Evening star., 1919-05-11
ROBERTSON DEAL
AGAIN IS ON TAP
Tuesday Is Designated as
Time When Big Swap
May Be Completed.
JOHNSON TO PITCH TODAY
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.


NEW YORK. May Io-Just when it
appeared that a long suffering public
finally had escaped the necessity OF
reading daily spiels to the effect that
Davy Robertson might become a mem
Der of the Washington ball club. the
three -cornered deal is revived. and
for three more days at least the fans
must contend with new set of yarns.
in which such useful English words
as 'if." may and but" figure ex-
tensively.
Two weeks ago the swap that
would have made Robby a Griffman.
Lavan Cardinal and Gonzales a
Giant. was pronounced dead by all
concerned and laid away in the
mausoleum of base balls night have
beenS, much to the relief OF thosa
citizens who keep abreast OF the times
by perusing the public prints.
The demise came only after long.
! hard struggle and found followers OF
the sport iii an aggravated state OF
ennui. but buoyed up with the as
surance that the patient was to be
cremated and its ashes Theoretically
sealed. Now its ghost is stalking
about, threatening again to assume
material form and muttering in
sepulchrai tones Wait till TUESDAY
BY that time lovers of the national
pastime probably again Will be bored
to distraction. but there is no es-
Gaping it. for two of the persons most
concerned-Griffith and McGraw-both
admit there is still hope the trade
can be consummated. although
neither is suffocated by optimism
| concerning it. Why it is Tuesday in
stead of Monday, or Wednesday, or
| just soon" Will develop in due time.
We know but have been adjured not
TO tell, the interested magnateS con-
tending that pitiiess publicity Will
serve only to gum Whatever slim chance
there Is of swinging the transaction.
! 1t is well established. however. that
| Presidents Dreyfuss of the Pirates
and Mitchell OF the Cubs are two prin-
cipal obstacles by reason of their re-
| fusal to waive on the outfielder own
ed by McGraw and wanted by Griffith.
| so it is reasonable 70 assume that for
some reason Yet to be disclosed the
third day of the week Will offer op-
portunitieS superior TO those OF any
of the other six for inducements.
verbal or concrete. calculated 10 iniiu-
| ence these to date adamant gentlemen
1t is possible that monster trans
action involving not three. but five
or six clubs in the two leagues may
result 1t is even more likely that the
whole thing Will flivver again and
absolutely nothing result, but-there's
chance, there's chance.
Extensive preparations have been
made to handle a record crowd at the
Polo Grounds tomorrow. when. wealth
er permitting, the initial 1919 meeting
of the Nationals and Yankees also will
mark the second championship Amer
lean League game ever played in New
York city on Sunday. The first was
on June 81, 1917, when the Yankees
and Browns engaged in a battle that
netted nearly $4,000 for what then
was known as the 1st Reserve En-
gineers, just before il sailed for
France. This organization now is the
11th Engineers, and it is appropriate
that to Maj. G. H. Clifford who COM
manded it, should be accorded the
honor of throwing out the first ball.
The weather outlook today. when a
continuous downpour of rain Cancelled
the second game of the series, is that
it will be impossible to stage battle
at the Brush stadium tomorrow, but
If 1t is, johnson will do the pitching
for the Nationals. against either
Shawkey, the star of Higgins staff
Mogridge or Thormahlen. the south
paw. or Jack Quinn, who is doing a
comeback after four or five years alb
sence from the big show. This vet
eran, who has been alternating out on
the coast. used to defeat Johnson with
er back in the old days. He has spit
balled his way into a pair of victories
already this spring and appears to
have returned to stay.
The program tomorrow afternoon
calls for band concert and the sing
ing in chorus by the fans of The
Star Spangled Banner" just prior to
the opening of hostilities. but unless
all signs fail the only tune rendered
will be that familiar old ditty enti-
tied No Game, Rain" In the event
a Sabbath clash is possible Shaw. on
Monday. will endeavor to live UP to
his recently acquired reputation as a
home run artist while trying to do
some pitching on the side before the
capital athletes entrain for Cleveland,
where their swing over the western
half of the circuit will be opened.
With the season nearly three weeks
old ii is becoming more apparent daily
that the White SoX must be considered
prominent factors in the American
League pennant race. The strength
of the Sox attack never had been over
looked in pre- season discussions OF
the chances of the various entries. In
Jackson, Felsch, Collins and Gandil
Chicago has a quartet of sluggers ca
Continued on Twenty third Page)