Evening star., 1926-02-02

They do make WY faces when con
sidering the Ballou angle of the
transaction, being firmly convinced
= that Winfred can't miss in ultimately
attaining stardom as finger, al
though recognizing that he is as yet
merely on his way. But OF Bush'S
worth they have nary n doubt.
The fact that Bush is we'll advanced
in years, admitting to 81. and that he
has been tOiHng with first the Ath-
letics, then the Red SoN. the Yam
KEGS and finally the Browns over
period of Il seasons is not lost sight
of by District devuteeS. But they
recall that it was just last Summer
that only q solitary hinSle 10y Bar
ney Johnson prevented Leslie Joseph
from duplicating the nO-hit. no-run
pitching feat he performed against
the Indians 4 decade ago. and that
while holding job he was fra nkly
dissatisfied with the last year con
rryed 10 obtain an even split in 2S of
his games that Went TO a decision.
Bush's Hitting a Factor
The fact that Bush also is a hitter of
parts has a bearing on the stamp of
approval given the swap hereabouts.
The importance of the ability of a
finger TO contribute consistently to
his teams attack was emphasized
last year by Johnson and Ruether.
and BuSh'S prediction for SWatting
Is 50 we'll established that ne has been
used to advantage as a pinch hitter
by every one of the quartet of clubs
with which he has seen service.
Although sufficient basis for conf
dence in the ability of Bush to
strengthen the Champs can be found
in the yearly tables of averages, there
is no question but that the highly
gratifying results following the acqui-
stion of Coveleskie and Ruether last
season are an influencing factor in the
satisfaction felt by Washington fans
over the deal.
Both the Pole and the Dutchman
generally We're regarded as on the
roboggan when they were picked up
last Winter. and many We're the jibes
directed at the local management
when their acquisition was an
nounced. Griff and Harris were
widely pictured as establishing an
old mems home" and considerable
criticism was leveled at them in some
quarters for picking up spawned vet
Grams instead of seeking young
blood and building for the future.
Their judgment was concluSively vim
dicated by the eventualitieS of the
campaign, for minus either Covey or
Ruether 1t is doubtful whether the
Nationals would have copped. and in
landing Bush the bugs are constrain-
ed to believe that a move equally as
beneficial has been made.
How st. Louis Fans Feel.
1t is the inalienable right OF fan
dom to be optimistic over any change
effected in the team they are pulling
for, but the fact that the sentiment
prevailing here IS not purely local In
character is found in the reaction to
The deal recorded III st. Louis. To
get the viewpoint of the fans on the
other end. one of the keenest obser-v-
ers in the writing fraternity of the
Mound City was commissioned to
make a sounding. with the following
result received today by wire:
"St. Louis, February 2.-uniess
Win Ballou. young right-hander,
comes through as a sensation, then
st. Louis fans think that Washington
got the better of the trade with the
Browns which sent Bush and Tobin
10 the champions in exchange Tor
Zachary and Ballou.
They figure that Bush is Just as
good as Zachary. They point TO the
fact that Rush, in addition to being
II $3.50 hurler on his 1925 record, is a
good pinch hitter.
Local followers also figure that
Tobin has two or three good years of
base ball left in him. Tobtn says
that he has entirely recovered from
his troubles of year ago and when
seen today stated he would give Wash
fngton the hest he had in him
While every one knows that Zach
al>y is u good ieft-hander. there is
doubt as 10 Ballou'S worth. since his
stay in the big tent has been short
and his record with chattanooga in
1926 none too impressive.