Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-22
BY J. ED GRILLO.

ashington needs a new ball team
The present aggregation can contribute
but little material to the kind OF a team
the local club wants and this city de-
serves. The sooner this fact is realized
the sooner will progress be made. A
team of inexperienced players could not
make a much worse showing than the
present aggregation, and there would at
least be a chante of their improving,
something that is not apt to happen the
material now under McAleer. There has
got to be a housekeeping. Simply be-
cause a player shows a fash occasionally
does not prove him valuable to the team.
Let some other club in the league be-
come the final stopping place of the de-
Ginning players. Washington has had its
fill of them. For years the roster of the
local club has been overloaded with play
ing material viii h has not del vered the
goods These players have only been in
the way and prevented some more capa-
BILE youngster from getting trial The
Washington club should not be chart
table institution. 1t has paid exorbitant
salaries without getting anything In re-
turn The salary | st of the local club
would stand a comparison with that OF
have drawn salaries here not at all IN
keeping with their services to the team
They have been paid for past regulations.
not for what they delivered for Washing
ton.
There could be no objection. barring a
few exceptions, if The team was Quilted
and the pla eS now filled by players OF
reputat onS made years ago taken by
lot of youngsters VINO have regulations
to make.
Ever since Washington has been in the
American League an effort to build up
team here with material which other
clubs were willing to part with has been
made. but has never been attended by
success Much valuable time and money
has been wasted I'm this way. Had the
efforts been directed four years ago TO
build ng up a team OF youngsters the cruz
would probably be better fortified now
than it IS 1t certainly could not nave
Every year reliance is plac ed in several
old players who have seen their best days.
and every year they fail 10 come up TO
expectations In the meantime some
young talent might be developed. 1t is
doubtful II any other club in the circuit
would want any of these, so why should
Washington carry them? Let house.
cleaning policy be adopted. Get rid or
the dead wood and take chance on
building up a winner with youngsters.
There never has been any question
about the sincerity of the present own
ers 4, get a winner. Business instinct
would make any man who has dollar
invested strive for a winner. even though
he lacked civic pride. a winning ball
team in these days means a fortune to its
hackers But the fact remains that all
the efforts made here to date have
proven a failure. Surely this cannot be
attributed entirely to i'll luck or what is
yulgarly known nx. But In
base ball results alone count. a fortune
has been spent for playing material.
much of 1t to other clubs for players
they We're willing to part with. There
is not a singh instance where such ay-
ers have helped the team, for its stand
ing has been consistently low in every
campaign The hope seems always TO
have been cherished that the add ton
of veteran or two would make t3e
team a winner This method. ii was be-
lieved, would bring satisfa tory results
much more quickly than to develop
Youngsters Every one knows that such.
however, has not been the case. SO IL
would seem that nothing is to be lost by
resorting to thorough wedding out OF
useless material and making an effort TO
replace them with players who are Just
com ng and have not reached the going
back stage.
From a strictly business standpoint this
is the logical thing to do In the urst
place the public will stand by a ciup
Young material. It will arouse new in
terest and the difference in the salary
list will more than offset the amount OF
money it requires to make these expert
ments. Another point. and one or great
importance, is that u young player is