The Washington herald., 1916-01-19
New York Scribes Show De-
cided Change of Heart Now
that the War Is Ended.
OTHER SPORT GOSSIP
Griffith Is Shown the Way to Obtain
Another Hard-Hitting Outhelder
for Nationals.
BY WILLIAM PEET.

When Lee Magee was with the
Brookeeds. Benny Kauff, Bill Rariden,
and Anderson also drew wages from
the Gilmore circuit. these men seldom
got their names in the big New York
dailies except when box scores were
published.
Times have changed greatly since
Kauff, Rariden. and Anderson were
purchased by the Giants and Magee by
the Yankees, for Gotham sport writer's
are now tumbling over each other In
frantic efforts to tell the anxious pub
lie that these men are real ball play
ers and how much strength they will
add to their respective New York
clubs.
While wearing Federal livery Magee,
Kauff. Rariden. and Anderson were not
SO much. but now that they have been
taken into organized baseball, they
are regular players.
The majority of baseball writers in
cities which operate major league clubs
never were much in sympathy with
the Federal League and while wishing
to be fair to their readers really
found little over which to enthuse so
far as the Feds were concerned, but
there appears to be a decided change
of heart in New York, and those for
mer luke warm scribes are now en-
thusiastic in their praises of the
once Federal League players.
C. Starr Matthews Of the Baltimore
Sun who has been a consistent Fed
supporter even since the Monumental
City was part and parcel of the Fed
eral League, in calling attention to
the subject referred to by the writer
in the foregoing adds:
Everything IS fair in love and war, 4
the old dope is followed, but 1t just shows
that player can be a lemon if nc is
outside the American o. National
leagues, but he is a sta just as soon ds
be passes into that company"
Mr.. Matthews states that since the
spirite1 bidding for Federal League play
ers mas started nobody mas heard from
Garry Hermann. Schuyler Britton,
Charley Somers or Clark Griffith.
According to the Baltimore writer Griff
has a very good reason to fight shy of
the former independent circuit, because
the Feds caused him TO pay Walter
the Old Fox will be forced to wait some
time before his club can show anything
on the velvet side of the ledger.
Matthews goes on to say:
For several seasons Grifffth has de-
sired a hard-hitting outhelder. He had
a couple of them while he was looking,
but let them out. Joe Connolly was one
OF the sluggers he got rid of and Bill
Kenworthy was another. Bus now that
such men as Ed Roush, Vincent Camp
bell, Al Scheer, George Anderson and
Claude Cooper are on the market, it
seems strange that our enterprising
neighbor does not go after one of these
men who can hit
This last sentence will probably get a
big laugh out of the Old Fox when he
reads it. for such men as Matthews has
mentioned do not begin to compare with
the players on the local club who stuck
to organized baseball throughout the
fight
There are really only three first-class
ball players in the Federal League.
Magee and Kauff. who have been gobbled
up by the New York clubs, and Daven-
port, 4 pitcher. who will be seen this
season with the st. Louis Browns.
By an odd freak of fate, the Bill
James. OF Detroit, is now troubled with
arm lameness similar to that which
made the Bill James. of the Braves. use
less in 1915. Detroit purchased its James
from the Browns for S150 00V in the latter
part of the 1915 season, believing that his
presence on the staff would enable the
Tigers to overhaul the Red Sox. Soon
after joining the Tigers, James began to
have trouble with his arm and was of
little value to Jennings team.
The Detroit James attributes his trou-
bic to the chilly breeze from Lake Michi-
gan, which Is so noticeable in Detroit in
the carly fall, while tSe Braves James
believes that pitching y San Francisco
in the winter OF 1914, with cold winds
blowing from Frisco Bay. started his
trouble Both men caught cold which
settled in the shoulder. They are a grea.
pair of twirlers when right, and their
loss canot be replaced on their respective
teams.