The Washington herald., 1912-01-04
Nationals May Try Out.
eIL-EnoWn Local Star
Bob Murphy, Third Baseman, Asks Griffith for
Chance to Make the Washington
CLub-Other Gossip.
By WILLIAM PEET.

BY WILLIAM PEETs
Bob Murphy, one Of the best known
sand-lotters in the District two years
ago, who last season played with the
Wilmington club, of the Tri-State League,
may be given q trial by Clark Grifith this
spring.
Murphy. had a talk with Grifiith yester-
day afternoon. and the Nationals boss
will probably take him TO Charlottesville
next spring, as Murphy is q third base
man and the locals are not overbur-
dened with infield talent
Last spring Murphy signed up with
Pete Cassidy's Wilmington team, and
during the first month hit better than
800 An injury put him out of the game
for a couple OF weeks, and as he could
not do himself justice he was able to get
his release and came back to the Cap
ital
To the writer last night Murphy said: i
have seen Morgan play third for the Ma
tionals and believe can put up Just as
good a game. All want is a trial.
Murphy is long on confidence. and il
that will count for anything he should
easily land right side up in the big show.
Two years ago Murphy made a big
name for himself in local amateur ranks.
He covered third for the AIoysius club
and other teams and hit the ball hard.
He stands 5 feet IL inches, weighs 165
pounds, and is a right-hand hitter.
z Another caller at baseball headquarters
yesterday was Dutch" Sterzer. the
Washington boy who has been In the
Central League for the past three years.
Sterzer twirled for Evansville, Ind, and
was drafted by the St Louis Cardinals.
Sterzer just dropped in on Grif for a
friendly chat.
Mike Martin, the Nationals trainer,
who is an expert when # comes to re-
ducing fat men to a respectable weight,
and a wonder at conditioning ball play
ers, has been engaged by the Washing
ton Y. NJ. c. A. officials this winter 10
conduct private classes in the big gym
nasUm every afternoon.
The Nationals were lucky to obtain
a trainer OF Martins ability. His repu-
tation IN the National League is known
10 every manager, and because he and
Griffith are warm personal friends there
has never yet been money enough to
wean Martin from the foxy manager
A dispatch from Los Angeles yester-
day vouchsafed the information that Man
ager Hogan, of the Vernon Club, of
the Coast League, tried to land Dolly"
Gray, the former Washington southpaw.
The dispatch reads as follows:
II developed recently that Happy"
Hogan had been endeavoring to buy
Dolly Gray. the former Seraph south
paw, from the Washington Americans,
cnly to lose the big fellow to Rochester.
II had been tipped to Hogan that he
could land Gray for a reasonable sum,
but a telegram from President Noyes,
CT the Washington club setting forth
that Dolly has been released TO Roch-
ester indicates that the steer" was not
straight and ends the deal as far as
Hogan is concerned.
John Cancel manager of the Rochester
club, is greatly in need Of a left-hander,
and for this reason Hogan believes that
II would be a waste of effort for him to
negotiate further for Gray's services.
While Hogan did not figure on Gray as
a worId-beater, he knew of the latter's
popularity here and realized that he
would be strong drawing card.
Il am not going out OF my way to
look for more southpaws,'' said Hogan
yesterday, but I would have been glad
to add Gray to my stan. I believe that
he would be a winner in any league out
side the majors. In addition to strength
ching my stan, think that his selection
would have proved popular with the
fans, and it is these to whom I am
catching
: While Gray met with only fair success
in the American League, he pitched some
good ball, and his nineteen-inning battle
with Detroit was a fine piece Of work.
With a club like Detroit which could
have made a good bunch of runs behind
him, he would have been winner.
It is reported that Billy Lush. the
former big Lacquer, may manage the
-1vY
application for the job was received at
the annual meeting OF the club satur-
day. An application was also received
from Hank Ramsay. The financial state
ment of the secretary showed a deficit of
S.67L President Lichtenhein said the
franchise was not for sale. Lichtenhein
also stated that he had been in commu-
nication with the Jersey City club. which
was endeavoring to induce him to train
in Bermuda.
Discipline is a great thing for a ball
club" says Ed Ransick, the well-known
Southern League manager, but some
young players don't seem to like 1t. For
instance, a welI-known minor Lacquer,
who got his first contract from me some
years ago. Ny team at the time was
training at Danville, Va, and the aspir-
ing athlete vas told to report there at
once. At Danville, as every one knows
is a very famous military school. and
the cadets, of course, are continually
marching hither and thither One after
moon, just for fun, the ball players all
fell in line behind the cadets and marched
across the field with them. Just at this
moment the new player got of the train.
he took one look at the march. and then
exclaimed:
I" Nothing doing! II / thought pro-
fessionaI ball meant this sort of dis
eipline and doing the lockstep like these
guys. I'd never have left Cincinnati
And he hopp0d right back on the train
and that ball club never gazed upon his
face again.
Battling Nelson may not be the light
weight champion Of the world; he may
have been a good old wagon who has
dome broke down. but when 1t comes
70 raIEtng In the shekels he stands in the
heavyweight class Bat, who has as
.(9llA@D2S