The Washington herald., 1916-01-16


results will not be obtained.
Gandn a SLOW starter.
In the first place Grir probably knows
by this time that Chick Gandil is slow
starter. that Gandil Is not at his best
that Danny Moeller and Howard Shanks
can both 20 like Hail Columbia early in
the spring, but slump later. Milan Is
also a late starter.
Who will hold down second base Is
not known, but II Ray Morgan shows up
in Charlottesville looking as If he had
taken good care Of himself this winter,
and can display his old-time FORM this
question will be settled early and Eddie
Foster will be shifted back to third base,
with the veteran Mcbride again at short
stop, for Capt. Mac puts up Just as good
a game In April as he does in October.
washington's pitching stan Is as good
as any in the league, the same goes for
Grff's catchers. Now for the possible
combinations GriH can use II he secs ft-l
combinations likely to produce results
Admitting that Shanks and Moeller
can 90 at top speed early in the spring,
would it not be good policy to start on
with this combination, providing, OF
course, that these men show their usual
class during training season.
Gandn admittedly a slow starter can
warm the bench in April and Joe Judge
hold down first base. II Milan cannot
get going properly, what's the matter
with playing Jameson in center field?
After the season is six weeks old II
Howard shanks starts tagging behind In
his hitting, Grin can yank him out and
substitute Turner Barber. II Judge goes
poorly on first base Gandil can don the
spangles. Then there is Horace Milan
on the job ready to jump in for Danny
AIoeller, for Horace made fine impress
sion during the short time he was with
the Grihmen last fall
There is no denying the fact that Gri1
has under his wing a likely looking
bunch Of ball players for the coming sea-
son. a number Of possible combinations
which, II handled right, are sure to bring
good results
Unless Ray Morgan is mentally unbal-
anced he VIII report in Charlottesville
next March looking like the slim young
ster Of 1872 when he was forced to fight
It out with several other kids for reg
ular job.
Morgan has thus for kept himself very
much in retirement. He has remained
over in his Baltimore home, and from
authentic reports Is behaving himself.
Morgan probably knows by this time
that every club in the major leagues has
waived claim on his services, and that
unless he impresses Grihith favorably
this spring he is slated for some minor
league club
The writer has always been one Of
Morgan's best boosters, for Ray in condi-
ton is a sweet ball player and the equal
Of any infielder in the big show.
II Is a known fact that Morgan turned
down several Federal League offers last
year, and now that there is no Federal
League in the field ready to grab him
the Baltimore boy probably realizes that
it's right up to him to grab back his old
job on second base with the Nationals.
The writer predicts that Morgan will
be in first-class shape physically when he
goes to Charlottesville with the Nationals
next March.
Eddie Foster Talks.
1t is seldom that baseball writer can
get Eddie Foster to talk about himself.
The Nationals midget infielder dislikes
to be quoted. always lodges a ''newspa-
per reporter las Rippy Williams calls
the local sporting editors), and in fact
is a poor subjects so far as publicity
is concerned.
The writer happened to run smack in
TO Foster yesterday while the latter was
waiting for a Cherrydale car and put the
following question up to him.
Billy Evans, the umpire in a recent
article informed the public that you told
him you would rather play third base
than second and gave several reasons.
Did Evans quote you correctly?'
7 don't recall ever talking with Evans
on the subject, but I may have made
the remark that I would rather play
third than second" replied Foster.
''Why?" the writer inquired.
Well, probably because I am more at
home on third, although I'll admit that
II was not so hard to hold down second
as 1 thought it would be-"
You may not think So" added Fos-
ter with a smile, but 1 have studied
the game little, and when Grin decided
to shift me to second base l put my
own theories into effect
las you know most second basemen
play close to the bag with a man on
first or with one out and the bases full
etc. 1 played wide Of the bag down to-
wards first base and my only difficulty
while in this position was in handling
throws from Mcbride with double plays
in sight. I was forced to take the ball
on the run and often could not regain
my balance in time to make the as
sist to first base"
My theory in playing the bag wide
was that I was in a better position to
cut on base hits from such wicked bats
men as Speaker, Lewis, Cobb Crawford
and others, than II 1 Rugged the bag
closely for the purpose Of handling double
plays.
Whether or not this dope is correct,
10 nO1 hnONr DuI allowed HE
to play my own game
Foster has taken splendid care of him.
self this winter. He Is living with Trainer
Mike Martin in CherrydaIe, Va, and
has recently taken up handbaH as a
recreation, finding this game an excellent
one for improving his wind and
strengthening the arm and leg muscles
Here's some dope from a stockhoider
of the Baltimore Federal League Club,
named David Landruth, who says:
1T is a shame that Baltimore is de-
prived OF major lea que baseball" was
Mr. Landruth's argument that invited
no answer. why. in two years of Fed
eral League ball we lost only $4,000, and
that takes in the outlay for grounds and
every other necessity. We made 5000
the first year and dropped $4,000 last sea-
son with a tail-end team. I got into
baseball for the sport of the thing. but
In a month IT was a business to me, and
CONTINUED ON PAGE TWELVE.