The Washington times., 1917-06-18
GRIFF WILL VISIT
DUNN'SHOME TOWN
Plans Two Trips Calculated
to Bring Him Players.
MCBRIDE WILL LEAD TEAM
Washington Club Sadly in Need Of
More Hitting Power.
By LOUIS A. BOUCHER

Manager Griffith is determined to
dig up some players he thinks may
prove of assistance to his tailenders.
In order to look at some OF them
in action, the Old Fox plans to visit
Baltimore wednesday and again next
Sunday.
When he is in Baltimore for the
Toronto game on Sunday he will have
q chance to talk with Larry Lajoie'
now managing Toronto and playing
second base. Gri1 hasn't yet given
up hope of lending the former Amerl-
can League slugger.
Yesterday the Old Fox motored
over to Back River and watched the
Tigers smother the Orioles before a
throng of some 5000, the little park
being packed to overlooking. He saw
Jack Bentley, a former Washington
player, slam two doubles into the
crowd Bentley is slaughtering all
kinds of pitching in the International
League
Mcbride In Charge.
George Mcbride will be placed in
charge of the team while the Old Fox
is cunning for bush league talent,
and It. is probable that George will
have plenty OF chance to show his
skill on the trip beginning next Sat
urday. Manager Griffith intends to
leave his team frequently to take
peeks at players tipped of to him by
well-meaning friends.
With the passing of Mike Kahoe,
the Griffmen have been without the
services Of q regular, honest-to-good-
Tg.n-
trock and Jack Ryan have gazed at
bushers. but their scouting was but
a part Of their work.
Altrock has not been 30 used this
year, and Ryan is no longer connect
ed with the club. Therefore, IL the
Old Fox wants any scouting done. he
will have to do it himself. He is
ready to do it, too.
Team Needs HItter1.
The Grinmen need several things
to make them contenders. In the
FIRST place. they need more batting.
In the second. this batting should
come from inieIders. In the third
place, they need more pitchers.
The team is occupying last place
largely because OF a woeful weak
ness with the willow. Joe Judge is
the lone infielder hitting for at least
ESQ. He gained nineteen points with
in a week until ~ is his station.
He is improving all the time.
Foster, Morgan, Crane, Leonard
and Mcbride are all below $50 and
not one shows signs OF climbing
much higher than he is now. Both
Rice and Milan, of the regular out
field, are above this deadline of 80.
Staff Il Small
The pitching staff is rather small
for the strenuous season ahead. Du
Mont and johnson are pitching ex-
cellent ball, but Shaw, Harper and
GalIia are In-and-outers this year,
while Doc Ayers has yet to prove his
worth. Craft, who has disappeared in
the wilds OF Virginia, is too green
TO hold his own.
A series OF doubleheaders would
ruin the Griffmen's hurting corps
and these doubleheaders are due to
begin with a rush next week. Two
are to be played with the Red Sox
and one each with the Mackmen and
the Yankees before the team starts
westward.
Won Just One Game.
The Griffs won just one game last
week, though showing the best of
form all the time. They defeated the
Indians and battled them to two ties,
one in sixteen frames and the other
In eleven. Their two defeats came
at the hands OF the Tigers
The Yankees won four and lost no
games last week, doing the best work
OF the league. The collapse of the
Red SoX was most notable, the cham
MONS taking hut one vIrtorv ont ~
five.
The White Sox had trouble with
the Yankees, but walloped the cham
pions. Chicago's four errors were the
lowest total for the week. Their six
tN-tMn hits fnnned the tntaIn