Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-19

the ball around as he is now.
Clyde Milan started out yesterday to
get his base stealing record on its way.
Milan pilfered three bases. In the third
he stole second and in the ninth he stole
both second and third. In fact, Griffith's
players running bases as never be
fore. the fact that they have seven
stolen bases to their credit in yester-
days game will indicate. There is now
not man i'm the lineup who does not
stand a chance to pilfer. though this
may be more difficult when the team
gets away from here and strikes first
class catcher. Ed Sweeney, who has al
ways been numbered among the crack
catchers of the league, is either far
from being in form or his days of use
fulness are over. In the two games here
the Nationals have stolen twelve times
and Sweeney has thrown out but a sin
gle man.
There is sure to be a marked improve
ment in the pitching of both Groom and
Hughes the next time out. That rainy
spell the Nationals encountered last and
early this week has kept this pair of
twirlers off of the slab for so long that
neither has the control of the ball that
he usually can boast of. and this is nat
urally a severe handicap. But the work
out here is sure to fit them for their next
trial. when both are sure to give an even
better account of themselves.
As defensive team 1t is questionable
If there is better combination than the
Nationals. When Griffiths team has good
pitching it is apt to beat most any team.
because it is a hard team to score on.
In the first place. its catchers are the
best of throwers and prevent opposing
teams from taking any liberties on the
bases. Its infield works with a dash and
snap and covers lot of ground, while
as fielding outfield there is none better
in the American League. 1t is not a
hard-httting team, yet dangerous one
at the bat because it mixes its plays
and is very apt to catch it's opponents
ma pping 1t is now being generally con-
coded by base bali men that the Ma
tionals are one Of the hardest teams in
the country to score
President Ban Johnsons edict that
games must be hustled through in as
short time as possible has been absolutely
ignored here. Yesterdays game of nine
innings required two hours and fifty-two
minutes to play. 1t was, of course, one
of those games in which nearly every in
ming found men on the bases, but much
more time was wasted in other ways that
are unnecessary. 1t seems, for instance.
that the New York players are instructed
not to leave the bench until the preceding
batter has been disposed Of Then, too,
the players are slower than should be in
the matter of going and coming from
their positions. Neither Umpires Dineen
nor Hart seem to realize how much time
Is being wasted and are not showing the
players along
Any time an umpire errs against the
Nationals he is sure to hear of It. Crit
fitll's team, in fact appears to be full of
scrap, and but for the leniency of the
umpireS several of the young men might
have adorned the bench during most of
the game. Gandil finally was baniShed.
but not until the ninth, when it made
Tha l-inl- in
the early part of the game, when Shanks
ran down to second base while Fisher
was standing on the slab with the ball.
The pitchers attention was called to this
arm up and down without throwing the
ball. Griffith, Mcbride and several others
ran In to Hart to protest and wrangled
for a long time that balk had been
made. SUCH undoubtedly was true, but
Hart, of course, stood pat
Several times after that decisions were
questioned, and when Chase was finally
declared safe in the ninth when Dineen
claimed that Gandil did not have his
foot on the bag he was surrounded and
demand made that he explain his rul-
ing. Gandi so it is said expressed him
self especially forcfbly and he was chased
from the field, Schaefer taking his place.
Gandil is a. wonderful mark for the in
fielders to throw at. 1t seems to matter
little where the ball is thrown so that
1t is in the direction where Gandil Is
playing and he will do the rest. There
We're number OF plays yesterday which
hurried the infielders to such extent
that they did not have time to take aim
prior to throwing, and some of the balls
were somewhat wide of the mark. but
Gandil got them all, and that without
much apparent effort.
There is no doubt that Chase is a
wonderful ballplayer. 1t is nothing short
of remarkable the amount Of ground he
covers. but 1t is nevertheless decidedly
doubtful If he is going to be a success
At second base. for the reason that the
fact that he is a 1eft-handed thrower
places him at big disadvantage. Chase.
under existing conditions. seems to have
to steady himself before he can throw.
He has to make some fast turns before
he can get the ball away, and this, of
course, hurries him and makes his play
look awkward even if 1t is not.
For the present, of course, he is sure
to be kept in the position, because Chance
has no one else that he can place there
his presence at first VIII benefit the team.
to Keep Chase on second in the hope
that he will eventually develop there. In
the meantime, however, there are apt to
be a lot Of slip-ups at second, which will
not be scored as fielding errors
John Henry Is none the worse for the
three innings he caught Thursday. He
practiced with the team before yester-
days game, and said that he was not
| experiencing the slightest inconvenience
with his knee. From this out Henry is