool any batter in the world.
The ball floats up to the plate with a
TO Sir Robert, the man at the bat cannot
gauge the speed of IT in time to meet
ii sQuarcly.
Dolly Gray also has a new one.
which he calls the ointment ball." but
the other pitchers do not think much of il
When Dolly" Gray reported in At
on his fine appearance and the manner
in he faI
cut loose with all sorts of speed and
curves, apparently fearing no bad after
effects.
Gray let the writer into a little secret
during a fanfest last night. He said: II
made up my mind last winter that when
/ reported for spring practice this sea-
son ] would be somewhere near right
and for once show the good people of
Washington that l could get started
right earlier than the Fourth of July
Consequently after New Years I began
10 work out 1t was nice and warm in
Seuthern California, my home, and all I
had to do was to dig UP n youngster
with a catcher's mitt and pitch TO him.
I had half a dozen boys working for me
all winter. and thereby kept right in
pitching trim ] am ready now to 20
in and pitch nine innings any time Mana
ger MCAleer asks me to do So"
Gray certainly looks fit as fiddle. and
is going to be A great help to our ball
club this season unless bad luck of some
sort overtakes him.
Il am going to hit pretty close to that
800 mark this season; see if I don -
quoth Kid Elberfeld, after practice this
afternoon.
Hereafter you will see me take a step
toward the pitcher and swing on those
curve balls before they break" he added.
Il can hit the speediest man who ever
wore a toe plate. but curve balls are my
hoodoo. and the only way to reach them
is to step into them"
That Elberfeld will make good his
threat has already been demonstrated,
for he wears a special padded jersey
from the shoulder to the elbow so that
in getting hit. as he is sure to do at
times. the force of the ball will be
broken.
In practice here the Kid has demon
strated the worth of his theory while
batting against Bob Groom. who has the
widest breaking curve of any of the
Nationals twirlers. Elberfeld this morn
ing hit every curve ball Groom pitched
and sent it spinning on a line over sec
ond or short into safe territory.
Inc Atlanta CluD mas a DIX nrSt DdSe-
man named Bill sykes, who is attracting
Manager McAleer's attention. and it is
just barely possible that some sort of
a trade will be pulled off for the local
star.
Sykes played in the Central League
last year. and several clubs put in bid
for his services via the draft route, but
Atlanta landed him.
The baseball management here sets an
example that Washington club owners
might follow, and which in the long run
would prove a good investment. There is
a section of the grand stand seating
$50 persons which is set aside for ladies
and their escorts, or ladies coming alone,
and the place is blocked off by big signs.
which bear the words, No Smoking"
UShers are always on the alert to see
that the no-smoking rules are enforced
Every possible arrangement for the
comfort of the fair sex is made and in
consequence there is on an average 800
women present at every league game in
Atlanta
When the new concrete stands are
erected at National Park some such
scheme as this would net the Washing
ton club owners several hundred dollars
a year more than the receipts now show. !
II never start to hit until the season
is about three weeks DID," says Doc
Gessler. the Nationals burly right field
er, land my failure to connect down
here does not discourage me one bit.
know I'll be there all right when the |