Evening star., 1925-03-11


prolific in hitting and uncertain pitcl
may be expected i'll the dozen more
big league outfits.
Undaunted by their reversal at
Palm Beach, the Nationals today were
bent upon turning the tables upon
the Giants in clash here. Wash
ington crossed the Delaware to crush
n vaunted foe and the ball club of
his city has crossed the Venice-the
body of water separating Florida s
famboyant playground from the
mainland-to crush another club al
ready boasting of it's ability to un-
make a world champion.
From beginning to end of yester-
days game there never was any doubt
but that both clubs intend to take
their Spring set-tos seriously. Bucky
Harris, who bosses the world cham
pion Nationals, had his men on theiI
toes all the time and made changes
In his lineup only because he real
ized the necessity of conditioning his
entire squad for the bigger business
to be started next month.
And SO with Hughey Jenning, man.
ager pro tenn, of the Giants in the
absence of John McGraw, who re-
mained at Sarasota with some of his
nedgling New Workers. The red head
ed grass snatcher shifted his forces
with well studied care and used about
all means available to get the jump
on his American League opponent in
the initial argument of the 13-game
campaign.
Rival Forces Play Hard.
The players of both sides respond
ed nobiy to the calls of their chief
tains, considering how early in the
season they were being asked to put
forth SO much effort. The Giants
have not been conditioning themselves
any great length of time at their
base on the shores of Tampa Bay,
while a number of the Nationals have
really had no more than a week of
Good base ball work. What the rivals
did was surprising, under the circum-
stances.
The game assured Manager Harris
that the Nationals have not lost that
fine spirit that carried them to sue
cess in the American League and the
world classic last year. Just as In the
days when they were struggling to
bring to Washington it's first big
league pennant and as they fought
with odds against them in the big
October series, did the Nationals bat
tie yesterday. The club revealed the
grit and determination that carried
1t to such great heights before and
that it was turned back in it's first
start against the Giants is nothing to
make its followers fret
The game also assured Harris that
several OF his players, notably a pitch
er, are about ready now for the tedi-
GUS grind of championship cam
paign. Oswald Bluege. at third base,
appears to need little more grooming
before the season gets under head
way. In fact, Ossie at present could
step into a big league championship
struggle and do his work as well as
the best Of those performing around
the hot corner last year in the John
sonian circuit.
Bluege Ia I'm Fine Form.
Bluege seems to be at top form in
speed, fielding ability and club WELD
ing. He had five chances at third base
yesterday, two of them of a most diff
cult nature, and he handled all with
out the semblance of a slip. His play
on Frankie F'risch, the Fordham
fash, in the sixth inning of the fray,
was the banner piece of fielding of
the day. Frisch topped a pitch, send
Ing the ball slowly toward third base.
Ossie was up the line in a trice,
speared the hounder with his bare
hand. and with a lightning heave to
first had Frisch out by a step.
Bluege went to the plate five times
four legal times at bat. One of the
blows drove in a run. The two times
Ossie failed to hit safely he was
checked by brilliant Giant fielding.
The last time he came to the plate he
was hit in the shoulder by the op-
posing pitcher, but the wallop did
no damage.
Joe Judge and Sam Rice also ap-
peared to be in fine fettle. The for
ner stepped around the first sack in
sprightly fashion and garnered a
pair of hits, off the Giant fingers. Joe
got his hits at opportune moments,
too, his drives accounting for three
of the Nationals tallies. Rice also
grabbed a pair of bingles and took
right good care of his outf1eld assign
ment.
Most pleasing of all. though, was
the splendid exhibition staged by
Jezebel Tecumseh Zachary on the
pitching slab. Zach, perhaps, is two
months ahead of the condition in
which he was at this time last year.
He has plenty of strength, works
with confidence and has much on
the ball." as the diamond pros say
of a noundsman with conside rable
ability.
Jezebel Finishes Fresh.
Zach toiled the first three innings
of the game and allowed the Giants
but one hit, a single by Recruit
Walker. True, Zach gave four passes
and hit a batter, but the passes
were well scattered and were more
the result of the pitchers desire to
work" on the batter than wildness.
When withdrawn from the game,
Zachary was almost as fresh as when
he began duty and probably could
have gone several more innings at
as good a pace as he had followed
from the start.
The other hurlers used by Harris
were Allen Russell and Fred Mar
berry. Russell is not yet ready to
use his spit ball, his most valuable
asset, and his natural pitches were
not battling to the Giants. They
raked him for a homer, three triples
and a single for five runs in the
fourth inning and a double in the
fifth Marberry, although still far
from condition, breezed along in great
manner through two frames, then was
knocked for a pair of singles and as
many doubles that netted the Giants
three markers in the eighth.
Against the IL hits made by the
Giants, the Nationals counted IL off
four hurlers. They got to Art Nehf
for three wallops in the first frame,
singles by Rice and Harris being fol-
lowed by a pass to Goslin that loaded
the sacks with one out. Judge then
singled two runs across, but was
double-play victim with Bluege when
Jackson made a scintillating stop of