Evening star., 1913-11-25
GR|FF FAILS TO
GET OUTF|ELDER
Local Manager Has MOI Added
to Gardening Staff
While Here.
GANDIL AND FEW YOUNG
PITCHERS ALL OBTAINED
mysterious MITCHELL Let Out by
Brooklyn-Has an I'm
usual Career.
BY J. ED GRILLO.

During the two years that Clark Grit
fifth has been III cha ge of the Nationals
he seems to have been unable to pick up
any outtielders. He had quite a bunch of
gardeners in the training camps for the
past two springs. but non of them was
retained Connolly. Wellchone Allen and
Sheer were all let so before the season
opened, and the only outfielder he has Sc
cured since then is Spencer, whom he has
tentatively released 10 Los Angeles after
giving him a shot trial here.
spencer was the oaly outfelder secured
last fall. There We're no others drafted
or purchased. 1t is questionable whether
Spencer will be recalled to make the
training trip with the Nationals, and un-
less Griffith succeeds in making some sort
of a deal for one before spring rolls
around Shanks. Milan and Moeller will
be the only outfielde-s he will have in
camp
Barring the strength which he has add
ed to his pitching staff since taking the
reins here. Griffith has really made but
one change in the team which McAleer
left him. He was responsible for the
coming of Gandil, probably the most
valuable acquisition made to the team
in many years, but all the other players
We're here when Griffith came. The show
ing that the team has made under his
guidance speaks we'll for his managerial
ability. He made a winner out of an
aggregation which had been a tailender
True the acquisition of Gandil helped a
whole lot. but the team played a much
different system of base ball under Crit
fifth than it did under any of his prede-
ceSSOrS.
Grif1fths latest addition to his squad is
ChOrfStnn n cd r or o-fi -ha H.,
quite reputation with the Hoboken in
dependent team last summer. He Is a
mere boy. and there is not chance for
him to break into the local lineup for a
year or two. But Griff will look him
over in the spring, and if he shows prom
Use will farm him out to some minor
league club for development
Fred Walker, better known as "Myste-
rious Mitchell, pitcher who has been a
member of nearly every ball club in the
country, and who finished the season with
be cut loose by Manager Robinson.
There may be better pitchers than
Walker but there is no one with a more
unusual career Walker was with the
Giants three or four years ago. and
when he was let out to keep from swell
ing the pay roll in the fall this remark
able fellow drifted to the Pacific coast
and had that end of the country spinning
on its ear for more than a month. Going
into the California League he introduced
himself to a manager as Mysterious
Mitchell" and declined to say anything
more about his record or himself
..All | want is a chance to pitch,'' he
said. land if I don't make good you owe
me nothing"
The manager took a chance, and on
Mysterious Mitchell's' first appearance
at Oakland he cleaned up with ease. The
newspapers tried in vain to get a story
about him, and dozen photographers
were put on his trail for a picture The
mysterious pitcher kept to his room, how
ever; refused to see any one, and went
to the park in a closed cab. While in
the cab he went SO far as to wear a
mask over his eyes. There was absolutely
no trace of his record. and by winning a
second and third game he became the
sensation of the coast and drew thou
sands of dollars into the box office.
Mysterious Mitchell was getting away
on his fifth appearance he was knocked
out of the box. After that they beat him
three or four times in succession, and
the mysterious wonder went up in
smoke.
Then he started east again. He drop
ped in on nearly every minor league club
for short stay. st. Louis finally got
him, and then he turned up at Cleveland,
where he was given trial. About a
week after that he appeared at the local
STouiiuS, went INTO tHe clubhouse ana
donned uniform and was warming up
in front of the grandstand when Griffith
put in his appearance. Griff had heard
of the mysterious one. and promptly
told him to shed his uniform, and then
showed him the way to the street. He
turned up in Brooklyn next, and pitched
good enough ball to be retained for
about two months.
Robinson. however. does not seem to
have any patience with characters of
this kind, and has sent Mitchell to Jer-
! sey City.