Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-10


at short. rather than have merely
a fair slOrtstop and poor third
| baseman.
| theless, murmurs of dissatisfaction
have been heard and but for past his
| tory of such cases, the state Of affairs
| might be viewed with alarm as the
! old frock-coated and fowing-maned
| stump speakers were accustomed to
/ observe.
The chances are, though, these
things will take care of themselves.
No Loafing to Be Tolerated.
| Harris has commented on the seem
| ing Indifference of some players
| toward the exhibition games but GEN.
sures no one for 1t. He realizes the
veterans have notions of their own as
| to this form Of pastiming and that
| they know enough of their physical
condition to have it at top form at
| the start of the season. But woe be-
| tide the man who fails to toe the
mark after the championship strug-
| gle is on,
There has at times been a notice.
able lack of hustle In the Spring ex-
/ hibitions,' Boss Bucky admitted after
| his club returned to Washington from
1 the South. "Of course, it did not look
/ so good. but to me it was nothing to
worry about then. The time to be
! troubled by slackers is after the sea-
/ son starts, il a manager win let him
self be so troubled. For one, l win
not.
I'VE are too well fortified with re-
serve material this year to permit any
one of the present regulars to loaf on
/ the job. When the bell rings next
1 Tuesday every man must rush into
the game prepared to give his all in a
base ball way and he must continue to
/ do so. If think man is not giving
/ his best after the season begins, out
4 Of the lineup he will come aud some
other man given aehsnce to snow his
worth. Loafing viii not be tolerated
! one instant"
Bucky Knows His Talent
And Bucky said that wi.h toue Of
finality, too. He knows just what ma
terial ne has at command, knows Just
what it should be capable OF provid.
| ing in base ball way and he is too
shrewd a manager to let any wool be
pulled over his eyes. And the players
| under him also know this
So the Nationals may he expected
/ to take the field Tuesday with all diff
ferences composed, in so far as the
! game is concerned, and prepared to
\ play much better brand Of base bail
| than they have been playing since the
| exhibitions began at the Tampa train
| ing base on March s.
| Given good pitching, this new Ma
tional outfit ought to figure pronli.
.nently in the American League
/ struggle this year. For the first time
| in many moons, it has its own muir
I GeFHVfS - q -
! who ought to make trouble for any
opposing pitcher Sam Rice, Iris
| Speaker, Goose Goslin, Buddy RIyer
and Joe Judge, although all portside
| swingers, clout lefthanded pitching
| just as effectively as they do that OF
! the orthodox variety and in past sea.
| sons they have proved beyond any
doubt that they can punish the latter
severely.
Best OutfIeId I'm Majors.
The outf1eld looms better than any
/ other in the big leagues. Speaker
1 Rice and Goslin are recognized stars
| in their garden positions. Now that
/ Ossie Bluege has been restored to
his position at third base. where he
has been accounted a regular through
four campaigns. and Myer given q
chance to become a good shortsfop
r.
the infield is not in such an expert
mental stage.
For time the inner Gordon NAV
be trif1e shaky around the keystone.
Although Stuffy Stewart is a versa
| tile second baseman and a good stop-
gap while Harris is out of action, he
probably will not be able to shoulder
as much of the doubleplay burden ais
It is necessary for the middle station
ossfT1 =.
keep the Nationals inside defense
taut.
Once Harris battered finger heals
sufficiently to permit his return to the
lineup, though, the Nationals infeld
will compare favorably with any other
in the majors.
With two veteran catchers, one OF
them an especially good pegger, and
another receiver who has been around
long enough to know much base ball
of major caliber. the club appears
well provided for back of the plate.
And for time 1t will carry an extra
receiver to relieve the regulars Of the
burden of warming up pitchers.
Still Uncertain in the Box.
In the box, the club is vet an i'm.
certain quantity. And it may continue
so until Walter Johnson Is able TO get
back into the game. Stanley Coveles-
kie is the only moundsman Of con-
siderable experience now ayafIsble.
However, Hollis Thurston, Garland
Braxton, Alvin Crowder and Horace
Lisenbee are pitchers of class, and
with Covey are more likely than not
TO keep the club in the thick of the
fight until Johnson can jump In.
Whatever the outcome of this Yeats
championship race. new training
policy probably viii be followed by
the Nationals next year. Instead Of
assembling the squad Of pitchers in
Florida around the middle OF Febru-
airy. the hurlers very likely win be
given only FIVE weeks of preparation
before the championship season
starts. while the other members OF
the club will undergo only three
weeks OF conditioning work.
There also may be a training table
so that the diet of all the athletes
can be regulated. 1t Is believed the
many cases Of illness In the National
camp this year were due more to iii
judtcious eating than overindtIgence
Bitter experience this Spring has
warned those in charge Of the Nation
as they must plan more carefully for