Evening star., 1926-12-12
GR|FF AND HARRIS
HOPE TOENG|NEER
DEALS THIS WEEK
Attend Chicago Meeting In
tent on Trades-Jones and
Reeves Sign.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

SPORTS Editor. The Star.
= ONE three dozen athletes of as
sorted types and varying age
are available for trading pur-
- poses by the Washington ball
club at the conclave of diamond
impressarios in Chicago this week
Tomorrow the Capital delegation.
consisting Of President Clark Griffith,
Secretary T.. 3. E,ynon and Manager
Stanley Harris. will entrafn for the
Windy City intent upon bolstering the
Nationals by means of trades for the
1927 championship campaign.
The occasion is the annual meeting
or the American League, set for Tues
day and Wednesday, followed by the
joint session with the National League
on Thursday.
This yearly gathering of the clan
brings together a larger representa-
ton of big league owners and mana
gers than any other event in the 12
months. not excluding the world series.
1t usually is productive of more play
er exchanges than are effected over
all the remainder of the 81 weeks
combined, and on this occasion may
result in a record number of swaps.
Much Cleaning Out Due.
Reason for this is found in the fact
that no fewer than five of the eight
clubs in Ban Johnson's circuit alone.
not to mention two teams in the Ma
tional League. will have different man.
ayers from those on the job last sea-
son. all determined to clean out the
dead wood and inject new blood: each
anxious to trade what can be spared
for material calculated to better fit in
with his own individual requirements.
There are exactly 40--the legal
linton the roster Of the Nationals
at this time. this array including nine
infielders. as many outfielders, three
catchers and no fewer than nineteen
pitchers.
The backstoppers are Rue1. Tate
and Berger, the latter a draftee from
New Haven, and the fingers include,
in addition to such more or less IA
miliar figures as Johnson, Coveleskie,
Crowder, Hadley, Decatur Jones. Mar
berry, Morrell, Murray and Ogden,
newcomers like Burke, Braxton, Car
roll, Coffman, Lisenbee, LOTUS, Nc
Evoy, Ralph Stewart, Thomas and
Van Alstyne.
Manager Harris himself. and Judge.
Bluege, Myer, Peck, Reeves and Stuffy
Stewart are the holdoyer infielders.
with Gillis and McCann as additions,
while added to such well-known names
as Goslin. Rice. Moon Harris and Nc
Neely among the flychasers are found
Cowboy Jones, Cullop, Neis. Tucker
and West
Few Players Are Fixtures.
Boss Bucky. of course. is eliminated
from consideration as trading mate
rial, as is Walter Johnson and, pos
sibly, a couple of other stalwarts, in
cluding Goslin, for instance, but no
holds cynnd for a Of
the others, so when Griff and Harris
start mingling with the brethren at
Congress Hotel next Tuesday there
will be no shortage of talent for them
to talk business about.
On the score of whether they have
anything definite in the way of trade
awaiting discussion by them in Chi
cago members of the local board of
strategy have maintained an attitude
of strict on-communicativeness 1t
is assumed that more than one propo-
sition involving switch of players is
under consideration. but as to who or
what is involved not even an intima
ton has been forthcoming.
AS for the politics involved in the
meeting followers of the game care
little A flare-up is indicated in re-
gard to the draft which some of the
minor magnates seek to have altered
ma ior leaguers are insistent that 1t be
retained and even made wider in
scope. The fans don't care a whoop
how this works out, nor are they par
ticularly concerned about the talk of
a movement to curtail the powers of
Judge Landis.
1t is assured he will be retained as
commissioner of base ball and with
authority undiminished in any re-
Co., hr hoe hn oil 11ff
dence of a great majority of base ball
men. as we'll as the fans, and he will
brook no clipping of his wings. The
only possible change in his status has
to do with the S50.0 900 salary he re-
ceives yearly. and If that is revised 1t
will be done only one way-upward.
On the eve of his departure for the
center of the country's heer-runnins
and gun.toting activities Griff has an
nounced. with considerable satisfac-
tion. receipt of signed contracts from
two of the youngsters, of whom much
is expected during the next cam
Jones and Bob
Reeves--which places the number of
Nationals already bound for service in
1927 at five. Pilot Harris having
holdover document, while both Robert
Emmett McCann and Edgar c. Rice
previously had signed.
Followers of the Nationals are suf-
ficiently familiar with the capabilities
of Jones and Reeves to understand
why Griff should feel optimistic re-
garding their future on the diamond,
but they may not know that the Capt.
tai chieftain feels downright enthu-
siastic about this pair, especially
Reeves.
Reeves Headed for Stardom.
In Griff's estimation Reeves is the
tvpe of player capable of rising to
great heights in base ball. In addi-
lion to his speed. which he demon
strated during the impromptu field
meet here one rainy day last season.
when he impressively outfooted his
Ieammate, Stuffy Stewart. generally
one of the fastest
sprinters in the game. Reeves is cred
ted by Griff with possessing all the
for stardom in the m
Lional pastime.
Barring some serious injury,
Reeves is almost certain to make hts
mark in base ball." vouchsafed Griff.
In addition to his natural aptitude
for fielding, he is hustler. willing
and aggressive, has a good head and
knows how to use it. His batting
average in the 20 games or SO he
played with us last season was not
but he looks good to me
up at that plate. and I'm confident he
will display the same hitting he
,bouad It,hep in poII,s "a afser ha gets