The Washington times., 1917-04-15
GRIFFMEN RUN FOR
COVER AFTER ROUT
"Had to Get 1t Out of Our Sys-
tem," Comments Grift on
Awful WaIIoping.
BATTLE YANKS TOMORROW
Expect to Resume Winning With
Mighty Walter on the
Firing Line.
By LOUIS A. BOUCHER.


NEW YORK, April 15.-They're
bruised and bleeding, all cut up and
sore, but they're here, those Griff-
men. Dashing madly from the ball
yard, they escaped the ravenous
Mackmen, rushed to their hotel, seiz-
ed a quick lunch and made for the
Broad Street Station. Philadelphia
was a hateful place for the Old Fox
and his pennant-chasers.
Today the card is empty. Some Of
the battered athletes decided to re-
main under the covers all day. The
outfielders manSged to get their
breaths back again. Jim Shaw,
wounded by shrapnel, remained in
the hospital. So did Cuckoo" jamie
son, though the lone southpaw with
the bunch spent his OF day at home
in Jersey City.
Tomorrow the Griffs make their
1917 debut at the Polo Grounds. They
are most willing to forget that awful
thing at Shibe Park yesterday in
great triumph against the Yankees.
With Walter Johnson in form, and
he looks as well as ever this spring,
they should win their FIRST game In
the metropolis.
Grin Not Discouraged.
81 am not a bit discouraged about
the outlook" said Manager Griffith
this morning. every now and then
a ball club has to get a game like
that of yesterday on its system.
We've got ours on, hope. Itn be
a long time before any team whales
US as the Athletics did.
SHAW didn't pitch right TO those
first men, Witt and Schang, and
that's why things went wrong. With
two on and one out, Shaw was in
bad hole. Strunk's hit ruined him
and he never recovered.
"Du Mont might have done better,
had he started, to be sure, but that's
a second guess, and no one can fore
see anything like that. By the time
he got into the game the Mackmen
were killing the ball. and they kept
it up to the end.
Looks for Three Wins.
"Unless the weather prevents some
of our games here, figure we should
take three out of the four from the
Yankees. I can't see that they are
so strong. Indeed, the Red Sox have
bumped them pretty hard, and We
should do just as well.
"Just because we took a fine young
hammering yesterday, don't run away
with the idea that my team is weak:
1t isn't. It's the best team I've had
since 1912, and that one came mighty
close to winning the pennant-"
MAnaRAT
Griffith SAYS about things, he knows
that changes are due to take place in
his lineup almost any day. When
Mike Menosky went to bat for Du
Mont in the fifth, the Old Fox watch
ed him closely, for the Minneapolis
youngster Is very close to being q
regular.
Rice still Hitting.
Sam Rice, after a lethargic spring.
whatever that may mean to the un-
anointed, has begun clouting the old
apple. His three bingles yesterday
were solid smites, especially the single
to right field in the fifth That was
n pippin, but just to show his versa
tiIity. Rice cracked another one to
center field, slapping 1t right over
second base, and then hammered
double to left. Thus, his three blows
went to each Of the gardens. Any
time a batsrnan can do that he Is some
hitter.
Mcbride, too, kept up his good work
with the fail No one expects the
dandy captain to hit 800, but he is
holding his own. His hits are COM
ing along each and every day and
sam Cranes chances of supplanttng
Mcbride are becoming beautifully less
each afternoon.
Pitching Brought 1t.
Poor pitching brought about the
FIRST defeat of the season for the
Griffmen. They looked quite as bad
as did the Mackmen on Thursday. But,
81 you will study the box score, you
must admit that the Griffmen, outside
of the box, were not SO weak. In
deed, with any kind OF pitching, they
would have won their game. They
hammered "Jingling" Johnson from
the rubber, although he was of to
fine start. He just couldn't stand the
pace, that's all
The team is not a bit downhearted,
but every man on II looks for victory
here and a return home in a high
position in the race, young as 1t VIII
be-
Corporal Dean, drill master for the
Griffs, says that Washington will be
greatly surprised at, the showing of
HIS recruits on opening day in the
Capital. He is planning several spe-
cial maneuvers for his squad and
hopes that army officials will be pres
ent to give their expert opinion about
the players.
MoNupEv eIHNe up