Evening star., 1914-01-21
CAPT. M'bR|DE'S
CONTRACT ARRIVES
Griffith's Field Leader About
to Enter His Seventh
Year Here.
HENRY PRAISES ABILITY
OF YOUNG jim SHAW
Predicts He Will Be a Star the
Coming Season-Joe Wood Showed
Good Form in Fall.
BY J. ED aRuLo.

The signed contract of George Nc
Bride reached Manager Gridith this
morning. The Nationals captain
writes that he is ready to start train
! ing at any time that he is called upon
and expresses the belief that the Ma
t1onals will be decidedly prominent in
the coming pennant race. He says
that he hopes all the players will re-
port in good shape, for it will be bene-
f1cial to get a good start in the race.
This will be McBrides seventh season
as member Of the Nationals Dur
ing hve OF the years he has been the
teams captain and has served under
| three different managers, CAntillon,
McAleer and Griffith. In all that time
he has missed only FIVE games of ball
and in every season he has ranked
Of the country. Mcbride Is thirty
three years old.
John Henry shares the opinion that
Jim Shaw will prove a pitching sensa-
ton the coming season. Try caught
Shaw in two of the games he worked
In last fall. one an exhibition contest
with Boston, which Shaw lost, to l.
There Is nd reason in the world why
Shaw should not make a wonderful
pitcher. doubt II there is pitcher
living who has more stuff than he, and
he is young. intelligent and full Of
/ energy remarked Henry in discussing
Shaw this morning.
Henry. who is in splendid physical con-
dition, is ready to start work at mo-
ments notice. He will return to his
here early-in fact, he will be here to-
gether with the other catchers to work
out the batch Of recruit pitchers.
Griffith wants all the catchers to be
"and am glad of it, as I want to get
to work early. All need is a little work
to get my arm in good order
Henry sees an excellent chance for the
Nationals to win the pennant next sea-
son. He believes that If the team has no
bad breaks in the matter Of injuries to
its valuable players it will go at an even
| faster clip in the next campaign than
1t has in the past two years He figures
that the pitching staff will be stronger
field will do more hitting than 1t did
| last season.
Russell Ford, who is reported to have
| signed with the Federals, drew 5000
| from the New York club last season
| His work was not satisfactory to Chance
and he ordered a cut in salary, which 1t
seems Ford would not stand. SO that 1t
outlaws It is said that waivers were
asked on the former spit-bail star last
| fall and there was no trouble experienced
| in getting them. though Cleveland ex-
pressed a desire to give him another trial.
Though Joe Wood did not have good
year with Boston, he nevertheless finished
| strong and gave promise to be of much
| value to the team in the coming cam
paign. Smoky Joe'' ended the season
| with more individual strike-out feats to
| his credit than any other pitcher In the
| league, not barring Walter johnson. On
| League pitchers famed nine or more men
| in a game. Wood had six such per-
! formances to his credit, Johnson five,
| Plank four, Falkenberg four, Gregg three,
| Boehling two, Bender, Hall of Detroit
Mitchell Of Cleveland and O'Brien of Chi
| cago also figuring in two games of this
| kind.
| They have begun to knock Cy Young
around the country for his acceptance Of
| the Federal League managership in
Cleveland last year. declaring that man
! who had made SO much out of organized
base ball should not have been guilty OF
| fighting the organization that made him
| rich, says the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
! The writer. however. is not inclined to
roast the famous pitcher for his action.
| He was down and out as big league
player Organized base ball had no more
use for him, and the Federal League of
! 1913 had no effect upon the league work
| ing under the national agreement. Had
| he sought permission from the big leagues
to manage the Cleveland Federals, it is
| probable that such permission would have
| been granted. In fact, organized base
| ball did not care . cents whether Cy
managed the team or didn't.
! Cy however, retained his friendship
| for the American League when running
his team here last summer. and absolute
| ly refused to make any effort to induce
an American Lacquer to jump to the Feds.
In fact he was opposed to any system
! of expansion which would call for the
! raiding of organized base ball by the
newer organization
| 1t took eighteen years for the st. Louis
| American League Owners to decide that