Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-24
Fl. MIL AN AND BILLY MURRAY
ENLIST FOR SERVICE IN ARMY
Fly Chaser Will Train to Become an
Aviator and In6elder Joins Quarter
master Corps = Spitbal Doomed.

! with the employment of curves, speed
| and change of pace should quit. The
| spit ball is unnatural and has no prop
| er place in the sport. There should be
no SailerS.' sinners or spit balls II
the presidents of the various leagues
had the coura ge to put ban on it and
would instruct their umpires rigidly to
enforce the rule it could be accom-
plished easily.
IF Il simple sentence providing tha>
splitting on the ball. discoloring it or
rubbing il on the uniform is prohib-
tied. We're to be made part of the regu-
Iations governing the sport and the
umpires would fearlessly enforce it the
thing would be done
The first contribution to the ball and
bat fund from soldiers exclusively has
been received from the men stationed
at Fort Strong. Mass, Il letter reaching
Manager Griffith this morning having
inclosed it in a check for s97.69. Ac
cording to the list of contributors ac-
complaining it men in every branch of
the service represented a Fort Strong.
including the officers. Clipped in.
Official batting averages of the Amer
lean Association. just issued. indicate
that the brand of pitching in President
Hickey's circuit is not of a formidable
character. Beals Becker of Kansas
City, who made IT'S hits for a total of
266 bases. is the leader his mark being
1928. but Dave Altizer of Minneapolis
who at one time third based for Wash
ington over period of years. finished
only one point in the rear of Becker.
Sam Crane. who proved a weak
sister with the stick as a National is
credited, with a mark of .332 for fifty
three games at short and third with
Minneapolis. compared with .179 for
thirty-two contests in a Griffithian uni
form.
Horace Milan did better stfckwork
for ne u irry
ever, as he batted .22S in thirty-one
games for the Griffmen and attained
only -23l in fifty-twe games for Can
tillon- Henri Rondeau, another ex-Na-
tional, batted ,277 in 145 games. and
Carl Sawyer, the comedia n infielder
whom Griff farmed out, is given Il rec
,rd of PA for 1855 games. Both Claude
Thomas and Charlie Humphrey. who
were at Augusta with the Griffimen
last spring. batted like pitchers, the
formers mark being JIG and the lat
ter's .104.
Paul Dresser. the st. Paul first base
man, who is slated to succeed George
Burns. the Tiger now in the Army, led
the league in stolen bases, with fifty
five. Jennings recruit also scored the
largest number of runs. lis.
base ball scribes. who was on hand to
write of Hans Wagners debut. in 1897,
thinks it would be a splendid idea for
the Browns to trade George Sisler for
Ty Cobb. the latter to become the st.
Louis manager. Sheridan asserts that
this proposal was made to President
Navin of the Tigers by Phil Ball at
the recent Chicago meeting. but it was
turned down. Sheridan thinks Cobb de-
serves to be rewarded for his excep-
tioEal services by promotion and be-
lieves Detroit well as st. Louis
would be benefited by the deal. "Navin
might very well have considered the
exchange" Sheridan says. Twenty
four-year-old Sisler for thirty-two-
year-old Cobb is rather good trade
for Detroit"