Evening star., 1917-03-14

Of his long g-to-be-remembered encoun-
ter with the butcher boy because of an
had over the phone with Mrs. Cobb in
regard to some fish she had purchased
Cobb was out Of the game for several
weeks at the time, and. it was reported.
| faced the possibility of being SEN
fenced to q term in the penitentiary.
as he 10 said to have drawn pistol
and threatened the life of the butcher.
Harry Harper's future as pitcher is
| uncertain. His pitching arm, or rather
his left shoulder. IL giving him trouble.
| and is far from being right. Mike Mar
| tin removed the plaster from his shoul-
der the day after 1t was applied and
| then incased 1t in a bandage. a fresh
one being put on each day. Harper has
not taken a single warm-up since be-
Ing here that he has not been COM
pelied to quit pitching because OF the
pain in his shoulder. Although the
trouble is believed to be due to an in
jured nerve. it may be that bone in
his shoulder is Clipped
According to Harper it was in Chi
cago on the second trip west of the
was struck on the shoulder by a ball
thrown by Lefty Williams, the White
Sox pitcher. This accident marked the
beginning of Harper's trouble. as his
wing never has been in proper shape
since. He pitched a number of games
after that and some good ones, too, but
never without his shoulder hurting
him.
Harper is exclusively an overland
pltcher and by an odd coincidence it is
ohiy when he throws overland that his
shoulder hurts. He says he never
feit anything wrong with his arm all
winter although he did considerable
heavy work. 1t was not until he start
ed pitching at camp here that he no.
ticed the ol,l trouble
Harper visited Bonesetter Reese in
youngstown, Ohio. last summer and
took treatment from him, but says it
did him absolutely no good. He paid
his own expenses, including railroad
fare and Reese's fee. He has no faith
IN Reese. asserting that the latter
never has helped Il bali player, not
vwithstanding the large number who
nave gone to him for treatment.
Manager Griffith when asked what
he intended to do in regard to Harper,
saiu he was going to keep him busy
and see IL the trouble couldn't be
worked out. He said that il Harper's
arm refused to yield to the hard work
treatment he probab bly, would send him
10 a nerve specialist, New York
physician who treated Joe Wood last
season Harper never has consulted a
specialist. nor has he had an x-ray
picture taken of his shoulder to deter
mine whether the bone is chipped. He
thinks 1t possible that there is a. piece
OF loose bone which is pressing on a
nerve and causing the pain when he
throws.
His arm is not, in any sense of the
WORD. dead Except for the pain he
experiences in throwing, it feels as strong
as II ever did He says he intends to do
Whatever Griffith directs in regard to
working with it or having it examined
by specialist
Griffith could ill afford to lose Harper's
services. He is one OF the three best
pltchers on the team. when in proper
cohoitlon, and is the only left-hander
VINO has definitely established his worth.
The manager seems inclined to make light
OF Harper's predicament Griffith asserts
That he pitched for nearly twenty years
with sore arm, due to rheumatic trou
Die, and that he knows of any number OF
tWlriers whose faces are distorted by the
pain they feel when throwing but who
continue to pitch just the same and who
WIN ball games. too. The pilot is OF the
opinion that Harper is unduly concerned
over the trouble with his salary wing and
thinks he is inclined to baby" it,
Clark Griffiths platoon of soldiers ex-
ecuted squad movements with consider
abie facility in the hour of drilling this
morning before the first ball game.
Nike Martin forgot overnight which di-
rection is left and which right" but
after fifteen minutes Of semi-individual
instruction the trainer was trained to
such degre that he no longer threw
his squad out of alignment. Toward the
close of the drill the marching move
ments were executed with snap and dis
patch. The sun was hidden by clouds
this morning. 1t was somewhat cool
with a threat of rain in the air