Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-25

Having only a few recruits at
hand, Manager Johnson plans to
play to the finish the Washington
lineup that has been performing
regularly for some time. The re-
serves may be given workouts of
few innings duration in the last
wo or three games If the Nationals
have fifth place in the league race
clinched by then.
The club has little to play for during
the remainder of the campaign, but
several of its members are rather ambi-
tious to reach self-set goals. Goose
Goslin, who last year was champion
batter of the American League, hopes
to pick up in his stickwork sufficiently
to finish with at least 800 average.
He's rated now at .296. Sam Rice
wants to have another 200-hit season.
He has made 1913 hits this year. Fred
Marberry would like to pitch three more
the campaign. Others are aiming at
pet marks.
COach's Worth Not Realized.
Then there is one attached to the
Nationals who hopes the fans will real
lie before the season ends just how dim
cult is the job he handles. AL Schacht,
third-base coach extraordinary, wants
his public to understand there is much
more to the business of directing the
traffic at the far corner than waving
runners along or checking them.
difficult and thankless task at best,
third-base coaching has been raised to
a high art by Schacht. Yet he often
has been the victim of heartless razzing
by fans in Griffith Stadium.
AL is adept at transmitting signs from
20 be hAf Nd rTrVHN
one Of the most important parts OF his
Job and he seldom makes mistake IN
holding up or sending in a runner when
1t Is certain the play at the plate will
be close. Few of those attending games
in Griffith Stadium, however, appear to
know how capable Schacht Is at his
task.
saws Schacl1t: "The third-base coach
% ashoons for. sbumb ball players. He's
the alibi for every run cut off at the
plate and every sign that Is lost on the
way from the dugout. He can't win, no
matter what happens, and he counts
himself lucky when he gets draw.
when things are breaking right and
the team is winning nobody ever gives
a tumble to the third-base coach. When
things are breaking badly and the team
is losing, the third-base coach Is blamed
for everything, from the run blocked at
the plate to the latest automobile acct
dent downtown. What a job! But I
like It,"
Unfair to Schacht.
The fans blame Schacht for many
things that happen about the far cor
ner for which he is in no way RESPONSE
BILE. Frequently he is PANIED for per-
hitting runners to continue under way
when it Is obvious that there Is no scor-
ing chance Yet more often than not
the runners have dashed into the out
by their own initiative. The base
runner is supposed to help himself more
than the coach may help him. 1t Is
the transmitting of signs that is done
so cleverly by Schacht. He gets them
across from the dugout to the player,
and when a play doesn't go through 1t
is fairly safe to charge the slip against
the player.
A good line on Schacht's fitness for
the Job is that he has held 1t on the
same club under two managers-Harris
and johnson. Usually the first thing a
new manager does is to fire the third
base coach. Possibly because he at
tributes all the troubles of his prede-
cessor to the shortcomings Of the man
stationed at the far corner. But Schacht
has struck out. and, so far as the base
ball people are concerned, done his
work well.