Evening star., 1914-06-05
|JOHNSON'S FUTURE
| IS MUCH IN DOUBT
Whether He Will Be With Ma
tionaIs Next Year Is
Questionable.
GRIFF MAY HAVE HARD
TIME SIGNING HIS MEN
Salaries Are Already About as High
as the Club Can Afford
to Pay.
BY j. ED GRuLo.

doubt Walter has refused to accept the
terms Griffith offered him. though these
would give him substantial increase
over the amount he is drawing now, re-
puted to be $4,000. Griffith has not only
agreed to increase the figure but will
make the contract ironclad for a period
of years, yet johnson has not signif1ed
a willingness to sign it. He takes the
position that it will be to his interest to
wait.
| Neither has johnson accepted a propo-
sition from the Wards, owners Of the
Brooklyn Federal League Club, nor made
them figure that he would accept Jim
Delehanty and Bill Bradley. however,
took Walter to Ward last night, and
Ward told him that he could name his
own figure if he was willing to sign a
contract, and it is limited that a propo-
sition was made to hand him a twenty
thousand-dollar bonus the moment he af-
fixed his signature to a contract. Walter
is playing waiting game. He told
Griffith that he wanted to remain a mem
Der of the Nationals If everything was
even, but. Of course, he is too good
business man to overlook lot of money
| if he is taking no chances and has it
assured him.
| cOnleIlQS lndl waiter GULL
! is binding, though it is for but one sea-
I son, the reserve clause giving the club
| the right to continue 1t Indefinitely. Legal
authority has assured organized base ball
| that this agreement will be held by the
| courts. so that it may happen that if
| Johnson should desire to join the Federals
| he would be prevented from so doing.
| But it is not the danger Of losing
\ T~l~ 81, Se- r;H Nr{H
| for he realizes that he is going to have
| a hard time signing all his players for
next season. Grifhth's system of handling
| his men has been to pay them good sal
| aries If they deserved it. In this way
most of the players are already receiving
| all the club can afford to pay, and
| when 1t comes to signing them for next
| season Griffith is not going to be III
a lot of his men. Some of the other
clubs are in better position In this re-
spect. The st. Louis Browns, for in
| stance. were all signed up for next sea-
| son during the recent eastern trip. Hedges
had them signed to such low figures that
1t was not a difficult matter to offer them
| increases and satisfy them, hence he did
| not experience much trouble in getting
| them in line. Conditions on the Wash
! ington team, however. are different, for
| the reasons stated, and Griffith has good
reason for feeling a bit alarmed.
|
| fected by the fattering offers they have
! received from the Federals is a known
fact. and that the Generalization caused
| thereby may greatly affect the teams
chances in the present race stands to
| reason. To have big bonuses offered to
them naturally sets the players to think
ing about things which are foreign to the
game, and their works suffers accord
| ingly. This may not apply to Walter
Johnson. however. He is sure to give
/; the club his best services while he is
identified with it. but there are lot of
players not getting anything like johnson
| In the way of salary and large figures
| have a peculiar effect on them
| Johnson is slated to pitch the opening
game in st. Louis tomorrow. After the
game he will leave for his home in Cof-
| feyville, where he will spend few days.
| rejoining the team in time to make the
| trip to chicago. where he will be used in
the opener against the White Sox.
Eddie Ainsrnith has rejoined the team
and it is not unlikely that he will take up
| the task of catching johnson in the game
Saturday, though Griffith may decide to
| let him put in a couple of days of hard
| work before putting him in the lineup
for Ainsmith looks to have taken on CON
| siderable weight during his long idleness
Just how the Nationals will fare in the
west depends entirely on their continuing
marked their work during the past
month or so. Griffith has had hustling,
| hard fighting team to date, and this
stride will have to be continued for. the
! trip to be successful. Most of the players
have hopes of landing the flag this year.
and they are putting forth their best ef-
forts to bring this about. 1t means lot
for ball player to break into a worlds
SERIES Many of them would get more out
| of such series than they are paid for
playing an entire season. The level-head
| ed members of the team are preaching
hustle and hard work to the youngsters
and to those inclined to take things easy
/ in the hope that the winning streak will
be continued.
Nef. the Virginia college infelder, is
expected to join the team in st. Louis to-
morrow. His acquisition gives Griffith no
less than three utility fnfielders. count
ing Geodeon ard "Wally' Smith as such,
and Neff and Gedeon can both be used
! in the outfield in a pinch. Neff very like
~ will need week or two of work to
get him back in shape. He has beer
idle ever since the college season ended.
more than two weeks ago.
Carl cashion was twenty-five years old
yesterday. An admirer from his home at
Huntersville remembered him with a dia
! mond stickpin.
/ There is now not single member of
i the team who is not playing up to his
standard or near it Dan Moeller and
/ Ray Morgan. who were a bit slow in get
ting into their stride. showed to good ad
vantage since the team started on the
present trip, and the chances are that
both OF them will go along at good clip
now. There is, however. some room for
improvement on the pitching staff Joe
BoehlinS Will have to show more than
he has of late before he be expected
to be numbered among the winners.
Cashion and EnSel have shown improve
ment, and there is hope that both Bent
ley and Harper will hold I'D their end
when given the chance. With Ainsnnith
back in the fold the catching staff once
more looms up well. for Williams. on his
showing since he was forced into the
game has displayed lot of ability and
should be worked regularly. because of
his superior ability as a hitter. Williams
surprised every one with his good work
behind the bat and his throwing. He was
believed to have very weak arm. but
in the final eaIne in New York threw
Iout four would-be pilifers, and he did it
without straining himself.