Evening star., 1917-03-17
MENOSKEY MAKES
GOOD IMPRESSION
Recruit .0utfieIder Hits Ball
Hard and Gets Special In
struction From Grift.
TRADE FOR ENGEL FAILS
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
AUGUSTA, Ga. March 17.-This fell
low Monoskey is demonstrating he is
not to be trified with. On his second
appearance at bat in the afternoon
Flaherty's offerings on the nose and
drove it on line over the right field
fence, in fair territory by some fifteen
feet.
Between innings Manager Griffith
took him to one side and told him to
practice hitting to left field when at
bat. Menoskey stands on the right
side of the plate and gets almost all
of his safe blows to right field Griff
showed him how to shift his left foot
back as the ball is being delivered, to
keep from hitting almost exclusively
into one field. His next time up Menos-
key followed instructions, and the
longest hit yet made in any of the
practice games here was the result
instead OF going to right Nthe bali
over second base. and struck the center
held fence on the fly. Clyde Milan
1elded the ball on the bounce off the
fence and got it back to the infield
quickly. holding Menoskey to three
bases. but it was an even mightier
wallop than his home-run swat over
the right field barrier. There was a
man ahead of him on each occasion. If
Menoskey keeps up this pace Elmer
Smith may have to look to his laureIs
as the fence buster of the Washington
team.
Claude Thomas, the left-hander, last
season with Des Moines, who boasts he
keeps in condition during the winter
by looting banks in Oklahoma, could go
n n NIT f,.h fyIIJ
game. Thomas was the first pitcher in
the squad to get in condition. More
correctly speaking, he was the only
twirler to report here already in form.
W hat Thomas asserts in regard to re-
quiring not more than fifteen minutes
each spring to get his arm in shape
must be true. for he has not coddled it
at any time, and yet he is right now
further advanced than any hurler in
camp.
Thomas went four innings against the
regulars. The only hit made off his de-
livery was credited to Clyde Milan on
a ball which got through Mcbride. This
would not have gone as a hit except
for the fact that Clyde had a bet on
with Sam Rice that he would outbat
him. Clyde is influential with the scor-
ers. Rice, through strenuous efforts to
collect the wager. managed to lift
fly to center but this was the only ball
the first team was able to get out of the
off Thomas. Milan won his bet
by reason of a double to right off Ayers
on ball Walter Johnson, his ''roomy,'
could not quite reach. Rice picked
one to deep right center for three bases
in the same inning. the seventh. but
this was the only safe blow he got.
The game was a walk away for the
Yannigans, the score being 13 to in
seven and one-half innings of play. Ed
Flaherty, who goes to Des Moines in
part payment for Thomas. was pounded
to a fare-you-w in the third. Me-
noskey's homer, doubles by Johnson and
H. Milan and singles by Judge and
Thomas. together with three boots and
sacrifice fly, accounting for
six runs. Two more were added in the
fourth on an error. a pass and Menos-
keys triple, and an additional four
chalked up in the fifth off Jameson on
a pass, McBride's second fielding Of
fense. a single by Henry, Morgan's long
triple and Walter Johnson's second
double.
The thirteenth and final run was due
to a hit and three errors. Foster max
ing the last of the miscues the regulars
to set new record of nine.
ineffectiveness was due to
the fact that he was tinkering with the
spitball.
Capt. McBride's first-string outfit not
only distinguished itself by the contrast
it offered to the Yannigans. who pre-
sented a clean slate in the fielding de-
partment. but also threatened to go
the game without making a
run. Ayers saved them from this hui
however. Acting under orders
from Boss Griffith, the Hillsville ply
sician. who spent four years in a medi
cal college in order to play base ball
Doc never has practiced medicine-eX-
perimented with slow ball in the four
innings he was on the mound. If throw
ing ball slow constitutes successful
slow ball. Doc has gem. 1t floats up
to the plate no faster than the trains
are allowed TO run in the city limits
here. This slow ball is so very slow
that the regulars were unable for two
innings to retard their swing sufficient
ly to avoid completing it before the
problem in the seventh by counting
ten" from the time the ball left Docs
hand and then swinging. He got
hit and tipped off his teammates. jamie
son and Foster counted too fast, but
Moran also hit safely. Clyde Milan and
Smith counted eleven" and got two
baggers Sam Rice went them one bet
ter and banged out triple by the sim
pie expedient of counting twelve AT
this stage Ayers concluded the slow
ball was a shine and put something on
it, with the result that Shanks popped
to Henry. Four runs had been scored
and a shut -out averted by this time,
however.
Joe Engel. the Washington boy Clark
Griffith carried on the team for several
wears in an Intellectual effort to make
a major league pitcher out of him, until
Yesterday was buoyed up by the pros
meet that he would again become
member of the Washington club.
Engel was anxious to rejoin Griffith's S
forces and besought that individual to
make deal for him. He told Griff he.
had. developed splitter while with
Buffalo in the International League
last season, and was confident he could
make good in the big league with this
added equipment. Griffith was willing
to give MY Boy Joe" chance, and
tried to make a trade that would bring
him back to his native heath. Griffith
offered to give Patsy Donovan. man
ager of the Buffalo club, Merito Acosta
in exchange for Ensel and his spit ball
Donovan balked at the Cuban. He
wanted one of Griff's most promising
youngsters. so the trade died abornin
The Buffalo club is the property of Joe
Lannin. former owner of the Red SoN
and it was announced last winter that
Engel was to- be given trial with
Boston this year. but according to Grill
fifth The native son still belongs TO
Buffalo.
For the first time since the Washington
players started spring training here, more
than two weeks ago. bad weather today
caused them to miss workout. Man
ger Griffith had intended to play game
this morning and then call it a day, but it
dawned dark and gloomy and during the
breakfast hour started to rain. Rather
than subject his athletes to the risk of
colds. the boss cancelled the military drill
and practice game and announced that
both would lie held this afternoon if the
weather improves