Evening star., 1917-03-11
KEEN COMPETITION
IN GR|FF'S SQUAD
Struggles Between Players
for Certain Positions Prom
ise Unusual Interest.
INFIELD PLACES DOUBTFUL
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

AUGUSTA. Ga. March TO-
That there will be Il battle royal
for several positions on the
Washington team this year daily
is becoming more apparent.
Mcnosky and Horace Milan both
are striving nightly to earn a
regular assignment i'll the out
field and from what he has shown
thus far the former is gong to
make Smith, Rice and "Zeb
Milan hustle to hold their Jobs.
Raw Morgan is confident that he
belongs on Griffith's inheld and
intends to land there as a regular,
il getting into the proper conai-
ton and paying strict attention
to business will accomplish 1t.
Morgan is not particular about
what position he takes either
He is practicing at second out
can play both third and short ana
is determined to start the season
in one of the three places II 1t IS
humanity possible.
Sam Cranes fight to dislodge george
Mcbride at short is going to attrae'-a
great deal of attention before the sea
SON opens Crane is splenoio iieioei
He can gather in mean bounders Win
the best of them. He gets the oaii away
from him quickly and is accurate 10
degree in his pegging. being >aoout on
a mar with Mcbride in this respect ana
throwing the ball even harder than
..Nac." He covers more ground than
the veteran. and is a faster man on ms
feet and on the bases. but it is doubtful
whether he will reach first any oftener.
Mcbride Superior With Stick.
Mcbride finished the season with
hating mark of .227 against American
League pitching, and the best crane
could do with Baltimore in the inter-
national League was .222. If you knock
off about twenty points from Crane S
average, allowing that for the admit
tedly superior twirIing in Ban Johnson
circuit, Crane would appear to be at a
considerable disadvantage when COM
pared with Mac" in stickwork, the
one department George always mas
been regarded as weak in Just now
big a task Crane has on his hands be-
comes more apparent when you con
slider wherein McBride's greatest val
-, v.Ntt tr16
any other mechanical performance, 1t
is mental.
Mcbride has long been regarded. and
rightly SO, as the brains OF the WASH
ington infeld. He has been the Evers,
the Collins. the Barry of the inner
works. Mcbride has the reputation of
being without peer in tagging run
ners sliding into second.
Crane also is good at this phase OF
the game, but it is the moral effect
that Mcbride exerts over his teammates
that makes him rank so high In the
estimation of manager Not alone
does he direct the defense and
execute his own part of it cred
itably. but he has steadying influence
on his fellow players. pitchers, as we'll
as infielders. Many game has Mac
saved for Washington by putting on
his balance with a few words of ad-
vice and encouragement some rapidly
ascending young pitcher.
Next in point of interest to the Nc
Bride-Crane struggle will be the con-
test between Judge and Shanks for the
honor of guarding first base. If Judge
demonstrates that he can hit there will
be nothing to it. as Joe is a splendid
fielder and a better and faster base
runner than Shanks ever can hope to
be, but if Judge does not make first
he will not play al ALL whereas Shanks
has the ability to play in any number
of positions.
1t is this very fact that makes Shanks'
prospects for becoming the regular first
baseman of the Washington team
doubtful There is little question but
that he can play the position salts
factorily. In 1916 Shanks finished the
season with a batting average of .253.
33 points higher than Judge. The
latter was in poor health most of the
year. however. This season Joe is
starting in perfect physical shape and
with his job and a e-hundredd dollar
bonus for hitting .2S5 at stake, it is
assured he will make Hank step some
TO earn the berth as regular custodian
of the initial sack.