Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-18
The "Old Fox Says Nationals Are Best
Defensive GLIB He Has Sean in His
twenty-five Years Experience.
BOBBY WALLACE PAYS FINE
TRIBUTE TO WORK OF JOHNSON
Veteran Shortstop Thinks He Is Most Wonderful
Twir1er Game Has Ever Known Many of
Washington Team Show Improvement.

I two of his youngsters he will also be well
, fortified In this respect. Better things are
| to be expected from the Nationals late,
ON.
| There is no doubt that the real fight
for the pennant will dwindle down be-
| tween Philadelphia and Washington. The
Athletics are the one team the Nationals
have to fear. OF the others little is to
! be expected Boston IS already vir-
| tualiy out OF the running. The team Is
so low in the race that it would have to
make remarkable squirt to get within
| hailing distance of the leaders by OctO-
Der. In the west Cleveland has made the
doubt that Birmingham has good
htstling team: but it is doubtful If it will
| last. Its pitchers are not going any too
WE'LL and the team lacks the speed which
| a winner should have. st. Louis is abso-
lutely second division proposition. and
while Chicago may show an occasional
| squirt which will look troublesome Gala
| han hasn't the material to land on top.
] AS for Detroit. ii is a team which occa-
! sionaly will show its heels to the lead
ling on its staff. nor enough good play
ers in other departments TO give il any
kind of a chance. AS FOR New York.
Chance would have to WELD mystic
wand to make his team contender be-
cause il lacks strength in absolutely
every department.
Some OF the fans about Washington
will recall Bill Joyce. who in his
day managed the Nationals and was
field well named '.Scrappy.'' Griffith
seems to have PLAYER of the same type
in Gedeon. the nineteen-year-old Cali
fornan. Though a mere youth. Gedeon
has nerves of steel and an abundance of
brass. He had not been in the game in
St Louis the other day a minute before
he was fighting with every one of the
st. Louis players. and was not i'm very
good standing with the umpires. All
Gedeon knows is to try to win and he is
not particular how that is accomplished
The young fellow is sure to be a great
ball player some day. He has all the
requisites of a star. though, of course he
still needs experience.
Ball players o. experience consider
Walter Johnson the greatest pitcher the
game has ever produced. He is consid-
cred to have more natural ability than
any pitcher who ever lived. and has the
advantage in that the success he has at
tanned has not had the slightest effect
on his disposition.
|. Bobby Wallace. one of the veterans of
the game. a man who has been in har-
ness for nearly twenty years, admits
that he has never seen Johnson's equal.
though he at one time was a member of
the old Cleveland team which boasted of
two of the greatest of pitchers in "
Young and George Cuppy
1T is a wonder to me that johnson
ever loses a game remarked Wallace
in st. Louis the other day in speaking of
the Nationals star. How he is ever hit
, l can't see, for in as many times as l
have faced him always consider myself
mighty lucky when | connect with the
ball. No one has any idea Of what stuff
Johnson has until he faces him. Some
times the ball goes by you with such
speed that you can't see it at all. There
is hop on 1t. but 1t is not his speed
alone which makes him successful. for
he has good curve ball and he mixes
in slow one which simply will battle
you. The beauty of his pitching is his
remarkable control. 1t is only on rare
occasions that a ball is called. Most of
the time it is foul or a strike
1T is this fact which makes Walter s
work easy. He does not pitch many balls
in a game. and thereby saves himself