Evening star., 1916-03-14
BY J. ED GRILLO.

| CHARLOTTESVILLE March IL
Harry Harper has shown wonderful
Improvement since rounding into form
here
| Not only has the Hackensack south
paw discarded that herky-jerky mo
tion which handicapped him when n
first started to pitch for the Griffmen n
but he has gained control of the ball
has wealth of ability and looks fin
| ished when working on the slab.
Harper should be a star in the com
| ing campaign. He worked for tWent,
| minutes against the regular team yes
terday afternoon and his performance
brought forth lot of praise from the
players who faced him.
Griffith looks for Harper to make e
| splendid record this season.
Another surprise is the good work
Jim Shaw is doing on the mound. IL he
can keep up the pace he has set in the
practice stunts he is sure to have g
good year, for he seems to have OBJ
tanned control of the ball, while his
arm is strong and not giving him the
slightest trouble.
There never has been any doubt as te
i1f he had control, and he seems to nave
gained this, at least in practice. If ne
can continue to get the ball over as ne
has beer when he pitches in regular
for he is we'll supplied with natural
ability and has plenty of backbone.
1t was a real summer day down here
yesterday. The players put in TOUR
hours with the thermometer register
ina
this spring the perspiration fa'fly
flowed from all of them. 1t is believed
the present hot spell will continue:
It may moderate a trif1e, but some OF
the old Inhabitants hereabout are con-
fldent that spring has come to stay
If this proves true it is certainty
that tile Nationals will toe the scratch
in better condition than they have been
in many years at the opening of the
race.
Today the interteam series started.
This morning a regular nine-lnnins
game was started. and seVen-innine
affair will be played this afternoon,
to an announcement made by Manager
Griffith today, will be permitted to
curve the ball and use all their stuff '
These games will give good line on
the young pitchers. Cuttings. for m
stance, is slated to pitch one of the
games against the Regulars today. and
Humphres, the Virginia State League
southpaw, who has shown a lot OF
ability in practice, probably Will be
opposed by some of GrifTith's regulars.
These games will be for blood, for
Nick AItrock has the young fellows
believing that it is to their advantage
to play good ball against the Regulars,
and they will try their best. Inciden-
tally. Nick will have good team in the
field Sawyer will play at second,
Schwab short and Shanks third. Parks
also may be used to fill in on one of
the infield positions If Sawyer is
switched to first. Parks will be at sec
ond. In the outfield Jamison, Moeller
while Charity will do the bulk of the
catching.
Cuttings and Humphries have shown
the best form in their practice. but
their real test will come with the inter
team games. in which they will cut
loose and use everything they have.
Both have good control in practice
and lot of stuff, and it Will be IN
teresting to watch how they fare when
team will use some of its seasoned
pitchers. and these games will be con-
tinued all week, providing the weather
permits.
Griffith has picked up a couple of
promising young infielders in Parks
and Schwab. Both can field and hit.
and while they probably are not ready
for major league company, with year
or SO of experience in the minors. both
are likely to develop into real players.
While nothing has been decided as to
the future of this pair. it is safe
guess that they both will be farmed
out and eventually brought back to
occupants of inheld positions. who
after while may have to make room
for younger men.
At no time since the Nationals have
trained here in the past five years
have they been blessed with the kind
of weather that has prevailed for the
past two days. 1t has been real not,
and for once there is no snow on the
Blue Ridge mountains, and the wind is
not chilly, as it usually is. There
seems to be little doubt now that Grif-
fifth will have his players in prime
form much sooner than heretofore, and
it may be necessary, if this weather
continues. to slow up the work in about
ten days to keep the athletes from go
ing stale.
After their work was completed in
the morning and afternoon Altrock
took his charges and drilled them. He
gave his commands in Spanish. and
they used their bats as guns. He had
them laying in the trenches on the hill
in the outfieId OF the prep field. and
then paraded them around Lambeth
Field Nick says he is getting ready
to help in the capture of Villa.
Last fall when Carl Sawyer reported
to the Nationals his throwing indicated
he had weak arm. 1t was not gener-
ally known at that time. however. that
Sawyer was suffering from a twelve
inch cash in his right forearm. caused
by spiking he received just before he
Joined the Nationals. His arm natu-