The Washington times., 1929-08-14
NEEDS YEAR
|NN|N0RS,
SAYSVET
BY Bob Thayer

By Bob Thayer
CHICAGO, H., Aug. IA.
Lack Of confidence is the main
/, shortcoming of Pitcher Bump
Hadley and q year in the
miners would go far toward
Strengthening him out.
This il the contention of veteran
members of the washington Grift-
men. Hadley, they maintain, has
had much If not more natural
ability than any singer in baseball
today.
His fast one is said to bacon
parable with that of Rubey Wal
berg, the Athletic wizard, while his
hook Is second to none. The fact
remains. however, that he has yet
10 hit d winning clip and shows no
signs of picking up. Bump has
had innumerable chances to de-
liver this year. Time and again
he has been started in the box to
fall short when apparently headed
to victory.
vi several UGCnSAOHH NlG mas
blown substantial leads with
the game apparently won. On
others he simply failed to get
started and stayed that way.
Bump himself is at a loss to un.
derstand his inability to come
through. He has worked himself
into good physical trim and has
&rt.g3 a., n,ynI.xys ,Sxnoaib1o nav IN
make good,
It 81 generally thought by mem
bers of the Griffs that several saw.
age beltings administered earlier in
the season may have detracted
from his confidence and thereby
damaged his morale.
Hadley is still youngster, not
yet %. in fact, and excessive pun.
not tend to increase his effective
ness.
Were he the common run, of
pitcher he would be Immediately
transferred to q minor league resort
for more seasoning. Possessed of
unusual promise, however, it would
be virtually impossible to get waiv-
ers on the genial Lynn boy.
This state Of affairs places Man
ager Walter Johnson in an embar.
RAISING position. Realizing that
Bump needs all the work he can get,
Walter nevertheless knows that he
fs taking a big chance whenever he
starts his young right handler.
Hadley has won only four
games in his innunlerable starts
SO far, and one of these required
! q relief.
Also he has failed to come through
in a relief capacity. being utterly
unable to bear down with men on
the paths. 1t is for this reason as
much as anything else that he has
failed to get by in better shape this
season.
Whereas moundsmen with half
his stuff manage to pull themselves
together and pitch out of the clinches
Bump seems to get paniclSy, and as
a general thing, he loses effective.
ness as a result.
) Wildness, too, has handicapped him
frequently, causing him to groove
his offerings with disastrous results.
Members of his own club are not
alone in predicting that a minor
league turn might work wonders
with the big fellow. Players and
authorities all over the American
League are voicing similar belief.
But, with all of this ballyhoo, 1t is
highly probable that were waivers
asked on Bump that seven other
clubs would eagerly line up in an
effort to bid for his services.
This is. in a way. unfortunate, for
sHadley. If anything, he has more
natural stuff than at any time dur
ing his professional career, and were
he to regain his confidence there is
little doubt but what he would take
his rightful place among the Ameri.
can League leaders.
As IL n he remains in some.
thing az a fut-hOping against
hope that he will get started his
next time ont. And when that
next time rolls around he seems
as much at : loss as before.
One particularly shrewd veteran of
Nthe Griffmen, whose name is with
held by request, frankly expresses
the belief that another course of
minor league polishing would be the
ma. ing of Bump and explains him.
self in detail.
SIN my opinion" he maintains,
''4adley is just another kid who has
been rushed to the big show without
first earning his baseball diploma.
Tl1is stuff about the best players
having the least experience is mostly
the bunk.
when Hadley broke in with the
washington club few years ago he
e1iad loads of promise. He's still
got It. But that isn't winning ball
Games. What he needs is a chance
e cultivate that promise and do
something with it.
1--WE seen lots of ball players with
fine prospects who never got any
where. And for Hadley's sake, I'd
like to see him get another shift in
the minors. He's got too much stuff
10 be losing pitcher in any league.
Bump is a genial good hearted
youngster with plenty of friends,
And for that reason, as much as
any other, many of his more sea-
bsoned team mates hate to see him
in his present position.
49,