Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-11
e johnson Predicts Banner Year for Himself the Camp News
NATIONALS GREAT PITCHER
], EXPECTS HIS BANNER YEAR
Johnson Says He Never Felt Better, Is Very
Strong and Should Go at Top
Speed From Start of Season.

\ Any and every thing was tried to improve
| conditions, but now Griffith has to guard
against changes which might weaken his
! team There is no doubt that he has again
| been very fortunate in the selection of
| his young players. Several of them will
eventually be prominent in the major
! leagues, and these same players had they
broken into the league a year ago would
probably have secured regular positions.
But it is different now. Griffith had the
runner-up In the last race. and the men
| VINO made UP his team are not so easily
replaced for the reason that the teams
standard Is higher than it ever was. 1t
| is no easy matter to transfer team which
| finished second into a pennant winner by
a change or two in the lineup when eX-
perienced hands are to be supplanted by
recruits. Whatever additional strength
Griffith has been able to add this spring
! will be found on the bench most of the
| season.
! There has never been anything partic-
ulariy impressive about Joe Boehling's
work since he Joined the Nationals. and
| vet, according to Griffith. it would not be
at all surprising If the Richmond lad
proved a winner one of these days. Crit
| fifth. who is watching Boehling in all his
workouts. believes that he will have no
| trouble holding his own, His control
seems to have improved a whole lot since
last season, and there is chance for
him to be given another trial this sea-
| son.
Little Acosta is always sure to be a
most troublesome batsman. Not that he
is hard hitter, but he is so small that
1t takes perfect control to get the ball
| over to him, and he won't offer at one
| that is an eighth of an inch out of range
Furthermore, he has the bunting end of
the game down to an art. being able to
lay the ball down at either side of the
plate and he never prepares the infielder
N ifo11 for h,r H.; ir,<n
tions are not to be detected by any posi-
ton of his bat until the ball is right upon
him. What is more he is rather fast,
and, once on the bases. is decidedly elu-
sive. All that Acosta knows he has
picked up by observation. and as soon as
SO expert base runner as Milan takes
him in charge he should show marked
improvement.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
youngsters realize that the Nationals are
rather hard team to break into at this
time, there is no lack of ambition among
them In fact, it is remarkable that
there is not a single drone among the
entire lot. AS whole. the newcomers
are decidedly intelligent, and, having en-
tered base ball. they propose to make it
their business and then give their entire
time in an effort to improve themselves
in the hope that some day they may
break into fast company. There are, of
course, going to be lot of disappoint-
ments this spring. Even If Griffith should
desire to keep every one of his recruits
the rules would prevent him from doing
so. so that the AK is sure to fall on ten
or twelve before the season opens But
even though some of the youngsters real
lie that they cannot remain in this COM
pany, they are making the best of their
stay. and are really anxious to learn all
they can.
Notwithstanding the fact that there are
several Outf1elders on the squad who on
their last years showing appear to be
much better hitters than Howard Shanks
that young man is pretty sure to start the
season in left field. So many instances
are recalled where luck broke against
Shanks In the hitting line that it is Grif-
fths intention at least to find out wheth-
er Shanks hit up to his standard last sea-
son or whether he was a victim of cir
cumstances. 1t seems to be the general
impression among the other members of
the team that Shanks will hit far above
the mark he set last season, and even If
he doesn't it will be no easy matter to re-
place him in the outfleld. There is no
telling how many games were saved by
him last season because of his brilliant
fielding. On innumerable occasions last
season he saved games by holding hits
along the third base line to singles, which
nine times out OF ten would have been
two-base hits In this respect Shanks has
never had an equal in left field He picks
up ground balls out there like an in
fielder. and his value in this respect is
not easily estimated. Furthermore, his
stand at the plate is such that it is hard
to understand why he does not hit better
than he did. He does not pull, has a
clean swing and picks out good balls to
hit at-about all that is to be expected
from any batter.
A blister on Chick Gandirs heel is
causing him no end of worry and an
noyance. Every time he tries to run the
blister bursts and causes him some pain
full moments. and as a result the husky
first baseman is unable to show up as
we'll as he would like to In practice
The trouble, of course. is trivial. but it
is proving a great 1indrance in Gandil's
training.
more natural hitter than Allen Sheer
is seldom found in base ball. 1t was
the youngsters hitting which caused
Griffith to hang on to him for quite a
while last spring, and 1t was this same
hitting which caused him to recall him
from Youngstown last fall In the mean
time Sheer has changed from the outfield
to the infield-a switch which should
prove beneficial to him. Sheer does not
stand good chance to be retained. be-
cause the Nationals are well supplied
with outfielders. but it seems a certainty
that he will get into higher class
league than Youngstown represents when
Griffith let's him go to get more expert
ence.
Though Bob Groom is a rather frail in
dividual. compared with johnson. Cashion
and some of the other pitchers, he has
less trouble getting in condition in the
spring than any of the others. barring
perhaps Johnson, who does not know
what a lame arm is. Groom can pitch
after weeks workout, and it matters
not how cold the weather may be- In
the summer. when many pitchers weaken
in the heat, Groom is at his best, and
it is this versatility which makes him
different from the average pitcher.
Watch Walter Johnson warm. up at
close range and you will never have to
ask the question of where he gets his
speed. johnson was warming up In the
gym yesterday morning and beside him
were several other pitchers doing the
same thing. and this furnished a SPLEEN
did opportunity to show the difference
in Johnsons delivery and that of the
average pitcher. Johnson, as is well
known, has remarkably long arm, to
which much of his exceptional speed is
attributed. But it is not the arm alone
pitching: 1t Is the way he uses his body
in propelling the ball. When Johnson
pitches his entire body goes forward with
his arm. The motion IL. free from any
hitch and is really graceful Other pitch
ers appear to be under a. strain when
they are pitching, but Johnson's work
seems easy Johnson's right arm is
much more developed than his left one,
and that Is also true OF his shoulder
While, of; course, muscularly johnson is
not hard, his muscles are 1.-THE and fex-