The Washington herald., 1922-04-20
JONES TO OPPOSE
GEORGE MOCRIDCE
NGOTHAM OPENER
Slim McGrew Is Released
To Shreveport Under
Optional Agreement.
By RAY HELGESEN.

the .hands OF the Athlettcs TueS-
day. the Griffs boarded the rattler
for New York yesterday afternoon
where they will play four games
with the Yankees before returning
here next Monday to start a three
game series with the Boston Red
Sox.-
Five players were left behind by
Milan as the Nationals started their
first short Eastern trip of the sea-
son. Pitchers Keifer-the mystery
man-Ralph Miller and Kirk, and
Catcher Denny Noone will work
out at the park each morning while
the team Is battling the Yanks In
Gotham
McGrew 10 Shreveport.
Pitcher Slim McGrew was also
left behind. He, however. has seen
all of the Northeast part of the
United States which he will see on
this~trip to the majors. President
Griffith yesterday notified him of
his release to the Shreveport Club
of the Texas League. Slim is be-
ing sent back under an optional
agreement. Milan and Griff are both
Of the opinion that the big fellow
has a chance to make good in the
considerable more polish and eX-
perfence and therefore are shunt-
ing him back to the sage brush
and cactus country in the belief
that the quicker he gets down to
hard work the better 1t will be for
all concerned.
1t is not unlikely that $4,000 per-
sons will see the Yanks and Griffs
/ clash in the first game of the
American League season in New
IYork today. George Mogridge will
Iprobably draw the Griffs' hurting
assignment providing the weather
man consents to giving the sun a
Workout Sam Jones Is expected
10 work for the Yanks.
Mogridge has not worked since
Tuesday. Then he went only two
Innings 80 there is no reason why
Ihe shouldn't work today il the
Iweather conditions are right. The
lean southpaw needs sun and lots
Iof II in order to get his whip
working properly. II the weather
lis cold Jezebel Tecumseh Zachary
will probably get the hurting as
sfgnment. Jez also worked Tues
day but he wasn't in there long
enough to hurt him.
Trouble with Grins.
Fans and critics alike have been
asking whats the trouble with
the Nationalist" Like numerous
other questions it's easier to ask
than to answer. Still there are
some outstanding faults which can
b. checked of on paper and which
may or may not have something to
do with the terrible showing the
Griffs have flashed thus far.
Pitching, or a lack of IL. was.
previous to the start of the season,
supposed to be Milan's biggest wor-
~. But up to this time the hurling,
much to everyone's surprise. has
been so per cent better than the
teams general defense which, ac-
cording to preseason dope. was
supposed to at least approach par.
Mogridge has turned in one good
game. In his second start every
thing went wrong for him. He
started on a cool, windy day which
isn't his type of weather at all.
Fortunately the Griffs came from
behind and snatched that game out
of the fire with one or rather a pair
Of their belated rallies. But on any
day when the sun Is even making
a slight effort to work Mogridge can
he depended upon to turn In bet
ter-than-average performance.
Zachary also has worked in two
games On his firstTime out, against
the Yanks. he was nicked for IL
hits, yet the champions managed to
score only three runs. Zach never
was a pitcher to hold the opposing
team to a few hits. In almost ev-
cry game he is hit hard. Yet he
seems to have a faculty for holding
his opponents to only a few runs
and IL he is given any kind of sup
port both in the field and with the
stick he manages to pull out in
front.
OF the the others. Phillips and
Gleason. both recruits, have shown
the best. Gleason pitched a really
wonderful game against the Ath-
letics last Sunday only to have it
frittered away because of rocky
support. Phillips. too, has already
shown enough to be considered a
member of the regular staff.
Walter Johnson is still away off
as his performance on Tuesday
against the Athletics indicated.
Erickson. too. has not rounded to
form. OF the others. Francis. Brill
heart and Courtney. Little can be
expected. at least for a couple of
months. Harry Courtney. of course.
may come overnight Its merely
a matter of gaining control with
him. II he can ever get rid of that
wild streak there is nothing in the
world which can stop him from be-
ing a winning pitcher. despite the
RAGING which he receives when he
saunters to the bull-pen at Ameri-
can League Park.
Lots of Errors-No Punch.
However, the biggest trouble
hasn't been the pitching staff The
blame can be laid on the rocky
work in the field and a lack OF
punch on the attack.
According to the percentage COL
umns the team is hitting well
enough Some of the regulars ar.
hitting over their heads. while one
or two have not yet begun to get
their safeties. But the big trouble
is that those who are way up in the
percentage column aren't pounding
the ball when safeties mean runs.
In one or two instances it's true
that Judge. Charity and one or two
others have come through in the
pinch. But on the whole the stick
work with men on bases has been
terrible. This is probably only a
temporary slump.
But the fielding angle of the
Grifs' work to date is something
which no one seems able to ex-
plain Before the season opened ii
was frequently predicted that the
Griffs would be one of the cleanest-
fielding aggregations in the league
Yet with the season only a week
old the exact opposite of this has
happened