Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-23


than thousand arguments that he can
present on the slightest notice to substan-
tate his claim, and 1t must be said for
him that most of them are decidedly
logical so far as it is possible to be on
anything connected with base ball prog
nostications.
Big Jim Vaughn. who at one time was
the most feared left-hander in the Ameri-
can League has been asked waivers on,
and there Is a slight possibility Of his
handler is just what the Nationals need,
providing. of course he is q pitcher OF
class Vaughn has shown but little this
season. and yet he may have q lot of
more good base ball In him. It may be
that environments in New York are not
suitable for him, or there may be other
reasons why he cannot do himself justice.
At any rate Griffith has refused to waive
on the big pitcher, and If he can be had
at price which will allow him to take a
chance, he will be added to the local
staff.
Gr1fith's outfielders, while their work
on the whole has been splendid, made q
mess Of fly balls In the last two games.
Milan started the epid enic Of NUTS Fri
day, when he dropped a high one. and
yesterday both Shanks and Moeller gave
a similar performance. Moellers mum
was excusable because he was playing a
sunfleld and while he got both hands on
the ball he evidently did not see 1t until
It was right on top of him. Shanks. muff-
ed after a hard run across field, but
Shanks is entitled to drop fly. now and
then. for he has proven himself one OF
the most efficient feeders any team could
boast Of. Some Of his catches have been
Of a most sensational nature. and 1t Is
questionable II there is another fielder
who can cover more ground. Shanks Is
not hitting as well as he might, but he
is sure to improve In this.
It is really most remarkable that Her
man Schaefer seems to have premonitions
whenever the Nationals make a rally.
When Griff1th's men started to bat in
his famous speeches to the stands. While
he was speaking the score board boyhung
up seven runs for the Phillies, who are
playing in Brooklyn. Schaefer took this
for his cue. and, pointing to the board,
yelled: DO you see that seven going up
there for the Phillies? Well. they will
hang up one for US at the end Of this in
ming"
AS the score was a tie at the time,
the crowd naturally hooted and ridiculed
Schaefer. but he had 1t right. and seven
runs came over the plate, after which he
paraded in front Of the stands with ex-
banded chest. warning the fans never to
take his predictions as a jest. as he never
failed to tell the truth.
Plenty Of work seems to agree with
John Henry, for although he has
caught the bulk Of the games for his
team to date, he appears to be in no
danger Of growing stale. and. II any
Henry is rapidly gaining the reputation
Of being one Of the best catchers in the
league, and this. too. after but virtually
one years experience. He is displaying
rare judgment In working tn epitchers,
watches the bases well, and has a fault
less throw. And his hitting. too. seems
to be improving, while on the bases he Is
anything but a slow man.
In the event that Walter johnson Is not
Barney Petty will be sent in to stop the
leaders. Petty proved in Philadelphia the
other day that he has a lot OF pitching
left in him. and now that he is with a
good ball team he may be able to show
something he could not do while with the
tail-end Browns
Milan is playing with badly bruised
finger. which, of course, gets in the way
every time he catches fly ball, and it
was really remarkable that under the
conditions he was able to make the star
play OF the day. when. In the third with
the bases full and one out, he made a
great catch Of Derrick's line drive and
SnOt II TO the plate In time TO nail Baker.
1t was one Of the fastest plays an out
fielder could be expected to make, and
both ends of 1t were perfect.
There Is q whole lot Of difference in that
Philadelphia team when Barry is not
playing, and Derrick may be good play
er at that. But Barry does not get half
the credit he deserves. He is not a slug
ger. and for that reason is often over
looked when bouquets are being passed
around, but for all that he is a most
timely hitter, q splendid base runner. and
q great fielder He Is believed to have
fractured his collar bone. In which event
he Is sure to be out OF the game five or
six weeks, and his absence IL sure to be
felt by the champions. who. because Of
their weakened pitching stan, are none
to well fortified to stand the hard knocks
OF a hard campaign.
The beauty about Gandirs hitting is
that there is no way for opposing fleiders
to play for him. He is apt to hit into
any field, and it Is usually a hard hit.
too. Yesterday he drove into right the
first time up scoring Foster, and in the
sixth he drove to center. bringing in Fos-
ter and Mllan He followed this by hitting
toward left, q ball which Derrick threw
wild. ana which could easily have been
given q base hit.
Jimmy Callahan and Ed Walsh are
both denying that there Is any friction
between them. as has been widely ru-