Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-04
BY J. ED GRILLO.

been hitting as 1t should, II has shown
consistent improvement in Its general
playing, and the hitting is bound to be
better as the opening Of the season draws
near.
The team has good infleld material and
eventually Griffith Will have 1t placed
properly. For some unaccountable reason
it has failed to show its best form
to date. 1t is a better ball team than
IL has proved itself. and time will show
this. Once the regular team Is selected
it Will play together more smoothly. The
outfeld appears to fill the BILL Milan
and Schaefer are making good and Noel
Ter and Shanks. are players OF ability.
There is hardly a way for a mistake to
be made in the selection of the inf1eld.
which is sure to be stronger than 1t was
last season.
Though il has failed TO win a game
from either the Phillies or Giants, it gave
these teams hard struggles and would
have done even better had its batting
been up to its standard. There is I'M
doubtedly a way to make the Nationals
infield much stronger with the bat than
it has ever been and no doubt Griffith will
have this in view when he makes his Sc
Iections. Foster, Mcbride, knight and
Flynn would make an intield which would
hold its own and have something on sew
eral with the bat.
Johnny Kings Boston team, noted for
its smuggling prOclivities, Will make its
first appearance on the local grounds
this afternoon in series of two games.
CashiOn and Akers are expected 10 pltch
for the locals, and ii will be real test OF
their ability, for the team from the Hub Is
a remarkably strong hitting aggregation.
There has never been a spring during
which Mcbride has played as good ball
as this year. 1t usually takes the Ma.
tionals' captain couple of weeks or
championship ball to get him in form. but
this spring he started in to play in mid
season trim and he is keeping it up.
1t is noticeable that Griffith evidently
does not believe in sacrificing. There
have been innumerable occasions in the
games the Nationals have played TINS
spring where most teams would have
sacrificed. but in none of these has there
been an effort made TO do this. Griffith
probably is playing game by which he
hopes to get a cluster of runs instead OF
one. But the fact remains that the
scores do not show any member OF the
team having attempted sacrifice hit In
the games that have been played this
spring.
Jack Knight handled himself we'll at
second base. He seemed perfectly at
home there and. considering the fact that
he is still far from being in playing con-
dition played good ball Knight is clever
at covering the bag and If played at sec.
Ond would relieve Mcbride of some of
this work. Knight will probably remain
in that position from now out, though
Cunningham may be given another trial
there ere long
There was marked Improvement in
the playing of the Nationals during the
first eight innings yesterday. There was
a lot of snap to their play and they gave
the best exhibition shown this spring
With any sort of luck Groom would not
have been scored on in the ninth Every
one of the hits made off him in that
inning of the scratch variety II
was his bad luck TO have errors come
with these fiuke hits. and the little lead
ne had went dwindling in less time than
il takes to tell it
With every game that he plays Eddie
Foster looks better around third base and
IL is as good as settled that Griffith will
keep him there, for eventually he is sure
be of great value TO the team. Foster
is anything but spring performer. 1t
takes him a long while to get going, but
he has already shown enough to warrant
his retention on the bag. This virtually
relieves Griffith of figuring on how to fill
two positions on the infield, for with Fos-
ter on third II remains for him to decide
which of his players shall cover second,
and as il is generally understood that
Knight cannot be kept off of the team
that position il very apt to go to him.
The one other contest is for first base be-
tween Flynn and Spencer. which will be
settled before the season opens
The Giants reputation as base stealers
suffered considerably during their stay
here. Ainsmth and Henry stopped the
flying Giants and did it comparatively
easy. Yesterday four OF McGrawS men
died trying to steal second. Henry had the
ball at the bag long before any of tho
runners reached there. If there Is one
department where Griffith is strong 1t is
behind the bat, notwithstanding the fact
that he is supposed to have traded his
star catcher for Knight
Henry, Ainsmith and Williams make a
great trio, and their work this spring
proves them to be equal to any emer-
gency.
There is one thing about the Giants
that makes them a dangerous team. No
matter how many of their men are
thrown out in efforts to steal they do
not stop trying. McGraw figures that it
takes a perfect throw and good handling
of the ball to catch any of his speedy
men. and he believes that the chances
favor the runner.
Howard Shanks is proving all that was
said OF him during the early stages OF
the training season-that he is a very
promising young player. What gives
Shanks a chance is the fact that besides
ability he has plenty OF nerve. He has
some rough edges to be worked Off but
he Is of the kind which can be easily
taught.
Dixie" Walker should have q good
season IN the coming campaign. The big
Alabamian appears to be in better condi-
ton than ever before and his work in
the few games he has pitched has been
Of the highest order If Walker contin-
ues to attend strictly to his business this
summer there need be no fear as to the
pitching STAFF for he will add materially
TO its strength.
Efforts on the part of the players OF
both teams to make II appear that EG
Handiboe was not umpiring a good game
of ball should have fallen fiat, so far a.
the spectators were concerned. Handi
Doe has umpired splendid ball In the
games here. The fact that he Is doins
the work which is assigned to two mey
him at times. because IL has long sine,
enough TO handle ball game. On ths
whole. his work has been splendid, and Il
he was clothed with the same authorit,
In these exhibition games that he would
be during the regular season he woult
undoubtedly have asserted himself agains
some OF the players who blame every
thing on the umpire when frequently thei
Own mistakes are at fault.
There is nothing particularly brillian
about McGraw's outfeld. and yet II Is
rather useful trio that he plays in thos