Evening star., 1921-12-04

to players i'll barring their advance
i'll laying base ball open to attack in
provisions OF the antitrust law.
Proposals recently have been made
that when the majors go into session
in New York a couple of weeks hence
the off-season players limit be in
creased from forty to fifty men and
the number of players who may be
held on option during the playing sea-
son be raised from eight to fifteen.
These suggestions have been advanced
TO provide relief to the majors from
the situation resulting from elimina-
tion of the draft. As the big leaguers
no longer can draft from the Class AA
organizations and cannot purchase
from them if they decline to sell they
have been up against the proposition
of developing players to q larger eX-
tent than formerly. with Sreatly re-
stricted supply of raw talent. IN
creasing the maximum of youngsters
who can be carried in the spring and
placed out for further schooling Will
correspondngly increase the big
league managers chances of discover
ing a firSt-class player or two. but.
according to Griffith. the increases
proposed do not constitute action
drastic enough to meet the situation.
bepaFtS Prepared 10 r lSuNs
II am going TO Buffalo with a view
to persuadinS the minor leaguers to
take a sensible view of the situate
Griff says. but if they insist on act
ing like mules / am going to fight
to have all limits removed on the
number of players who may be car
ried or placed for development. |
am opposed to temporizing with these
fellows any longer and I believe
great majority of the big league
owners feel the same way about it.
With no restrictions on the number
of players to be carried the issue will
be fought out on basis of cash and
the minors know where they would
finish in that event. l hope they will
see the light
The proposal that the rule concern
Ing transforming. brought into focus
b. Babe Ruth's action in kicking over
the traces, be altered by discarding
the existing form of contract SO that
the actual contractual period will ex-
tend over the entire period of twelve
months instead of just, six months of
the year is Scoffed at by Griffith At
present individual members of a
championship club are prohibited
from com'aercialiZing their base ball
ability in the off season while mem
bers of other teams are permitted
exhibitions if their employers raise
no objection. According to Griff. all
the magnates now need to prevent
their valued performers from running
the risk of injuries in the off season
is backbone enough to refuse permis-
sion for them to engage in activities
that will endanger them.
Grin After New Talent.
Nothing came of the series of DOW
vows held here in the last two days
between Griffith and President Klep-
per of the Portland club. who is try
ing to obtain asmanager, some pitch
ers. couple of infielders and what;
not in exchange for Pillette and Johrf-
son, hurlers of youth and promise,
but undetermined ability. Klepper
has sounded practically every big
league club owner and probably will
consummate deal during the meet
ing in Buffalo. but whether it will be
with Washington is problematical
While mingling with the moguls,
major and minor, at the Buffalo con-
ference Griffith will keep an eye
peeled for pitchers. but will not over
look chance to snare an infielder or
an outfielder. The boss of the Nation
ais is hopeful that O'Rourke's throw
ing arm will be so benefited by the
treatments he now Is undergoing as
to make further search for a short
stop unnecessary. but if he can snare
a competent short fielder or third
baseman he will jump at the oppor-
tunity
Grif is not backward about stating
that any new far-corner guardian
Will have to. show lot of class to
displace Howard Shanks, who i'm
proved in his play greatly last season
and boosted his batting average to a
point higher than he ever before at
iained. should a classy third base
man fall to the lot of the Nationals.
however, Shanks would forthwith be
shunted to the garden, where de-
fenslvely. he Is one of the greatest
performers in the business and on at
tack he suffers nothing in comparison
with Bing Miller. in addition to be-
ing a far better base runner and pos
sessing a good base ball head Miller
then would be available for service
in the event either Milan or Goslin
nI,anas, rel INTO slump, slump or the latter ex-
with the shoots of left-handers.
Plans Much Work for Kids.
Determined to avoid a repetition of
the complete collapse of the mound
corps which last season prevented the
Nationals from finishing higher than
fourth place. Griffith has decided upon
a radical departure in spring training
methods for his moundsmen. Instead
of having the hurlers report short
time before the regulars the Nationals
boss has announced he will assemble
all the young beavers on his roster
and escort them to Tampa a week or
ten days earlier than has been the
custom. He intends to personally su-
pervise their work and believes that
by careful attention he cannot only
select the wheat from the chaff with
out having to cart them all back
north for final inspection. but have
them in condition to show their best
wares at the camp. where good pitch
ing is needed for the batting drills Of
his regulars.
Heretofore an epidemic of sore arms
among the fiinging hopefuls invari-
ably has developed just at the period
in the conditioning of the team when
they are in greatest demand for tar
get practice. Just how many will
comprise the squad that will invade
Florida about the middle of February
is unsettled. but Griff intends to. take
all the juvenile fingers on his roster
md unless some of them are Topped
off before the time to start this means
the following athletes will be in the
party: Ray Francis. Harry Courtney.
Ralph Miller, Jim Shaw, Jolliffe Brill
heart, Damascus McIlree. Dan Nc
Grew, Joe Gleason, Nathaniel Turk.
Tom Phillips. Frank Woodward and
Davey Crockett.
Quite a crew. and there may be
more before negotiations for addi-
tional minor leaguers. sandlotters and
collegians are ended.