Evening star., 1927-03-09

NAMPA, Fla, Marcn y mere l.
he no rest for the weary from
now on in SO far as the Ma
4 tionals are concerned. until
the American League cam
paign starts in Washington on April
IL Bucky Harris and his band OF
athletes will be busy boys. When
NOT pIaying base ball--and they have
n exhibition games yet to dispose
of-thev will be practicing 1t, or
r 1aunting from place 10 place over
r the rails or by motor bus.
All told, the Nationals are slated
to oppose five more senior league
clubs before the scramble for the
championship of the junior circuit
Gets under way. Phillies. Giants.
Reds. Cards and Dodgers are to be
encountered and of this lot Manager
/, Harris reckons the Giants most i'm
portant.
Not that he thinks the others will
he easy marks for his outflt. Far
from it. Bitter experience has
made the Nationals realize there
q really are no easy marks in the
grapefruit league. So the boss or the
Washington bunch is looking Tor all
kinds of trouble from the others:
especially the Cards. as the world
champs are said to be feeling their
Manager Harris and the other Ma
tionals would beat the Giants above
all else.
Three-Day Jaunt on Tap.
= Practically all hands will get
: chance to show just what they can
do against John McGraw's hirelings
before this week ends. Tomorrow the
Nationals will leave their Tampa
camp for a three-day journey 10
points South. Shortly after start
ing. they will delay at Bradenton
for the first game of series of two
listed this Spring with the Phillies
the other engagement being booked
for Tampa on March "a. Imme-
diately thereafter, they will proceed
to Sarasota the temporary home OF
the Giants for Friday and SATURDAY
scraps with the New York Ma
!, tional Leaguers.
This pretentious week end program
means a great deal of work Tor the
ambitious young hurlers STRIVING lot
permanent berths with the Nationals.
p Manager Harris has arranged STATE
for his mound staff for these trays,
but it is subject to change at the last
moment, of course.
For the match with the Phlllies TO-
morrow. he has nominated a coupe
of southpaws, the somewhat eXperi'
enced Garland Braxton. who was pro.
= cured from the Yankees IN one Vi
= base halls mystery" deals that sent
Dutch Ruether to New York last Fali'
and Bob Burke, the elongated ana at
Z renuated youth drafted from Little
Rock of the Southern Association.
Rraxton To Start Game.
While Harris now figures to employ
Rraxton. as one of the Nationals re-
uef hurlers during the American
League campaign, he is quite ANXIOUS
20 learn lust how far this left-nandeT
. has nrogressed in training here ana
/. nrobablv will assign to him the TASK
Of starting against the Phiis After
Braxton tolls three innings, BURKE
very likely will do as nrany more
leaving to Ralph Stewart. fiffhisfg.
ham graduate, POSSIBLY the outy VI
ending the engagement.
Harris has all but definitely decided
70 send against the Giants at Sarasota
an Friday the same slab trio that
onened fire against the Braves last
Saturday In the first exhibition game
of the season, AL Crowder, decatur
Jones and Horace Lisenbee. Ihese
athletes. who were working unoer
orders that prevented them from
'shooking" the ball in any way, may
he permitted TO show a bit of their
real pitching ability against McGraw's
clan.
For the Saturday clash. George
Murray. who performed impressively
after joining the Nationals in the
latter part of the last campaign; Gay
ton Van Alstyle, a promising pur-
chase from the Albany club OF the
Uortarn "a rue nv way Of Bridgeport,
and Leo Mangum, late of the White
Sox. the three that appeared against
the Braves at st. Petersburg yester-
day. may go. However, Dick Coffman
a Chattanooga product, who is the
baby of the rockies staff here, may
be given an opportunity TO show what
ho cau do