Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-23

promise as yet ulIulnileu.
In discussions of the trade little
mention has been made of Johnny
Tobin, the pint outtielder, who &C
companies Bush from st. Louis to
Washington. The bugs have been 50
obsessed with the idea that the
pitcher was the real prize sought that
they confined themselves largely 10
debating whether he reasonably can
be expected to annex around 20 vic
tories this year and to what extent
he will prove helpful to the Griffmen
as a pinch hitter. a role he has filled
with considerable success for the Ath-
letics, Red SoX and Yankees. as
well as the Browns.
Got Better of Deal.
There has been a disposition on the
part of the fans to minimize the Tobin
angle of the proposition and cata-
iogue him as excess baggage thrown
in for good measure. so to speak. This
is all wrong, according to no less an
authority than Stanley Harris him
self.
1T goes without saying that think
we got the better Of It," said the man
ager today in discussing the deal.
otherwise I wouldn't have made it
Whether this proves to be the case
will not be known, of course, until re-
turns for the season are in. but if the
verdict is unfavorable l will be will
ing to take the responsibility.
I'VE were badly IN need of a pitcher
of Bush'S type. a seasoned veteran of
established ability. who has been
through the mill and mastered all the
intricacies Of the hurting art. The
element OF discomfort due to the Ell,
forced long separations from his FAM
lily made necessary by his berth in St
Louis has been eliminated with his
return to the East. where he makes
his home. In satisfied frame OF
mind, as l expect him to be in Wash.
ington. and putting his heart into his
work, he should prove a big winner
for US.
"Of course Bush is not the type Of
player to build up a club with as he
has been in the game a long time and
cannot so on forever. Most of the ad-
verse comment on the trade that has
come to me has been on that score.
Put we are not trying to build up
We already are up and endeavoring
merely to stay there. When finally
we tumble, as suppose we inevitably
must, then we Will be justified in
cleaning out all the old timber and
loading up exclusively with young
blood. We have an eye to the future
even now, but we also must take the
present into account, and that is the
explanation of our acquisition of
Bush.
Thinks Well of Tobin
The same thing goes for Tobin.
and say, don't slight that little fellow
in your calculations. I am as pleased
to have landed him as Bush and look
70 o1,.o hi
to the club. Johnny Is no has-been.
as some Of the fans seem to think.
Not by long shot He Is not as far
along in years as many Of the bright
est stars in the league today, includ-
Ing our own Sam Rice, and unless
am mistaken. he has several seasons
of high-class work ahead of him.
Tobin last year was far from
we'll man. Then, it also happened
that a youthful teammate developed
at such a pace that he could not hold
his position as a regular. Johnny'S
trouble, which resulted in his throw
ing arm going bad, finally was traced
to defective teeth. He had a whole
bunch Of molars yanked and the
shoulder ailrnent went with them. I
saw him fooling around first base on
the final visit Of the Browns to Wash
ing last season and the way he cut
that ball across the tnfield convinced
me that any fear he would be handi
capped by wing weakness was unjus-
titled.
''Tobin Is fine Judge of a fly ball.
fast on his feet and a better than av-
erage hitter. Hiss small size makes
him an extremely hard man to pitch
TO and his long experience at the
business makes him an ideal Iead-off
man.
I'VE have several candidates for the
Job of playing alongside Rice and
Goslin In the garden, McNeely, Joe
Harris. Jeanes, Jones and Archdeacon
all being in the running. The player
who displays the most ability will get
the call, but ! fully expect Tobin to
prove one of the foremost contenders
and will not be a bit surprised if he
beats out the entire bunch and grabs
a regular place. Johnny has had i'm
pressed on him the necessity of being
IN a first class condition. That Is why
he Is taking a course of sprouts at
Hot Springs. If he trains faithfully
and makes the grade we will have
one of the fastest outfield trios in the
game. Take a tip from me. Don't
overlook Tobin."
Tobin's Record Good.
Tobin will be 80 years old soon after
the season starts, having been born
in st. Louis on May 4, 1898. lie DOtn
throws md bats left-handed, and for
all his small stature, being but feet
Th inches tall and weighing only 146
pounds, has been q consistently good
hitter He broke into the program
with the ST. Louis club of the Inflated
Federal League in 1913, and when or
ganized base ball effected peace with
that outlaw organization he was taken
over by the Browns In 1916.
After being farmed out to Salt Lake
the following season he was recalled
and since 1918 has served continuous
Iy with the Browns. His best year,
so far as the records go, was in 1921,
when he attained batting average
of .352. but he has regularly hit above
the 800 mark and has lifetime
American League average of .318.
Johnson was an absentee when the
second week of training for the Ma
tionals got under way. being busy
hunting for q house for his family,
but the other newcomers, Ferguson,
Lyle. Hadley and Myer, were on the
sob and plunged into the work with
Hest. The last named's efforts in the
daily volley ball battle were so strenu-
GUS that Buddy emerged with
]acerated finger. caused when he fell
and a mate stepped on his hand, but
the injury Is only superficial and will
not retard his training
With Joe Harris now in line, Presi-
dent Griffith having received his &C
ceptance of terms by wire yesterday
evening. only three of the Nationals
remain outside the fold, Ruether, Ruel
and Goslin. Moon is due to report
next week with the main squad.