The Washington herald., 1916-01-27

Tommy Connolly is Sold
To Western League Club
Grif Lets Former Georgetown
Star Go TO Sioux City.
Will Hold String.
OTHER SPORT GOSSIP
By WILLIAM PEET.

By WILLIAM PEET.
Georgetown Tommy Connolly has
been sold to the Sioux city club. of
the Western League, and will report
TO the Missouri team for spring prac-
tice.
Connolly early last season was one
of the most talked of young men in
the American League, and IT was pre-
dicted that he would be the real sem
sation of the year until he suddenly
/ shot his bolt and was promptly shunt-
ed to the minors TO finish the season.
Griff signed Connolly when the
youngster was playing third base for
! Georgetown, and Tommy Joined the
club in Chicago on the first Western
! trip of the Nationals.
/ 1t will be remembered that Connolly
was used in left field and his batting
was a sight for sore eyes. In fact
he was about the only member of the
Washington club who was hitting
worth his salt.
| Connolly previous to Joining the Ma
tionals had some experience in a fast
minor league club which operated un-
der the name of a semi-pro organiza-
tion, and he was nobodys fool.
Instead of fishing after curves and
spitters, Connolly when he first Joined
! the Nationals simply laid back and
waited for that fast one to come over.
When it arrived he promptly bumped
It.
In Cleveland one day Connolly walk
ed into fast ball of Guy Morton's
and slammed out the prettiest three
base hit you ever saw.
Naturally, 1t did not take the Amer
ican League hurlers long to get Con-
nolly's ALLEY" and when they refused
to give him anything over the heart
of the plate at which to swing, his
k.G
size of his hat, something like six and
seven-eighths.
Frederick, of the Blue Ridge Noun
tain League. got Connolly during the
fag end of the 1915 season, and
Georgetown Tommy" broke down all
the fences in that circuit with his
long drives.
Griffith is of the opinion that Connolly
possesses the making of a real ball player,
and has farmed him out to Sioux City
of the Western League. There is OF
course a string attached and Connollys
work will be watched with considerable
interest
Griffith last night stated that he had
virtually decided to order Ray Morgan
to report in Charlottesville for spring
training. which means that Morgan will
be given one more chance to make
good with the Nationals.
In addition to Morgan. Morley Jennings
will also be on the job and 1t looks
as il these men would fight It out for
the second base position.
Even II the Washington club should
be awarded Joe Gedeon in the fight for
possession of this ball player, it is doubt
full If Gedeon would be of much use to
the local club for several reasons.
principally because he would be forced
to play for less money than the New
York Yankees have offered him, and
therefore would become thoroughly
dissatisfied with conditions here. which
would hardly make him desirable
! citizen.
After looking over the records of the
various shortstops of the American
League the New York Club has
about decided that it would be foolish to
let Roger Pecknpaugh slip outside the
| fold.
Here's the main reason for keeping
Peckinpaugh, according to Joe Villa, of
the New York Evening Sun: Unless
| deal for the services of Ray Chapman,
of the Clevelands, can be arranged. the
Yankees will play Roger Peckinpaugh
at shortstop again this year. Peckin-
| paugh, as a fielder, is without a superior.
| He has a wonderful throwing arm and
covers an acre. But in batting he never
has made much headway and 1t Is doubt
/ full IL he ever will improve Still when
| you look over the batting averages of
the Aemerican League shortstop Peckin-
paugh doesn't seem to be SO weak with
| the stick in comparison with the others.
! Peckinpaugh's average was 20 In 142
games last year, with Hs hits, including
/ eighteen doubles, seven triples and five
| home runs to his credit also stealing
! nineteen bases. DOME Bush, Of the Tig-
! ers, a star. batted .228 In 155 games maxi
| ing IS hits, including twelve doubles,
eight triples and one home run, together
with thirty-five steals. Everett Scott,
| who played shortstop regularly for the
Red Sox, batted POI in 100 games. Kopf,
of the athletics. hit .225 In 11S games. Nc
| Bride, OF Washington, was credited with
.2O4 in 14S games, while the record of
Weaver, of the White Sox, was .e6S In
lB games. With the Yankees strength
ened In batting it is possible that Peck
inpaugh will be carried" with more
satisfactory results.
| Eastern college men will watch with
much interest the career of Harry Tut
\ hill, the former West Point trainer, who
is to take a similar position with the
I Michigan football team. The wonder Is
i that some half dozen Eastern universi-
I ties did not grab Tuthill before Michigan
got him. Tuthill has proved his ability
as a conditioner of amateur and profess
sional athletes over long period. West
i Point teams never knew what condition
Tvas until Tuthill began to train them.