The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-03-31

OonC know, was the reply ;
write this letter. I'm going to al
thanking him for his kind thought
1T sort of makes you feel good
you know, to get letter like this
especially from a boy. No matter
how the grown-ups may take
1t, the kids take their baseball
seriously. They want us to win al
the time, just as much as we want
to, for that matter.
. Babe Ruth has the right idea
He always makes something of the
kids when they swarm around him
after a game. No wonder they
Worship him. They find him pretty
much of big kid himself, a great
deal bigger than they are, but a
kid for all that.
4 don't get many letters from
n lad like this. 1t might not inn
press the BambinO as much as ii
does me. 1t sort of makes you
think of when you were a kid
yourself and looked up to the big
league players. hoping you might
be one yourself some day.
IL know when l was a little fell
low around New York 1 used to
dream of playing ball at the Polo
Grounds. Finally came the day
when I did play at the Polo
Grounds. ] tried to get my father
care anything about baseball and
wouldn't go. 1t took several years
for me to get him interested in
baseball and even now he thinks
I'm pretty rotten because I don't
hit the ball over the fence all the
time. He thinks it's easy.
why my old dad doesn't believe
they can curve a ball. That's a
fact. I've had him sit right behind
the pitcher at the Polo Grounds SO
as to watch the break on the ball,
but he has always denied seeing it.
He just says it's impossible to
curve a ball and that's all there is
TO it for him.
up to last year he never
went to ball game unless Wash.
fngton was playing in New York.
Last year, though. I got him to
90 and see the other clubs, but
he isn't as much interested In
baseball, though TIM playing In
the American League, as this boy
I'm Washington Is.
You can bet I'm glad to get this
little letter of appreciation. 1t sort
Of makes you want to do your
best when you know that the kids
are pulling for you like this
Joe doesn't like to write letters.
He has already delayed several
days. He may delay longer, so, il
Charles Keen, jr.. of the Rocheam.
beau, sees this story. let him con-
slider 1t some kind of a reply, prob
ably more complete than what he
will eventually get from the crack
first sacker Of the Griffmen.
But If Charles Keen, jr., is the
right kind of a boy, and we're
betting he is, he would rather have
Joe Judges name tackled on to
the bottom Of the smallest note
than to have all this space used
Times. Maybe he will get both,
which should make him quite a
hero among his pals.
All right. Young Mr.. Keen, you'll
soon see Joe Judge in action and
going at his best. He showed
great Improvement in yesterdays
long practice on Plant Field. His
wounded knee was not in evidence
He turned on it, he ran, he batted
and he fielded as though mid-sum
mer were already here. He did
- everything but slide, and nobody
did any of that. 1t wasn't that
kind of a practice.
Manager Bush concentrated his
attention upon the pitchers and
the throwing of the Outfielders,
notably Goose GOslin, who is ex-
pected to show more class i'm this
department this season than he
did last.
Wade and Mcnamara had the
most success in snagging grounders
and getting them back TO the dish
Goslin is being taught to get the
ball to the catcher on one bounce
and worked long at this drill yester
day until he was bouncing the ball
to suit his peppery little manager.
Patsy Charity took his throwing
arm out of its moth balls lone
enough to toss the pill around the
bases. He snapped the ball to first
ard third with fair speed, but
when it came to the long peg tC
second, that was something else
again. He took no chances then
merely looping 1t to Harris Oh
Bluege. Patsy is treating his salary
wing as IL it were Stradivarius
which it very likely is to him and
the Charity family.
Today the Grffs tackle the
Hhillies. AS Art Fletcher, the new
manager of the Phillies, is said Il
be eating nails since his scrap witt
Umpire Ducky Holmes over a
Lakeland, there may be some fur
today. Red Ormsby. who does thu
unpiring for the Griffs, likes I,
quRsh fire eaters like Fletcher ant
will be right on the job today.
4 week from today the Washing
ton Yannigans will clash with tn,
Boston Yannigans at Jacksonville
AAwmmw-