The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-08-04
CLARKE GRIFFITH
STILL CONFIDENT

Continued from Page One.
| twenty-one victories to his credit, which
| makes him even with johnson and one
/ behind Wood. Both the American
League pitchers are going better thar
Marquard now.
Walter johnson is also the first pitch.
er In either the American or National
| League to strike out 800 batters this
year. With Fridays game the Washing-
| ton pitcher has achieved a record OF 2S,
which is Just fifty-two more than Joe
Wood. his nearest rival. has famed.
Walter johnson is to-day a perfec,
pitcher" said one OF the veteran UNI
pires of the American League In dis
! cusslng the Washington marvel recently
If you could have a hurler made &c
order you couldn't design one who would
be a bit more effective than the Kansas
Cyclone, whose name is a terror to the
best batsmen in the country.
johnson isn't using his terrific speed
much nowadays. In fact he seldom cuts
one loose with all his might unless he
posed to a hitter who is weak on fast
ones. He throws a lot Of fast balls with
break on them still. but they are not
OF the old armor piercing type that made
him famous
AT one time he had to depend al
most entirely on the velocity of his ball
and his control to make him formidable,
but now he has been experimenting with
slow ball and now he has got COM
mand of II. Think of the deadly eff
cheney of a slow one coming after a
ball that has been turned through a
mile a minute?'
Walters curve is not the widest In
the world. but Il Is a quick one and the
break plenty large enough TO accom-
rlish the desired purpose. His control,
which has always been good, seems TO be
improving.
"On top OF this he has a splendid dis
position for a pitcher. Nothing seems to
rattle him. Some pitchers get up in the
air IL they think an umpire has missed
strike in a pinch, but Walter Just
smiles, knowing that he can lay the
next one over IL he has to. He is by all
odds the greatest pitcher In the game to-
day. and to my mind there never lived
one who was any better. AS near as any
human being can hope to achieve per-
lection in any line OF endeavor johnson
has achieved it as a pitcher.
The foregoing tribute to johnson.
which was published in a Cleveland
was " MLdT.
Johnson's room mate. Milan smiled after
reading il and said: ''They will find out
how good a pitcher johnson is II We
win the pennant. for Walter will work
every other day to win a worlds Sc
ries, and believe me, when he makes UP
his mind to win and puts all his energy
into his work. no ball club In the world
can beat him, I do not care who they
are" -.. p
Baseball has its serious as well as its
humorous side. and strange though It
may sound. Germany Schaefer. who has
created fun for hundreds of fans. can be
serious at times. Schaefer called the
boys around him the first day the club
reached Detroit and said, Lads, 1 have
an appeal TO make. / want You to help
me do q good turn for an old-time bali
player.
Several of the youngsters started to
laugh, but were quickly assured that
Germany was in sober earnest. 1t was so
quiet you could hear a pin drop as Schae-
fer made his appeal
AN old pal Of mine. Buck Thiel, than
whom no better fellow ever lived. is down
and out. Naturally. he has not saved a
whole lot Of this worlds goods. Buck Is
up against consumption and some of his
friends In ST. Joseph, Mo-, have written
me asking II our club cannot help raise
the necessary money to send Thiel to
New Mexico, where his closing years
may be made comfortable and his life
prolonged.
when 1 played with Thiel he was al
ways ready to help a comrade, so / want
you fellows to chip in and we will send
along a check tonight. Remember, the
time may come when one OF US will be