Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-18
GR|FF MAILS CONTRACT
TO SHORTSTOP MURRAY
Collegian to Join Team in Boston
Saturday-Pilot Plans to
Scout for Talent.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

The first definite step in his program
of building up the Nationals with
Griffith today. when he mailed con-
tract to Billy Murray. star inflelder of
the Brown University team After cor
respondence with the local club cover
ing nearly two weeks, Murray Satur-
day accepted the terms offered by Grif-
fifth. and with the contract mailed to
Murray today went a letter instructing
him to report next Saturday in Boston.
six games in four days with the Red
Sox. two contests having been post
poned because of rain and cold
weather when the Grinmen were in
Beantown in April.
Griffith today said he never had seen
Murray play, but had decided to sign
him on the strong recommendation Of
friend-a man accounted good
judge OF ball players-who is confident
that the collegian has an excellent
chance of developing into major
league player.
Murray, who Is about twenty-one
years old. is said to be Of the tall and
rangy type of player and is credited
with considerable hitting ability. He
originally was second baseman. but
has been playing short for Brown, and
it is In this position that Griffith in
tends to try him out. He has been bat
ting in third position in the varsity
lineup.
Il have sent Murray contract and
have notified him to report In Boston
Saturday" Griffith said today in dis
GUESSING his latest acquisition. 'If the
ability he shows in practice warrants 1t
he will be placed in the lineup at short
Immediately, but he probably will need
considerable drilling before being ready
! to get into championship game. In
this we will be handicapped, as there
is not as much opportunity for tutoring
| youngster while the team Is on the
road as there Is when we are playing at
home.
Murray has been touted as a natural
hitter. IT he shows he has real ability
with the stick. whatever crudeness he
may display in fielding can be ironed
out with practice l want a shortstop
, and an outfielder who can hit, and I
! may scour around in the bushes myself
IN search for talent on our next trip.
Several youngsters have been recon-
mended to me. and when we go west I
/ probably viii leave George Mcbride in
| charge OF the team and take a couple
OF side trips to look over the players In
| question.
Our record of dropping eighteen
games by one run shows that what we
| need Is little more punch. and I fig
ure that with the addition of hard
hitting shortstop and outfielder We
could make our presence more felt in
| the race. Two ball players Of the right
| type will make my team Murray
may prove to be one of them, but IL not
we viii keep searching and land them,
| II they are to be found"
| Harry Harper or Jim Shaw, possibly
| both. will appear in the box in the third
! game OF the series with Detroit this
afternoon. Manager Jennings has
available Dauss, Coveleskie Mitchell in
addition to some youngsters. Cunning
ham. Couch. and Carroll JONES' and he
was not prepared this morning to say
which OF the lot he would decide upon,
but the odds favor his using Dauss
(frlffmen
on the season in the matter of vic
tories. the locals taking three out of
four while in Detroit and the Junga-
1eers having grabbed both contests
played in this city thus far.
Griff's team made good his prediction
that 1t would give the Giants :, hard
struggle. kauff's wallop over the fence
! producing the only run of the exhibit
ton contest played with the National
League leaders in Akron, Ohio, yester-
day. Middleton of the Giants had a
shade on Gallia in the matter Of twirl-
| ing, but Bert turned in well pitched
| contest at that and contributed a blow
with his bat that might have turned the
| tide of battle had the umpire adhered
| to the rule agreed upon beforehand that
hit into the crowd was good for two
bases. Kauf jumped the rope and went
| in among the spectators to capture the
drive. The arbiter ruled Gallia was
out
The Tigers journeyed over to Balti-
| more yesterday and trimmed Jack
Dunn's Orioles and the Athletics hoped
| to Cleveland and defeated the Indians.
! but the most noteworthy of the Sunday
| contests was that played on the Polo
grounds. in which the Browns downed
| the Yankees. 1t is the first time in base
| ball history that major league cham
pionship game was played in New
| York on the Sabbath. More than $1,000
| n.i1 tn no too irh yynd n
benefit affair. netting 100000 for the
| support of the dependents of the Engi-
| ners Reserve Corps.
nected with the project Manager Grif-
/ fifth probably will be unable to get the
| first shipment of base ball parapher-
MALTA to be used by the United States
soldiers abroad off to France today, but
is confident that the packages will be
| on the way to their destination before
the week is ended.
| DOME Bush and George Burns, the
| Tiger infielders who were taken to
the hospital Saturday threatened with
| blood poisoning as a result OF spike
| wounds, may be able to leave today, ac-
cording to the physician of the Wash
| neton club, under whose care they
ly, but the physician said it probab bly,
| Jt.iu be several days before either Is
! in shape to play again.
| Report from New York has it that
| Manager McCraw has decided to take
! lis medicine ard has asked president
Hampstead to Withdraw the protest of
the New York club against the $500
| f!ne and sixteen DAYS suspension I'M
posed by President Tener for McCiraw's
attack on Umpire Byron in Cincinnati
| recently. McGraw also announced that
he would not attend the league direc-
| tors meeting today, at which the man
| ayers accusations against PRESIDENT
Tener will he considered. The league
directors viii thresh the case out, how
! ever, regardless of McGraw's changed