The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-05
CLIMBERS Speed
CAUSES WONDER
Grifmen's Fast Work on the
Bases Makes Fans Set Up
and Take Notice.
SPIKES ARE FLYING FAST
Basemen Learn to Give Base Runners
Little Room at the Bags.
Other Gossip.
Ry WILLIAM PEET.
Boston, Mass, May 4.

Boston, Mass, May 4.
The savage manner in which Grin s
young athletes run bases, jumping into
the bags with spikes high in the air, has
caused no end of comment thus far
on the trip around the circuit.
Shanks. Morgan. Milan, Gandil. and
Moeller have a habit of crashing into
a base guardian in such an emphatic
manner that when the men are untangled
the rival player is usually seen to rub
sore spot on arm or leg, and 1t is no
ticed that the next time d National makes
the attempt he Is given plenty OF room.
In Boston both Gardner at third and
Wagner taking throw at second have
habit of straddling the bag. 1t al
ways has been a wonder how these men
| escaped injury, especially during the last
worlds series against such base runners
as the New York Giants, but somehow or
other they manage to get away with ii.
In the opening game here Thursday
Capt. Heinie Wagner was not quick
enough to evade the flying spikes of
Ray Morgan when the Baltimore boy
slid into him at second base during the
sixth inning, and the index finger of
Wagner's meat hand was badly LAGER
ated.
Wagner is out of the game for few
days, and ii is a safe bet that he will
Red Sox are playing the Nationals.
There is sort of an unwritten law in
baseball that a runner is entitled to half
the base, or a space big enough to en-
able him to touch the bag, and when an
infelder blocks up the entire spot there
is nothing to do but sharpen up spikes
and demand admittance by crashing into
him. This Griff has taught his young
sters to do.
A MA tok ha
| chance of getting spiked when the Ma
tionals are in the field
1t has developed that the pitcher Man
ager Griffith wants from the University
of Vermont team is not Hunt, but Jason
Malcolm the boy who last season only
lost two games, and the Old Fox is pre-
pared to bid just high for his services
as any other major league club.
Malcolm is right-hander. weighing 1S5
pounds and standing six feet two inches.
The collegian has repeatedly stated right
along that he will not play professional
ball until after he graduates from col
lege, one year from this coming June.
At least five big league scouts have
tipped off their respective bosses to land
Malcolm, and there promises to be some
spirited bidding for the youngster next
spring.
From all that can be learned. Malcolm
is working his way through college. his
parents are poor and he would welcome
a chance to play professional ball.
Iris Speaker puts I'D the most won
derfuI exhibition of fielding here on the
Red SoS park of any man in the world
not excepting our own Clyde Milan or
Tyrus Cobb. Speaker seems TO know
just where to play for all the opposing
batters. and no matter how hard they
hit 'em, If the ball sails nigh enough in
the air Iris is under it. Speaker never
puts up such an exhibition of long dis
lance fly catching anywhere else except
on his own back yard
That Griff would not hesitate for a
minute to send Merito Acosta into the
outf1eld in case anything happened to
either Shanks. Milan or Moeller is the
statement of the Old Fox himself.
Il have every confidence in the world
that Acosta could jump right into the
game at a minutes notice and make
good said the Old Fox, land if any
thing happens to my regulars L shall
give the kid a trial in big league
game
No matter where the Climbers go there
are always number or roOterS from
Washington on hand to give them en-
enlargement Even in Boston, Manager
Griffith was surrounded after the OPEN
ing game by half dozen fans, who ex-
tended to him the glad hand, exclaim-
ing:
We're from the Capital, Grif. and
pulling hard for the Nationals to win
the pennant. Go get EN-
This hue and cry raised about the
pitchers box being mile high in Phila-
delphia is all to the bunk. If there is
any particular advantage nobody knows
wherein this advantage lies. Surely the
game between the Nationals and Ath-
letics in slow town last Wednesday show
ed Walter Johnson off to just as good
an advantage as the veteran, Eddie
Plank.
The Washington players are not kick
ing about the raised pitchers box, what
they are Directing to is the scoreboard
placed on the centerfield fence, which
comes in direct contact with the eyes as
a batter faces a left-hand pitcher like
Plank; but even this obstruction is not
a serious handicap, and as soon as the
Climbers become accustomed to it. no
trouble is expected.