Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-28
Authorities to Prevent Gambling on Base Ball.
BY J. ED GRILLo.

Every now and then, when 1t happens
that some one wants to explain how
the Washington club secured Walter
Johnson, the mistake is made of credit
ing Cliff Blankenship with having dis.
covered him. Blankenship's part in the
matter was that OF serving as a mes
senger boy for the club. He did not
discover Johnson, nor did he see him
pitch a ball before he brought him on
to Washington.
A friend OF Cantillon had written nu-
merous letters to him regarding John
son, and Blankenship,, having an in
jured hand. was sent by Cantillon to
Weiser, Idaho, to bring Johnson here.
Blankenship's instructions were not to
look johnson over. but to bring him on
here. This Blankenship accomplished,
and it was his only part in the deal.
But because of his having brought
Johnson here Blankenship has been
given credit for being a good judge Of
ball players, a fact which has not yet
been established.
1t is fact that for a whole year
Johnson, who is now heralded as the
greatest pitcher in the game, could
have been picked up by any major
league club He was a free agent,
thought well enough of to get even a
MINOR league engagement. Cantillon
had no less shan a dozen letters from
his friend praising Johnson before he
sent Blankenship to bring him here
and, strange to say, four or five other
ma Or league managers had tips on
him. But every club oets tips on ball
players In punches. It is next to i'm
possible to investigate every one Of
these, and Johnson went into the bunch
| that was not looked up. until Cantillon.
firing Of hearing about Johnson, sent
for the youngSter.
One reason why the Cubs pitchers were
SO easy for the Athletics was attributed
to the fact that Macks men had been
facing Johnson and Walsh in the all-star
series, and q seige of this sort OF Pitch
ing trained their eyes SO that an ordinary
pitcher did not have a chance to fool
them. There appears to be lot OF logic
in this explanation, and IL there Is there
is no reason why similar system should
not be employed during the regular train
ing season.
During the batting practice which
every team INDUCES In once or twice
day it is customary to use some pitcher
who is not quite good enough to Work
regularly In a game. He may not even
let himself out in practice, and the result
is that after facing this sort of pitching
for an hour or so the players find 1t a
difficult matter to hit the real thing When
they face IL in game. Batting prac-
tice must be absolutely useless unless the
pitcher working puts everything he has
on the ball and works as hard as II he
were in a championship game.
It might for instance, be of great value
to the teams hitting if whenever it was
to pitch to his teammates just before
going into a game. Say that he worked
ten minutes at top speed. This would
surely put the batters on edge and make
"a e., hi nrdf h
ing easily.
The censorship which Manager Mcclure
of the Maps placed on the Cleveland
their southern training trip last spring
has been lifted. A year ago MCGUIRE
pleaded with the correspondents not TO
signify in their stories to what field
argued IL this was kept secret it would
be possible for the Maps to win several
games the first time around the circuit
by reason Of the visiting fielders not
knowing where to play for the young
players. 1t looked like a clever ruse
But alas. the young players failed to hit
the ball out of the infield. and nothing
was gained by the secrecy winch the
correspondents had observed. This spring
Mcclure has lifted the lid and there Is
no objection to telling into which field
the young players are hitting.
With decidedly few exceptions, man.
| ayers in both the National and America
leagues are conceding the next pennant
in the old league to John McGraw' S
Giants. New York is figured to have
the easiest kind of a time landing the
bunting this year, though it may all seem
different when the season is drawing TO
close. On form, of course, the Giants stand
a good chance to finish first. but it is a
long route from April to October, and
many things may happen in the mean
| NIT Il nf toll min n
base ball often looks easy. but proves
most difficult. and at any rate the Giants
will have to play out their schedule be-
fore they can make arrangements to go
into the worlds series.
There is not much chance in base ball.
in one respect at least. for there are the
same encouraging reports being sent out
of every training camp snent the work of
the young players. Every team seems to
have picked up a Goth and Lajoie. and
one might be led to believe that a lot of
the veterans are going to be driven out
of the game this year to read these bou-
Duets from the south. But it has ever
been SO. The youngsters always look like
stars during the early part of the train
ing work, but few of them make good
when the real struggle begins. So long
as the pitchers are lobbing them over and
the old players are taking their time
about getting into shape the youngsters
loom up splendidly. but after a time
there is a sudden falling off in their work
and when the season opens or is few
days old most of the old-timers are still
on the job, with no danger of being sup
planted by one of the kids.
Ever since there has been such thing
as organized base ball the gambler has
tried to identify himself with the sport.
Here and there he has secured q tempo
rary foothold, only to be driven out Wien
he grew too bold The latest effort to