Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-07
minor AND GR|FF
OFF FOR CHICAGO
Manager SCOTS at Assertion
League Meeting There
Will, Be Illegal.
o'NEILL GOOD PROSPECT
nv DESMAN THOMPSON.

Until the New York club yesterday
withdrew it's application lot al
junction to restrain Johnson iros
ing the meeting in Chicago In dehance
of a call from the board or directors
designating New York as the place
for the session the local officials Were
in doubt as to where the session wou.u
be held, but upon learning INA.
anti-Johnson faction had met ITS mrs.
1agaI reverse since the battle OF am
dayits started quickly made arrange
,nents for the trip west, where .he
business in hand will be the oueting
from power Of ComiskeE, Frazee anu
Rupert. ..;o, If
the New York magnates that the chi,
cago meeting Is unauthofizeo. at.o u
that any action taken at 1t Will De
illegal. .+;,r
"Whateyer Is done at this meetins
~ill be accomplished by vote OF t the
majority of the clubowners OF the
1,aEue. and there isn't a, court IN the
r,untry that will rule it illegal ne
.Janager Griffith has business ASIDE
slsra the league meeting 10 aIleno
10 in Chicago, including coniereaIe :
with Joe CantilIon in regard TO the
Ulayers Washington will claim from
The Minneapolis club for next season.
DWELL Good Prospect.
That the Washington ball club has
Wicked M in Jim O'Neill a promising
candidate for the job of shortstop'
never adequately filled since George
Mcbride started to slip ana nhalS
faded out of the picture. IS lnoicateu
BY the glowing reports OF those WIZ
saw him in action Win the S .!..;e-
port club last season and by statistics
covering his activities since he broke
into the game in a professional way
in Utica in 1914.
Shortstop together with second
base and left field. are the three posi-
tions for which capable performers
must be found if the Nationals are 10
emerge from the depths of the sec.
ond division and attain place OF
prominence in the league race. next
year
deal this winter to OBTAIN risn
hand-hitting outfielder of slugglng pro
pensities in exchange for some OF MS
surplus material and wad OF cash, put
unless he can persuade connie MaSt
to listen to a dicker for the priIiahl
but temperamental Joe Dugan the IN
feIders he needs may have to be
found in the players already on
Griff's reserve list.
Dusan Would Fill Bill.
Dusan would fill the bill at short
IN a nicety. He has great range,
GOOD Dair of hands and a strong
throwing arm. and in addition Is DS
no means a poor hitter for the posi-
ton. as his mark of -264 for this year
attests. Connie Mack has asserted
With great emphasis that neither Du-
gan nor Scott Perry, the pitcher VINO
also had differences with the tau Tao
tician and quit the Athletics 'lasl sea
son. ever will be permitted 10 paAs ~
organized ball again. except VIA t y1's
Philadelphia club, put Maek rs - havs
become heartily weary of watching
an eighth place club for the past
five wears, and it is not believed ne
will pass up chance TO strenstleH
his team by the acquisition o! some
talent of established worth In eA-
eLansa for a pair of athletes who are
dissatisfied with conditions IN PM
adeIphia and have outlived their USE
fulness there =;
The fractional scrap now raging IN
the American League has matted LOT
The time being all talk OF deals, put
~ The differences existing between the
club owners with President Johnson
az the storm center are lroneo out al
the annual meeting TINS week, as Is
expected; the trade market snould en-
Joy boom of unprecedented PTUpo.
lions. In that event. Griffith will try
to put over several deals he has IN
mind and a trade designed to bring
Dugan to Washington may be one
of them. -
Ellerbe Yet to Make Good.
Although the showing made by
Frank Ellerbe, at shortstop, after
joining the Nationals near the close
Of last season, led washington rams
side of the infield had been solved
this is by no means assured. The
South Carolinian showed signs of de-
veloping into a valuable performer
but is far from having attained the
degree of proficiency. necessary for
the occupant Of a role Of such i'm
portance on a big league club with
real pennant aspirations.
In fielding, Ellerbe is far from
strong in going to his right and lacks
snap in getting the ball away. At the
bat his .27s mark for twenty eight
games with the Nationals indicates
better sticking ability than the aver
age youngster breaking in, but after
the rival pitchers have learned that
it is suicide to feed him high. fast
ones on the inside his average is apt
to take tumble. What a wise hurier
can do with Ellerbe was demon
strated by Jim Bagby, who famed
EIlerbe four times in one game. using
nothing but a slow curve kept low.
or the players now lined UP for in
viii give Ellerbe the hardest fight for
the shortstopping job, provided Griff
carries out his intention of assigning
Hank Shanks to utility roles exclu-
sively. O'Neill. who was christened
James Leo when he first saw the light
OF day at Minooka, Pa. February %,
1895, comes of a base ball family.
O'NeiIl With Three Winners.
His brother Steve is Clevelands
nainstay back of the bat and is one
of the best catchers in the game to-
day. while two other brothers, Mike,
a pitcher, and John, a catcher. for
dinals.. Jim, who is wintering in Mi
nooka. where he is employed in a
railroad Office. hits, as well as throws.
righthanded, weighs 165 pounds and
is five feet ten and one-half inches
tall. Three of the six seasons he has
been playing league ball have been
spent with pennant winners-frst I'M
der Pat Donovan with Bunalo in the
international League in 1915, under
Bill C1ymer with Wilkes Barre in the
New York League in 1917 and with
Shreveport of the Texas League this
year under Billy Smith. on whose rec
concentration Griff purchased him.
O'Neill was prevented by illness from
joining the Army in 1918. He played
in only thirty games that year when
stricken with typhoid fever. Upon re-
covering he was slated to be mus
tered into the service November II,
but as result of the armistice being
signed one day earlier never donned
the khaki.
O'Neflrs Six-Year Record.
o'Neilrs batting and fielding aver
ages for the six years Of his profess
sional activities, as compiled by
Ernie Lanigan, follow:
Year-Club Games. Batt'g. F'Idg