Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-16
YOUNGSTERS TO PRE-
DOMINATE ON GRIF-
FIFTH TEAM THIS YEAR


to be shown by the players perform
ance after the season starts. There are
reasons for believing that both Judge
and Jamison will hit we'll and no one
who saw Barber in action during the
games he played last fall can have any
doubt that he does not give promise of
being a good hitter and a11-round ball
player. But of course there have been
the players will have to show for them
selves, regardless of opinions that have
been expressed.
Unless the hitting is improved there
is going to be mighty little hope of the
Nationals occupying a higher position
in the race But there is always hope
that the injection of young blood may
make a whole lot of difference in a
team.
Johnny Evers wants to go back to his
old love, the Cubs. Johnny has written
a friend in Chicago that nothing would
suit him better than to be back at sec
ond base with the Cubs, and it made no
difference about Joe Tinker being the
manager, either.
But there is little chance of Evers
getting away from Stallings. Stallings
has declared himself that but for the
the pennant with the Braves again last
season. Evers' absence, the Braves
leader said, was more harmful than
the inability of Big Bill James to pitch,
and that certainly was great handi-
cap.
Just of how much help the Federal
League players are going to be to those
clubs among which they will be dis
tributed remains to be seen. There
are those who insist that the Federal
League was so much weaker than
either of the major leagues last sea.
son that 1t is questionable II any real
ball players will be found among the
players who are slated to strengthen
some of the big league clubs. Miller
Higgins insists there are only about
Ave or six players who stand a chance
to hold their own in fast company,
and If this is the case there are going
to be some severe disappointments.
George Stallings wants an outfielder
and a catcher to give the Braves the
strength they need to be real contend
ers next season. He is going to talk
over the question of how these players
can be obtained with President Percy
Boston from his home at Haddock, Ga.
It is understood that Stallings was
anxious to have Griffith turn over Ed
die Ainsmith to him after the last sea-
son closed, but nothing came of the
deal, though it is not unlikely now that
1t will be taken up again after con-
ference of the new owner of the Braves
with the manager.
While stories to the effect that Grover
Cleveland Alexander, the Phillies' star
pitcher, is suffering with lame arm are
being denied, the fact remains that the
star twirier who started west with the
all-star teams last fall failed to show any
thing like his true form in the series OF
exhibition games played through the west,
and he finally left for his home in Ne
braska because he felt that he was in
dire need of rest.
Since then it has been reported that
Alex was as good as ever and that there
was absolutely nothing wrong with his
arm, though it is not likely that he has
been able to give it real test, because
he surely has not been able to face any
major league batsmen since he has been
at his home, if, in fact, he has been able
to use his arm at all. Before Alex will be
able to satisfy any one that he is just as
good as of yore he will have to show
something in real games next spring.
So far as Killefer the champions star
catcher, is concerned, there is little hope
of his recovering his throwing arm. He
was supposed to be able to take part in
the world series last fall, but he could
not throw back to the pitcher in the
warm-ups without Indicating pain, and
whenever an arm which has had months
of rest still pains it is a pretty good in
dication that it is permanently injured.
as the opening day of the American
League season as announced by Ban John
SON and printed exclusively in The Star
of Friday last, makes it an ideal date
for the reason that it gives the clubs
chance of playing four straight games in
the opening series without a lay-off,
weather permitting. If q later date had
been chosen it would have been neces-
sary for the clubs opening in the various
cities to lay over Sunday in the east, at
least, instead Of giving them four con-
secutive games.
Furthermore. the weather in the middle
OF April is likely to be just as favorable
as later in the month, and it always is
profitable to get a good start In the race,
which is sure to be hampered more or
less by inclement weather later on.
Managers of world series teams al
ways like to tell how they outgen-
eraled some pitcher or player by work
ing a system which baffied the oppo-I
sition. Bill Carrigan, for instance,
tells one which is supposed to have
caused the defeat of Alexander in the
world series. 1t Is given here for
what 1t is worth:
"A veteran base ball man says that
Bill Carrigan, manager Of the Red Sox,
told him that Alexander had Just as
much 'stufr when he faced the Red Sox
as he did during the National League
season, but that the famous Nebraskan
was beaten because one Of the Red soxl