The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-14
S15O,OOO PITCHING
 STAFF FOR S3,6OO
Washington Lands Great Hurl-
 ing Corps For This Sum,
JOHNSON VALUED AT S6O, 900

JUHNSUh VALUED Al S0Uy yUUU Manager Griffith Sets This PrIoe on
 the Great Walter-Senators' Leader
 Says His TwirIins Department To
 Now the Best In the Land.
 Washington fans boast of the great est slabbist of all times. Walter Perry Johnson. the Codeyyille thunderbolt Manager Griffith goes even further than this. He claims that he has the best equipped pitching staff in base ball and says that his kids, as he calls them, are going to demonstrate to other teams that such Is the case.
 Have you fans who go to the ball park day in and day out ever stopped to consider what the Nationals pitch. CTS would bring If put under the ham mer? Furthermore, have you ever giV' en a thought as to the price these thirteen slabbists cost the Washington baseball club? If you haven't then you will be interested to note the following:
 Manager Griffith has set price on Walter Johnson. If I were to put Johnson on sale he would bring at least SGO,OOO," said GrIff. "AyTes is worth S1OOOO, Shaw, $2O,OOO; Bentley. $1O,OOO; Boehling. S15,OOO; Harper, S10,, 900; Engel, 5000; Galua, 5000; Hop per, $3,OOO and probably more. to say nothing of my other promising young. sters, who would bring a goodly sum-" Despite the fact that Griffith has named these figures, he says that he would not sell one of them for this price
 A St5o,oOo Investment.
 Summing it up, It Is about a S15O,OOO investment, and It cost less than any staff in big baseball Johnson came for his railroad fare. Think of that. Cliff Blankenship, former National, saw him working and signed him. Shaw was a gift, having been signed while member of the Pittsburgh col legians. Bentley was a green country lad and reported for a trial Boehllng was with the Richmond Battle AK team. 9e pitched a game in Washing. ton and made such a favorable lmpres- sion that Griffith secured his services.
 Engel was a student at Mount St. Mary's college when he signed his con tract, while Harper was picked up oI the sand lots at Hackensack, N. J. Thormahlen, Clarke, Russell and Ste Yens are the youngsters who may make good and further increase the full value of the pitching staff.
 Only Three Pitchers Costly.
 There were three pitchers who cost real coin. They are Gallla, Ayers and Hopper. For Gallia Griffith traded Vaughan and Walker, and he figures that 1t was a $12,COO transaction Ayers Tes bought from the Richmond club fer the surprisingly low price of Sl,2OO. Tommy Long. the outlelder. was trad ed for Hopper, and Sl.2OO was spent In securing Long. Therefore 1t will be seen that the pitching staff of the Washington baseball club cost but $3,GOO, and you could not buy one who was on last years team for that amount.
 When Griffith said that he had the greatest pitching stan in the business be hit the nail squarely on the head. Griff has five left handlers, three of which are bound to win lot of ball games this season. They are Bentley, Boehling and Harper He has Thor mahlen, who gives every promise of becoming a star, and young Clarke, who, although still green, may make good slabbiSt when he gains more ex- perience. It Is the most promising southpaw quintet in major league base Dall
 Shaw, Ayers, Harper. Engel and Gal. Ha are all good pitchers and above the average. Besides costing a club less than any in the business and being worth more, these pitchers, in the mat. ter of age. average less than those on any other club. Several of them have not passed the minority mark, and Johnson. although considered a vet eran, 5s still young man. Other ma JOr league clubs are bound to have whole lot of trouble beating this pitch Ing stat this year. It Is gradually rounding into shape and was ready when he gong rang.