Evening star., 1924-03-30


times at bat without making any
| thlng resembling a hit Then Sam
got very Scratchy single and then
twelve more hitlesS turns at bat, the
last i've being in yesterdays game
with the Milwaukee team Rice.
though. got a pair of bingles. includ-
| ing a double, in the game with the
keds today. In other spring Saining
campaigns he has rounded into hit
ting form slowly and may be waIlop-
ing the ball at reasonable rate
when the championship race starts.
Fundamentals to Be Stressed.
The drills next week will deal
largely with base ball fundamentals
For Outfielders, young and old, there
Will be practice at throwing to the
bases and at backing up plays. The
recruit infielders will get intensive
training in the mechanics of their de
partment of the game, while the young
pitchers are to be special pupils of Nick
Altrock, who was one Of the most C=apa-
BILE tielders around the mound and
master of the art of holding runners
to the bases.
Much attention will be paid TO base
running, something at which the Ma
tionals have not been so good this
spring. Several players have been
particularly poor in travelling the
paths, but Harris hopNi to remedy
much of this before the club begins
!
upon drive on the runways, especial
~ from the plate to first base Cos
lin was rebuked sternly and benched
by the manager in a recent game for
failing to break toward the sack
after tapping TO the pitcher. Quit
ting viii not be tolerated an instant
| by Harris.
Pitchers Ready 10 Go Route.
Bucky has decided that his pitch
Q Sh Ln
through nine innings. a1EeoUgh he
may not make them toE4 t. &s.cb an
/ extent until the club trayaIs north
week after next. He plans to use
Walter Johnson against the Dodgers
| here Monday and the dean Of the
Nationals mound corps is likely TO
remain in action through the greater
part of the engagement. Should
George Mogr1Gge ke sufficiently re
covered from the cold that has been
! bothering him for q couple of days.
he may face the Dodgers for a few
frames.
There are few casuals in the Ma
! tionals' squad. OsSie BIuege. OF
course. will have to keep out of har-
ness for some while. Even if his
trick knee should hnaI soon it is
/ doubtful If he viii be used before the
club returns to Washington to start
the American League campaign But
BIuege's early recovery is not so Ger
/ tain. Apparently much must be done
! to his left knee before the young
Chicagoan can be reasonably certain
of standing the gaff in the titular
race.
Others now on the failing list are
Fred Marberry, Chic Gagnon. Joe
Martina, Bennett Tate, Doc Prothro.
Lance Richbourg and Mogridge
Marberry and Mogridge have colds
but both received special treatments
| this morning and should be available
for use within a few days. at the
I most. Marberry, though, has been
| troubled more by the indisposition
( than the veteran finger and prob-
| ably Harris will refrain from work
ing him any more during the train
ing season.
Gagnon'S Arm still Crooked.
Gagnon still is handicappcd bv a
dog-leg throwing arm that cuts the
speed of his heayes. although there
mas been much Improvement in The
wing within the past week. Right
now Chick is the only athlete Harris
mas for emergency use on the left
side of the infeld. but the clubs boss
hopes TO land Sylvester Simon. a third
Sacker the Browns have placed on
the waiver list, before many days
Prothro has a sore foot that Eas
slowed him considerably afield and
troubles him at bat, while Richbourg
has sprung a charley horse. Prothro
though, is losing his excess poundage
rapidly, and when his foot heals
should be able to give a fair account
of himself at third base. Tate's spike
wounded forehead is healing nicely.
and the young catcher soon will be
out among 'em.
Whether Richbourg will be retained
IS problematical. Those who saw him
in action at Memphis last year think
much of the outfielder, but he is not
, IN good enough condition now to
I RI man ac-4w T-sa- IL
is concentrating attention upon Carr
Smith and George Fisher Tae man
ager is quite elated over the recent
performances of both of these re-
cruits. and apparently justly so. Al
though Smith at present is the more
finished fielder, Fisher is showing
more Improvement in this department.
of play daily.
Smith, a righthand hitter, seeming
ly can punish both right and left
hand hurlers, but against the ortho-
doX moundsmen Fisher, a lefthand
batter, appears to be a. bit stronger
than the Piedmont League graduate.
Shirley Showing Improvement.
Another recruit whose work has
impressed Harris favorably is Mule
Shirley, the first sacker from the
University of North Carolina. This
husky chap, although still a trifle
awkward afield, has come along with
a rush in the past week and Harris is
thinking seriously of holding him. At
bat Shirley's form is somewhat faulty,
but he is strong and takes a cut at
the ball vicious enough to indicate
that with more training he will be-
come a formidable hitter. If Shirley
is farmed out, it will be on a twenty
four-hour basis, but in all likelihood
the former Tarheel will be kept with
the club that he may be tutored at
first hand. '''''
Harris announced today that no
further reductions in the squad will
be made until after the league sea-
son gets under way. Then he plans
to keep the squad up to the maximum
limit of twenty-five men. He wants
on his roster seven infelders. five
outftelders. three catchers and ten
pitchers. And Harris is not so keen
about sending youngsters TO the mi
nors for seasoning. He believes they
can be developed while with the club
even though they may warm the
bench during the championship con
tests. The new head of the Nationals
is ready to groom his recruits in i'm
portant trials, as well as direct the
regulars in action during the flag