Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-12
ALL WANT T0BEAT
!. OUT WASHINGTON
Every Manager Anxious to
Finish in Front of Crit
: fith's Ball Team.
EVEN NEW YORK HOPES
TO TURN THE TRICK
Local Pitchers Are Kept in
Shape Working Under
GrandStand.
BY J. ED GRIILO.

n all the predictions made by rival
managers that their teams will beat out
Washington this year are realized Crit
fith's team is going to finish in very
lowly position in the American League
base ball race.
Stahl and Mack have long since de-
clared themselves, while Jim Callahan
and zoe Birmingham foster this ambition.
Stovall has hopes. and now comes the
story that Frank Chance has been whis-
pering il about that he. too. expects to
finish in front of the Nationals.
Allen Sangree. who is travelling with
the New Workers and writes pieces for
the New York American, says that the
only thing the New York players are
sanguine of is that they will finish sew
eral positions in front of Washington. 1t
is evident that Griffith is going to find
il a hard matter to finish in the race
al all. Every position worth while has
already been claimed by some of his
rivals. and the ambition of every man
aser appears to be to beat out WASH
ington.
Somehow or other the Nationals good
showing last season is considered a fiuke
and the team is not given credit for
being able to repeat. But there are
going to be lot of disappointments in
this years pennant race, as there are
every year. Few of the managers are
going to have their predictions fulfilled
but Griffith bids fair to escape this hui
initiation, for he is not claiming any,
thing.
The rain of the past two days has not
given Griffith's pitchers the rest that
might have been expected. Griff has all
his twirlers working out every morning
under the grandstand so that they will
not lose condition. But batting practice.
which the team is badly in need Of can
not be INDUCED in. and it is this which
may prove a serious handicap to the
team.
New York critics are blaming Umpire
Connolly for the loss of the opening game
here. 1t is contended that Ainsmith
should not have been allowed to walk
when Mcconnell hit him on the arm with
"a pitched ball. The catcher is charged
with deliberately allowing himself to be
hit. Connolly has been umpiring for
years and he can surely tell the differ
ence between a player being hit acct
,dentally or deliberately. If there was an
incorrect decision it was made by Nc
.Greeyy when he called Moeller out at
third on McConnell's throw to Hartzen
Moeller was apparently lying on the
bag when he was touched, and as second
and third were occupied at the time with
two out. that decision probaol prevented
the Nationals from scoring in this in
ming. On the whole the umpiring was
very SOCu anu really udS a
kick coming.
George Stovall is getting a good start
with his Browns. who have twice scored
victories over the Detroit Tigers. Stow
,alls team appears to be hitting much
better than was expected, and this is
more than making up for the rather in
consistent work the pitchers are doing.
Hamilton. who last season gave evidence
of becoming a great left-hander, has been
driven from tho Siah on his la
pearances. A few days ago the Cardinals
drove him to shelter and yesterday the
Tigers sent him to the bench with a
fusillade of hits 1t may be that Haml-
ton is not yet in form, for it is not likely
that a pitcher of his ability would show
such a marked reversal of form without
good reason.
present season is over that Manager Crit
9Th made no mistake wwhen he eXerted
no effort to develop an outfielder to take
Howard Shanks' place this season. ShankS
had all the earmarks of a great ball
player last season. His fielding was of
such a caliber that he was given credit
for being the best left fielder in the league
His hitting was better than the averages
would show. though he was not very
lucky in the placing of his hits. There
is sure to be improvement in Shanks'
hitting and fielding this year. while there
is no question about his having more
speed than last season.
In the event of today's game being pre-
vented by rain. the New Workers will be
forced TO play two double headers here
on their next trip 20 this city, which is
June II. The rules do not permit the
playing of double-headers on the first trip
TO city, but make it compulsory to play
all postponed games on the second visit.
IL todays game is not played it i!
questionable which one of his pitchers
Griffith will send in against Philadelphia
which team comes here for series o.
three games Monday. He could. of course
let Johnson pitch this game, for he will
have had three days rest, but as boil
Groom and Hughes were successful