The Washington herald., 1920-02-23
GREAT SCRAP
FOR INFIELD
Grif's Youngsters Will be
Working Hard to Land
Regular Berth.
BY GEORGE L. MORELAND.

This will be the busy week up
at baseball headquarters. President
Griffith will have his hands full
getting ready for the departure of
the battery men next Friday. There
will be over n dozen men who will
arrive here and depart for Tampa.
The Fox" says some will be float
ing in by tomorrow. while he has
heard from all of them who will
leave here except James Aloysius
Shaw. The Pittsburg lad has not
yet accepted the new terms offered,
but as the difference is not SO great
as many believe it would surprise
no one to see the big fellow hop
on the rattlers at any moment and
report to his boss. Shaw has been
wintering at his home in Pittsburg.
All the others who will leave have
placed their signature to those
papers" SO that there will be no alb
sentees on Friday when the get
away day arrives.
InheId Problem.
With the signing of Capt. Nc
Bride. Griff's work will be much
lighter at the camp. With George
to take charge of the infield cam
utudlcS anu AlNlOSh ~ hNip oeN "iNh
the pitchers, the work will not be
so strenuous. With this trio to
teach the candidates how they are
expected to play their respective
positions it will not be long until
Griff will have a pretty good line
on his men for the regular posi-
ltions.
OF course it is almost a certainty
that short will be the lighting
ground, which will take lot of
guessing before the right man is
selected First base is out of the
way for with Joseph Ignatius Judge
signed for that bag, no attention
will be paid to any other for the
regular place there. Second base
will find little Joe Leonard, the
scrappy Irishman from Chicago,
having battle on his hands to
prevent Stanley Harris or Frank Ell
lerbe from taking the place from
him.
Try for short.
This, of course, will not prevent
Ellerbe or Harris from trying for
short. but as both played third reg
ularly all last season with Buffalo
| and Binghamton, respectively, it is
iihttJ lhdl bONh WIN oShNN W
show at that corner to demonstrate
to the boss what they can do.
Second is also going to be fight
ing ground. With shannon. Wash
burn. Watt and Grubb all after that
place there is going to be rumpus
of some sort. Short is going to be
the hardest place to get a man that
will fill the bill. still from records
and recommendations of people who
have seen one of the men playing
that position it is going to be a
mighty hard matter for any one to
take that place away from James
Lee O'Neill, when to astute judges
of men like Doc White and Jimmy
Smith. for whom O'Neill played the
last two years, and White, who
owned and managed Waco of the
same league, say that he was the
best man playing that important in
field position, and that he will make
good. is putting it up to the others
just what they may expect.
Besides having the word of both
men that the Minooka lad is there"
will make il so much easier for
the leaders to make a selection.
OF course, the saying that the new
shortstop, because he made good
at Shreveport. will do the same in
the majors does not make it true;
but anytime a yOungster comes up
for trial and has the backing
, of two such clever judges as White
and Smith. and besides. coming
from "A fighting family of ballplay-
ers. all of whom have made good.