The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-04-30
HARRY HARPER TO MAKE
START AGAINST yAkkS
Grifriths Southpaw Star Thinks He Is
in shape To Pitch Winning
baseball

Boston April 2s--Harry Harper,
The Jersey junk dealer. IL scheduled
80 make his 1917 debut against the
New York Yankees in Washington
Monday Harper has Seen nursed
along by Manager Griffith ever since
he reported for spring tfaintng al
Augusta with lame shoulder, The
joint refused TO respond to treatment
there, despite the sunny warmth OF
Dix!eland but %-ray pictures taken
upon the teams return TO Washing
ton showed there was nothing ser!-
ously wrong with his salary whip,
and by careful grooming Il has been
brought TO the point where Harper
thinks he can pitch winning bail. so
he Will get a chance to demonstrate.
Harper's return to form would
mean much to the Washington team.
or the seven pitchers Manager Crit
nth has used in cham pionship games
thus far Walter Johnson Is the only
one who has shown consistently good
form, when Harper il right he is one
of the best pitchers in the circuit.
Harry ~ confident he will be able TO
give good account of himself In
fact he besought Griffith 10 take him
10 Boston and pit him against the
Red Sox. but the willy manager wanted.
10 iiaht NuIG NAN NF~
fore sending him into a game. Acquiring
he could afford to wait a little longer
rather than run the risk of giving
Harper setback from which he
might not recover for weeks should
he use the big southpaw before his
arm was able 10 stand the strain.
II will not be fair to Judge as to
what Harper may be able TO accsm-
plish in pitching way this season
from what he shows Monday III he
is started then. for unless Harry up
sets all precedents, he viii be wild.
Harry always has had inciinations in
that direction anyhow. and not nav-
ing attempted To work single Aeme
as yet this season. is almost sure to
have difficulty in controlling the bali.
However II he ts able to get his old
time STUFF on II, even though un-
steady. he will give Washington fans
cause for hope. as control can be ac-
CURED with week or so of steady
work Harper Will not lack for en-
couragement. either from the fans or
his teammates. as all are pulling for
him to regain his high ranking among
the pitchers in Ban Johnson's circuit,
Jack Barry has set out upon his
career as a major league manager in
a manner to give supporters of the
Red Sox no concern over the fact that
President Frazec failed to wheedle
Bill Carrigan away from his bank
ing interests in Maine Barry started
under handicap that few managers
breaking in have to assume. Unlike
Fred Mitchell, with the Cubs, or Jim
my Callahan. with the Pirates. Barry
had no opportunity to build up n
combination on which to stake his
reputation as pilot He was be-
queathed an outfit of world cham
pions. Ii he wins with them he Will
be figured to have done no more than
he should do, but IL the Sox fail to
finish on top he will come in for
much panning. Barry has a large
sized task on his hands. No team
thus far ever has been able to win
world title three times in row.
Detroit in 1907, 1908 and 1909. won
three American league remnants in
succession. but the Cubs twice and
Pirates saw TO il that the Tigers did
not land the highest honors. Keep
ing an aggregation of aging cham
pions together and firing them with
enough new life and ambition to
maintain the pace at which they have
Travelled for the past two seasons is
indeed difficult task. but one to
which John Barry thus far has proved
himself equal