Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-11
BELIEVES IN LUCK
Griffith Has Had His Share of
Bumps.
BREAKS OFTEN FAIL HIM
With a Few Smiles From Dame For
tune He Would Have Won Pen
nants for New York.
BREAKS OFTEN FAIL HIM
BY w. J. MACBETH.

BY W. J. MACBETH.
NEW YORK. August II. Manager
Clark Griffith of the Washingtons is a
firm believer in luck-at least as applied
to base ball. 1t would be pretty hard to
find u man better qualified to judge. The
Old Fox certainly has had his share OF
bumps. With the least iota Of break Of
good fortune he would have landed at
least two pennants for Frank Farrell.
This year he might have driven the .Ath-
letics to cover had his fine, aggressive
young team not been so seriously handi-
capped by injuries to players.
Griffith has had some pretty tough luck
in his career and particularly this season.
He seems a man destined to always be
on the threshold of great fame without
being able to find the latchstring. He
has had many buffets; but he has like
wise enjoyed some few favors of tickle
fortune. These came along now and then
as blessings in disguise. And not the
least of the lot by any means has been
Joe Boehling. the young southPaw. who
so far has been the sensation of the
major leagues this season.
1t was only last spring that the Old
Fox deplored the decay or competent
left-hanoed pitching. ''fork-hand hing,
opined Grif, has become dead art
Why Griff should have been so melan-
choly on the subject when two such able
experts as Rube Marquard and Eddie
Plank were on hand to refute the insinua
ton is hard to figure. 1t may nave been
that all his life Griffith has been disap-
pointed in digging up poits:de OF real
merit when at times such a one would
have spelled victory.
But at the time when the Old Fox was
grteving most sorely over his years OF DIS
appointment ne had with him young
man who was in very few months to
blossom out into one of the real wonders
of base ball. Not since Russell Ford OF
the Yankees and King Cole OF the CUBS
in 1910 averaged well above the 800 mark
i'm victory percentage for over thirty
games their first season in fast company
has any youngster displayed the class o:
Washington's prize southpaW. Boehllng
reeled off eleven straight victories. the
seasons mark to that time, only to have
his winning caree' broken in more or less
of a fuky manner by the greatly de-
spised st. Louis Browns. 1t was really no
fault of Boehling that he lost; more In
the nature Of an accident. home-run
hit with two on did the business in the
very first inning. After that he pitched
alright ball. but his teammates could
not get him those runs back. He held the
Browns to four hits to boot, which PROVED
him mighty game fellow and one who
did not crack when defeat finally arrived
Will Be Great Help.
Boehiing is going to be Of great help
to Griffith and Washington. The team is
pretty we'll out Of the race right now. yet
still has an outside chance Certainly
next year, unless Mack braces his pitch
ing staff. the Old Fox Is likely TO give
tn. Athletics a fight to the last ditch
Walter Johnson and Joe Boehling form u
pretty good pitching staff as modern
hurlers 60 And Grtf has several other
young men. among them Engel. who can
give pretty fair account OF themselves
In the box.
But getting back to Boehling. He has
divided I'm the hearts OF loyal Washington
fandom place until this year usuIped BY
the great and only Walter Johnsan. His
advent To fame has been more or less or
an accident. Eut for the fact that Crit
fifth was forced to utilize him in the face
Of injuries to seasoned twirlers young Joe
might now be wasting his Sweetness on
the desert air OF some bush league. Here
Is his history:
only back III the year 1911. when DR..
William II. Parker. the dean oil amateur
athletics i'll the keystone city of the
south, kindled an interest in amateur
athletics OF every sort, particularly de-
voting himself to amateur base ball. the
medical man of cherubic countenance
who is also a police commissioner IN
Richmond. formed and managed the Bat
tie Axe team. which won the championship
OF the city in u league comprised OF eight
clubs. Joe BOehlng and Bill Kay form
ed the star battery OF the Battle Axe team
which lost but two games out OF sixteen
played.
Succeeding the amateur base ball sea
son. an intercity championship series was
arranged with the winners of similar
championships in Washington and Balti-
more, In which the championship was won
by the Pepcos of Washington the
games directing attention to the splen-
did battery work of the Battle Axes. Bill
Peet. IL Washington scribe. was the
wide-eyed visual artist who saw in Boeh-
Fox Griffith of the advisability of adding
Boehling to the staff headed by that
strong genius. Walter Johnson.
Proclaimed His Worth.
During the training trip of 19l: Peet.
Ed Grillo and Joe jackson proclaimed
the worth Of Boehling. and predicted that
he would prove a tower of strength for
the Climbers. The brilliant attack of the
Nationals in 1912. during which they
rolled up a string Of sixteen sue
cessve victories. which record was ruined
IN the seventeenth effort by Home-r,ln
Baker of the Athletics. prevented Grlf-
fifth from risking the clubs climb with a
game pitched by Boehiing. so Griff farm
ed him out to Chattanooga.
Climatic conditions there hindere,l the
upbu!lding of the younESter and KID FL
berfeld returned Bochiing to- Wash
ington. when Griff turned him over to
Worcester. where under Jesse Burkett
he achieved winning percentage OF .63S
Again to Charlottesville and under the
tutelage of Griffith and Jack RYAN tho
experience gained asserted itself A boy
OF big frame and inteliigently acuuisitiye
Boehling earned his right to stay with