South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-04-04
SMOKE BALL ARTIST
IN GREAT FORM FOR
FIFTEENTH SEASON
Walter johnson. of Senators,
Expected to Hurl First
Game at Capital.

y
johnson, king Of speed ball pitchers,
will begin his fifteenth campaign
under the big tent when the raul
cous below of the jumps formally
ushers in the American League
baseball season in Washington on
April Il. 1t is a foregone cOnclu-
sion that the Big Train viii receive
the assignment Of performing on the
mound in the seasons opening game
here, when II is expected Prest
Harding and numerous public lumi-
naries Will be present.
Fourteen years of service in the
junior major league perhaps has
sapped some OF the old time zip from
Johnson's fast ball. but there are
great hitters In the league today
who Will tell you confidentially they
would much rather face the wares
OF Mays, Hoyt, Covaleskie and other
pitching stars Of the American
League than toe the rubber when
Johnson is shooting them over with
his terrific speed.
In every one OF his fourteen years
with the Washington team Johnson
l
10 baseball fans Of the National Capt.
tai. who have seen their favorites,
year in and year out. founder
around in the pennant scramble like
fish just yanked from the water.
He has been the idol OF Washington
baseball bugs since he Joined the
team.
Has Remarkable Record.
And TO merely remark that John
son is deserving of the respect and
admiration that is his today is put
ting It quite mildly, when one con-
siders the remarkable record he has
hung up while performing for a team
that was the butt of the league until
the Athletics usurped this hollow
distinction some few years ago.
Griffith's pitching ace Joined the
team in 1907. big, raw-b oned, green
country youth, with practically no
big league assets except determine
ton and ambition coupled with
binding speed. His first start was
against the Detroit Tigers, then num-
boring in its lineup such swatsmiths
as Cobb and Crawford. Johnson lost
that game by one run. But what a
whale OF a record he has hung up
since then with a team that has
come within striking distance Of the
championship only twice in the last
Is years, He has chalked up $50
victories since he became a regular
finger for Griffith. more than twice
as many as any hurler in the league
today has TO his credit. and it IS a
mark that young pitchers Will be
shooting at for some years to come.
Walter. being human, has expert
enced his off days, when rival bat
ters bumped his offerings to all cor
ners of the lot But never has this
humiliation been accomplished by
the wild jeers and boots from the
tickle fans to Take him out!'
When. on very rare occasions, his
binding speed was smacked all over
the park by opposing sluggers, and
he was compelled to give way to a
relief pitcher, the faithful hIeacEer-
ties. the dyed -in-the- wooG5Tild- eyeS
fans who bask in the hs< Summer
sun for the privilege of glimBsing
their favoiites in action. sent UP a
loud groan. There goes our teami'
Has Fooled En- All.
When Johnson experienced some
trouble with his salary whip several
years ago gloomy baseball prognos-
ticatOrs broadcasted the doleful in
formation that he was through-on
the decline. a has been. But he
fooled EN- all by turning I'm some
scintillatins pitching performances
and that same year uncorked the
first no-hit. no-run game of his ca
reer. Last year he encountered some
difficulty in rounding into shape. but
when the hot summer sun loosened
the kinks in his mighty arm he had
the best hitters in the league feebly
puncturing the ozone and complet-
ing the round trip from the home
plate TO the bench with the despair
ing remark that you can't hit what
you can't see"
The smoke-ball king wound up the
last season travelling like a house
afire. He reported to the Grifs
training camp at Tampa, Florida,
this spring in fine shape and. ac-
cording to reports from the Florida
shores, is cavorting around and cut
eAAs Op me a Nv ~ eaL -olu- So
called experts who have given him
the dOuble-O report that Johnson is
far from being through yet. and ac-
cording to Johnson himself he will
be out there this summer dishing
them up with the old-time zip and
snap to the fast one that makes
batter wObbly in the knees when ne
has 20 stand at the plate and face
the binding speed Of the greatest
speed-ball pitcher that ever ha1
donned a spiked shoe