The Washington herald., 1911-02-23
SPEED ALONE WILL NOT
WIN GAMES FOR HUGHES
Long Tom Will Find Nationals Different Proposition
from Minneapolis, Says Old Player-Other Gossip.
By WILLIAM PEET.

BY WILLIAM PEET.
'If Long Tom Hughes expects to get
| by in the big show this season he will
have to depend upon something else be-
! sides his speed-and it was Hughes great
speed which made him successful with
Minneapolis last year." said a well-known
American Association player to the
writer yesterday.
This player continued: Hughes had a
| wonderful minor league ball club be-
! hind him last summer, a team that could
! go in and bat out seven or eight runs
almost any old day, but he will find IT
different this season, and unless he can
/ show a good change of pace and a better
curve ball than was in evidence in the
American Association, he will not stick
with the Nationals a month.
''Of course" he continued, I'm pulling
| hard for Long Tom to come back
strong, and certainly hope Ire does. l am
not knocking, but simply voicing my
opinion
Hughey Fullerton has set the Cleve-
land scribes up in the air in a long
article published recently in the Chicago
Examiner to the effect that he would not
give s. for all the Cleveland recruits,
WnlCn luCluOp OuDlGlOtI OOC JoShScAb
| Pitchers Gregg and Yingling, and others.
It's a cinch that the Washington club
! would pay $4,000 for Gregg and jackson.
Manager Jimmy McAleer announced
yesterday that he had signed a young
outfeIder named keefe, recommended by
Bill Bradley, of the Cleveland Maps.
Keefe is an amateur who is said to pos
sess the usual requirements for a big
league star. He will be tried out by
Manager McAleer in Atlanta.
Speaking of teamwork being necessary
to win ball games, well-known West
ern writer adds that you must have the
players as well. He writes as follows:
What did Manager Mack's clever train
ing amount to when he stacked his boys
up against Jimmy McAleer's picked team
last fall? Big Ed Walsh. Doc White. and
Walter Johnson pitched rings around
Jimmy Collins and the other fine hitters
of the champion bunch, while Iris Speak
er. Ty Cobb. and Elberfeld and a bunch
of clever Washington boys stung the ball
delivered by the Quaker pitchers.
Teamwork is all right, and no team
can win without it, but you must have
the players, and even Connie Mack is
bound to be a dead one when his boys
fail to deliver the goods individually.
Baker and Collins, two phenomenal all
around players, practically made the
Athletics, helped out by veterans who had
followed the weakness of the other clubs
and knew the line Of attack best fitted
for a killing.
With so many high-class players tied
up to the major leagues, where the
managers have been drilled for years in
the fine points of the game, it's the man
ager. after all, who can force the play
ers to put their best effort into their daily
work that wins. BY their best efforts l
mean men who will do their very best to
keep in perfect physical condition for the
six months of hard work
ITO appreciate this line of reasoning
follow the Athletics and note the perfect
control that Connie Mack has over each
player. The Athletics work as one
loyal family, and no one has ever retired
from the Quaker club with crouch, or
not fully satisfied that his time had hon
estIv come for a change of base, and
nearly always to the minor leagues"
Manager Mcclure. of Cleveland, does
not propose that the Athletics shall
corral the "southpaw" market. Mana
ger Mack has a number of left-hand
twirIers on his staff. some of whom
have made good and others look very
promising. One of the reasons for the
White Elephants success last season was
the fact that their ''southpaws' were so
successful against Boston and Detroit
Now Cleveland hopes to fatten its
percentage at the expense of the Tigers
and the Red Sox by developing trio
of left-hand twirlers. Cleveland has
Gregg. Yingling, and Mitchell The lat
ter made a fine start in the American
League late last season. Yingling was
the best "southpaw' in the American
Association in 1910, and Gregg was a
regular "phenom" on the Pacific coast
last season. Indeed Harry Wolverton,
who saw Gregg perform in many
games. declares that the Coast lad Will
develop into one of the greatest left
hand pitchers in the cOuntry-and Har-
ry should be a good judge.
If two of these youngsters develop
as expected, Detroit and Boston will
dread meeting Cleveland as much as
they do the White Elephants when
Plank and Krause are at their best.
They are pulling strong for young
Charlie Conway to make good with the
Nationals this season. Listen to this from
4 Youngstown paper:
Just two weeks from to-day Charlie
Conway will be saying good-by to his
local admirers, for on that date the pre-
mier outfielder will forsake the probable
snow-laden ground for the balmy atmos-
Ihere of Atlanta, Ga; to begin an active
campaign for regular berth on the
Washington American League club in the
cutfield. Charlie will carry with him the
best wishes of innumerable admirers, and
if he doesn't make good it will not be
attributed to a proper amount of encour-
agement
Conway carries with him the distfnc-
tion of being the only local boy. within
our memory, who has made good in his
home town. Players have come and gone
who gave promise of some day occupy
ing a stellar position in the major
leagues, but they have fallen down while
trying to make good in their home town. |
That Charlie has advanced against these |
odds is sufficient proof that he is built of |
the proper stun to carry him through, |
no matter where he casts his fortunes |
IT is one of the neatest compliments that |
can be paid a ball player from the |
atty"
1t may be only an accident, or 1t may |
be reflection OF how Manager Chance |
feels. but the Chicago Cubs will be |
garbed in dark blue travelling suits this
year. 81 want a change" said Chance |
Some OF the fellows are |
tired of wearing gray all the time, and |
/ always did like blue uniform. 1t |
looks better on the ball field than any |