The Washington times., 1912-06-25
INFIELD PRACTICE
MAKES GARDENER
Seize Grounders-Youngstown Flyer Is Now
Perfect In Field
By SENATOR"

II made Howard Shanks a really great
outfielder by playing him in the infield. -
said Clark Griffith today, in speaking
of the youngsters great fielding in the
garden.
Taking a fly ball, Shanks Is one of
the greatest lads have ever seen for
his little experience. He is absolutely
perfect in this departmnt of the game,
and even Cobb and Milan cannot excel
his work along these lines. However,
playing grounders is a different propo-
siton.
''As soon as / began to use the lad
regularly I saw that he was a bit
tender on a ground ball. He would
play II pretty well at that, but not with
enough sureress to admit OF his stop
ping the best runners In the league. 80
! brought him in and made him practice
third base.
Best Practice Ever.
Playing the infield is the best prac-
tice ever for outfielders. 1t teaches
them how to take the ball on a bound,
as they have to do SO frequently during
q game. Oftentimes the way an out
fielder plays a grounder means the result
OF the game, and | meant to have
Shanks perfect In this department, to
match his ability with fly balls.
II was helped not a little in this
play third base when he first started
to play the game. He came in and
worked hard at third base. He took
every kind of a ball. high and low.
! sent him back to the outfield and
hit nothing but grounders at him.
He had learned how to play them
rightly. too, from his hard practice in
hn inf of4 L.
against the best fielder in the game
confident of his ability. He's there. is
Shanks."
Walker Follows Suit.
Clarence Walker got the first trial at
Schaefer's job in the garden. Had his
fielding warranted. he would have been
playing yet, for the sorrel-toped lad
was hitting like a fiend. Indeed, when
he quit playing he had brought his
batting average up to 200. But his
fielding was poor. especially on low
bouncing drives to his section Of the
After the lad had lost a couple OF
games in New York Griffith pulled him
out and put shanks in the game. But
When Griffith told him his weakness
he did not sulk or quit He began a
system which will eventually make him
Watch Walker these days this sum.
mer You'll find him stopping ground
balls all the time. That's all he wants
the batters to send him, ground balls.
Every chance zee he gets, too, he plays the
sprouts given Shanks.
And that's all there is to 1t. To make
his outhelders perfect Griffith makes
EN- play the inheld.
Their Newness.
The babble of a foolish, know-it- all
rooter in Philly proved one thing, the
wonderful newness of the Nationals
Here's the way he gave the "informa.
tion" to a friend of his near the press
stand.
Where did Griff dig up this team
Huh, that's easy, If YOU keep tabs or
all the players, as l do. Gandil comes
| from the Southern League; New Or,
| leans, ! think. Yes, set the league afirt
down there this spring. Morgan wal
with the Rochester champions last yeal
best second baseman in the Eastern
League. Yep, cost Griff lot of money
| to buy him.
"Shanks is just out OF college some
J where down in Carolina, or other H,
| proves the wisdom of Griff better thar
! anything else because he never played
1 professional ball till Grin saw him OF
| the training trip and coaNed him away
| from his studies.
| Foster, don't you remember him
| when he was with he Yankees? They
sent him to Baltimore, and Grin swap