Evening star., 1928-09-23
September

~ LEVELAND, September 22.-
Just season wind-up tour
for the Nationals, this swing
~ through the West, but not a
dull one by any means. The
club is playing heads up" base ball
and that's enough to brighten any trip.
The Nationals started poorly, but they
are touching off all the fireworks they
have to make a blazing finish.
Much of interest has happened thus
far in the Nationals tourney through
the West.
Sam West has made himself a regu-
lar outfielder for the remainder of the
season and promises to be the leading
candidate for the center garden Dertn
when the club assemblies for training
at Tampa next Spring.
Goose GoSlin's consecutive-game hit
ting streak ended at IS games when ne
failed to drive the ball to safety in the
second part of the double-header with
the Indians on Friday. The Goose,
though, has been throwing well enough
lately to indicate that the right arm so
useless to the club through most of this
season should be OK. at the outset OF
the next campaign.
AL Bool, big catcher bought from
Nashville. who reported to the Ma
tionals at Detroit, has done a deal OF
travelling in base ball and is no young
Ster.
Ossie Bluege has continued his fine
play at third base and good work at
bat that is making this his greatest
year in the big show.
Bucky Harris return to second base
instead of keeping Bob Reeves at that
station probably means that Bob mas
about been counted out as big league
inf1elder
Joe Judge grows younger daily and
his performant around the first base
and at bat in addition to the genera
pepper he displays stamp him as the
man most valuable to his club this
year.
There are hints that number of the
players on the Nationals now swollen
reserve list are "cover-up" men and
that many who do not pass from the
club in Winter deals will get per-
functory trials only at Tampa next
Spring.
Last, but not least the rumor that
Harris will manage the Detroit Club
next year persists out this way, al
though nothing can be learned from an
authoritative source Nor are any de-
malls coming from authoritative sources.
1t appears that when Red Barnes
hurt his leg during the first game OF
the double bill the Nationals played
with the Indians in Washington on
August 25 and had to turn his job over
to West at the beginning of the sec
ond game, he just about lost his place
romping to glory in the pasture and at
bat since he crashed into the lineup
that day.
Tn fonf rinff V1Nyicf nQ
reckoned among the best young out
fielders in the league, if not hailed as
the best. Not only is he the same re-
markable fly hawk he showed himself
to be in the scattered chances he had
to strut his stuff, but he is virtually a
| finished outfielder now, for he has been
in steady action long enough to learn
position play He knows the habits of
batterS of rival clubs and generally IS
, able to SO place himself afield that he
may make catches easily
Above all. though. is his great i'm
provement at bat. For months it was
feared West never would overcome his
shyness at the plate that resulted from
the serious beaning he suffered shortly
before coming to the Nationals from
Birmingham. Sammy simply could not
stand braVely at bat. But that ShyneSS
has gone. He stands up there with the
best of them now, and his recent hit
ting has been one of the sensations of
the league.
He has sockcd the ball unmercifullv
in the West. From a standing we'll
down in t 200 class. West has in the
past month lifted himself above the
800 mark, and promises to go higher.
And that's some lift for chap who
only last year batted no better than .239.
In Washington. on August 81. Goslin
| in four trips to the plate failed to get
hit off Grady Adkins of the White
Sox. The next day, though. he got two
hits in four trials against young Ed
! Walsh of the Chicago outfit, and con-
tinued to get one or more hits per game
| through the first part Of the double
header played in Cleveland on Friday.
In the IS consecutive engagements the
Goose drove out SO safeties. Then the
recruit Jim Moore stopped him in the
second game Friday.
But the Goose isn't annoyed. He
! figures he still can carry on to the