The Washington times., 1921-12-17


years. Apparently it is due for q,
The Browns, with two-man pitch
ing staff. beat the Griffs into third
place last season. From the looks of
things the Browns will be most seri-
GUS pennant cOntenders from the
opening bell next season.
The loss Of Joe Gedeon, who had
worked himself into q classy second
baseman, was a hard blow last year,
but toward the close of the campaign
Marty McManus was playing such
high-class ball that the st. Louis
fans were reconciled to Gedeon's loss.
McManus had failed at third base,
but he proved himself a whale of a
second baseman in the field and q
fair hitter, especially in the pinches.
Sisler, McManus, Walter Gerber
and Frank Ellerbe make practically
alright infield. Sisler is the only
first baseman in the league better
than Joe Judge. McManus IL not as
good as Harris. but. Gerber comes
close to Everett Scott as the classy
shortstop of the circuit. Frank
Ellerbe showed himself a better
player than Shanks last season, and
we're contrasting the Browns and
the Griffs.
A Wonderful Outfield.
The Browns have a wonderful out.
field in Tobin. Jacobson and Ken
Williams. To our way Of thinking
that is the best outfield in. the
league, always bearing in mind the
high class of the Detroit and Cleve-
land trios.
The three Brownies can field and
they can hit. Johnny Tobin is sure
to be the leagues leading outfielder,
not excepting Speaker and Cobb, in a
year or so. jacobson, big as he Is, is
fast enough to play a swell game IN
center. while Williams one weakness
is on low liners, which is q weakness
for more than one outfielder we know.
Furthermore, they're all clouters from
way back.
The 1921 weakness of the Browns
was in the box, and the flock Of fish
they've sent to Columbus to land Dave
Danfcrth is like a flood Of fresh air
into the league. The Washington
club possesses today just such a mob
of mediocre pitchers which 1t might
use to just such advantage. 1t might
drop five or six to bring one real
player to town.
Leifield Was Pitiful.
There was time last year when
Lee Foil was compelled to send the
ancient Lefty Leifield to the hill
right here in Washington. He was
pitiful. And yet he was all Foil had
at just that moment, Burwell and San
ders and others of that ilk having
been hammered from. the. hill, Emilio
Paimero, a fourth-rate southpaw. was
the only lefthander on the squad IN q
year when almost any sort of q south
paw looked good.
Possibly the success Of George Mo-
gridge with the Griffs swayed Bob
Quinn in making that deal with Co
lumbus for Dave Danforth. He saw
that a clever left-hander with control
was a decided asset to a club. He re-
called the inability of the Browns to
hit this same Danforth In an exhibit
ton game, so he willingly passed over
bunch of failures to land the one
pitcher who might do the Browns
some good.
Lee Foil Is known as good handler
Of pitchers. He was q catcher him.
self when playing ball. He never
reached the heights, but he always did
show plenty of gray matter in his
work behind the bat. He has contin-
ued to show this same gray matter in
handling the Cleveland and st. Louis
nuTlerS.
The Brownies Staff.
The Brownies will start off next
spring with three experienced pitchers.
Urban Shocker, a spitball pitcher Of
the highest class; Dixie Davis, who
has worlds of speed and wicked hooks.
and Dave Danforth, a seasoned south
paw with control, will be the nucleus
of the staff.
ELAN Vangilder and Beverly. Bayne
are two young pitchers who showed
enough last summer to warrant their
working regularly in 1922. Indeed,
Vangilder looks like one of the best
fast ball pitchers in the league when
going at his best.
remnants have been won with three
real pitchers. The Boston Braves did
that as recently as 1914. The Wash
lngton club struggled along to first
division berth last season with about
two and a half, allowing that Johnson
rounded into condition late and Zach
airy never reached his best form. For
weeks Mogride kept the team In tho
race.
In Shocker, Davis and Danforth the
Browns will have their three pitchers
for regular turns, with Vangilder and
Bayne to assist. The Browns shape