The Washington herald., 1912-03-21


Walter will add the "knuckle balr' to his
assortment, and it should prove to be a
big puzzler.
The veteran catcher, Jack Ryan, is
proving a big help TO GrIff's pitchers.
Jack is out on the field every day in uni
form, and the boys all like him.
Pitcher Guy johnson. the Illinois am
ateur, is discouraged, and not a little
blue. He was homesick when he first
reported, but that soon wore on. Now
he has a lame arm, and cannot do him
self justice. Mike Martin, the trainer,
says that johnson will be all right after
a few more warm days. and is continu-
ally cheering the kid.
Manager Griffith spent considerable
time Tuesday morning instructing the
recruits how to pull off the fade-away
slide. The boss kept them at II for
nearly an hour and big improvement
was noticed in just the short time Grin
had them out.
During practice yesterday Eddie Ain
smith slammed low one TO second
base. The ball reached Gagnier on a
bad hop. and Ainsmith shouted, Let
that one 60"
Not on. your Iife," replied Gagnier
81 like to go after. everything" and he
made a dandy pickup OF the ball
Recruit Scheer is a deceptive looking
chap. He is short OF stature and crowds
the plate, hitting from the left side.
Bob Groom says Scheer is one of the
hardest men to pitch 10 he ever faced.
| The youngster looks about as big as a
minute, but when he jumped on the
gymnasium scales he registered Is3
pounds.
Joe EngeI wants to pitch against
Georgetown, and is working like a Tro-
jan to get his arm right. Joe has a
| Sneaking suspicion that he can beat the
| Hilltop collegians and he should come
mighty near doing 1t IL the Nationals
hit any behind him, as they are most
likely to do.
A letter from a Washington fan to the
writer c-iticises Grif for putting Walter
johnson in against Virginia. declaringi
that Grift was cheapening his club by
! so doing. and that almost any twirler
should be able to trim the rah rah boys.
| AS a matter of fact, johnson needed
| the work. especially in a regular game.
and Griff did exactly right in letting
him occupy the mound for three innings.
To an outsider, one thing must strike
them impresslvely, the fact that Grifr,
the Little Napoleon, has every player,
recruit and regular alike, under his
thumb. The players all know that when
he says, Lights out at 1890 O'clock" he
means 1t, and five minutes before the
curfew bell rings all the card games
1 rhRpkar rd &c
away.
The players have no redress. They
have been told the trailing camp rules
| and notified that any violations will mean
| trouble. Grin not only has the respect
of every man in camp. but he is obeyed
to the letter, and at the same time is
| closer to his players than any manager
who ever piloted a Washington baseball
club.
1t took about ten others in the squad
to hold Dixie In the chair while the
operation was performed, but Williams
completed the job. and outside of the
fact that Foster jabbed the brush, foam
ing with lather. into Dixie's mouth once
or twice, everything was all right.
Southpaw Joe Boehling is deceptive. In
uniform he looks like little chap, and
unable 10 stand the gaff of a nine inning
game In fact, this is about all that can
be laid up against him. but when Boehl-
ing jumped on the scales he weighed,
stripped, 156 pounds. which is considered
heavy enough to carry a major league
twirler through a season, providing the
pitcher has something besides a toe plate
and q glove, and there is no denying
the fact that Boehling has something"
Buck Becker and Joe Engel are rapidly
working the lameness out of their salary
whips, and IL the warm weather con-
tinues. will soon be able to go into the
box and pitch against the first or second
team, whichever bunch Griff decides to
work them.
After a hard workout Monday morn
ing, when the boys were left in charge
of Captain George Mcbride, during Boss
Grihith's flying trip TO Washington, Nc
Bride said: ''rhe weather to-day is
warmer than any day during our practice
in Atlanta last year. It looks as IL our
training season in Charlottesville viii do
the boys a whole lot OF good at that"
The ballplayers yesterday discussed the
offer OF Washington's well known tailor,
Morton Stout. for a sEit OF clothes to the
first member Of the Nationals cracking
out home run in the Concrete Coliseum
during a league game. Bill Cunningham
won a suit of clothes from Omohundro
the Tailor last season, and declares that
he win be the iaddiebuck to cause Mr..
Stout TO part with some OF his high
grade stun. -