Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-15

WASHINGTON DaSe pail clup
n I evidently is to have lot OF
wv made-over pitchers next sea-
son. This seems to be big
Winter for the surgeons. SO
far as the Nationals pitching staff is
have been welding, or are about to
concerned. The physical separaters
WELD, their knives to such an extent
that it might be well for Clark Griffith
to have some spare parts around when
his athletes report for training next
Spring.
TonSilS have caused much trouble in
the ranks of the Washington pitchers,
it appears. Ad Liska was the first to
submit to the surgeons knife because
of an affection of these unruly things
that rest in the back of the human
throat The submarine rookie had his
yanked out during the past playing sea-
son and as soon as he was through
with the operation it seemed every other
member of the mound corps discovered
something wrong inside his neck
Not only the pitchers thought so, but
also Clark Griffith. He knew something
was wrong with his slabblng athletes
&, every time he glanced at the standing
of the Nationals in the American League
and the pitching records of the circuit.
1t must be tonSilS, he figured, and forth
with ordered a wholesale clearing out of
the inner portion of that part OF the
anatomy between head and shoulders.
Fred Marberry, Garland BraXton,
Lloyd Brown and Bob Burke were adj
vised by the club preXy to have some
thing done about their tonsilS. In fact,
Marberry and Braxton not only were
advised but virtually commanded to
have the treacherous bits OF flesh re-
moved from the back of the throat.
Cough up or shut up about pains in the
pitching arm was the order from head
quarters.
Hate to Give Up.
This was none too pleasing to the
boys. The average ball player believes
in getting all he can and giving up
nothing and the order to give up ton
sis brought howl of protest from the
singing staff But Griffith was firm,
firm to the extent of telling some of
the howlers that no contracts would be
offered them for next year unless he
had proof the surgeons had done their
work
So far as can be learned Marherry
is the only pitcher who has followed
Iiska'S example and had the tonSilS
removed. Fred was relieved of them
about a month ago and has informed
the club prexy he is recuperating
nicely. Fred was pretty good pitcher
He was by far the best of the Wash
ington lot and among the best in the
league If having his tonSilS yanked
makes Fred a better pitcher, he ought
to be a WOW next season.
But the three characterization,
Brown and Burke-who developed so
many aches and pains during the
course of the past base ball season
and blamed them on tonsn poisoning
have baked at letting the surgeon do
his stuff. Griffith got real harsh in
BraXton's case, telling the young fellow
to undergo the operation or elSe-the
cor else" meaning something that might
affect the pitchers stipend. Either the
tonsils or pay must suffer cut was the
prexy'S ultimatum.
Teeth, Not TOnSilS, Now.
Then Braxton suddenly discovered it |
wasn't his tonsils, but his teeth that
bothered him. He so informed Griffith,
and now the lanky left-hander is to
spend most of the Winter at his den-
lists. Griffith, however, isn't so sure
that those tonsils should not be yanked
as we'll as the ailing teeth. He may not
be through with BraXton yet.
When Brown pulled up with lame
elbow last August he Immediately
blamed diseased tonsils for the trouble.
It seems that the ball players these
days blame their tonSilS for everything
from an error to a poor swing at the
plate. But Brown was not ready to let
the surgeon get at the tonsils. Oh, no.
Rather he would wait until the Winter
90 have an operation. Well, the Winter
is here, and no report of an operation
on Brown has been received. But he'll
show up al Biloxi with the remainder
of the hUeserS minus his tonSils.
Burke, Tho never seems to add any
weight no matter how much or what he
may eat. is said to be kept thin by his
poor tonsils. 1t might not be that ton
sis are making him the string bean OF
the left-handers, but every one tells him
they are, and Bob is beginning to be-
lieve it. He, too, was ordered to have
them yanked, but he, too, decided to
wait until this Winter. And no news of
an operation on Bob as yet. But he'll
have it done, for Griffith has said so.
Maybe tonSils affected Ossie Bluege's
trick knee Maybe they put the little
blister on the finger that Joe Judge has
to have tapped every day he gets in a
game. Maybe tonsils keep the umpires
from seeing 'em right. Who knows?
They seem to be doing all sorts of things
to ball players especially those who
pitch for the Washington club.