Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-06

IHduG W IdIlu ObLlCL AhpVCAA AGA w
fast falling in base ball ability.
There are on the Nationals ros-
ter at present several likely-look
ing prospects. The schooling OF
these should not be so difficult
Landing requirements for the fail
ing veterans is something else.
Promising talent in the minors
not already bound over to some
major league club is quite scarce.
This is a problem with which
President Clark Griffith and his
lone scout. Joe Engel, will have to
wrestle from now until next Feb
ruary.
Although Manager Walter johnson is
not ready to admit his club has no
chance of getting anywhere in the
present campaign, one look at the
league standing is enough to convince
even the most ardent supporter OF the
Nationals that 1929 is just year to be
left to itself from now on. Fifteen
games below an even break as they pre-
pared to tackle the Western front Tor
the second time this season. Johnson s
charges have little to fight for other
than their jobs.
Cause Of Failure Mystery.
This is indeed a gloomy outlook for
q band that came up from the South
with high hope of success in the bat
tling-fo the flag. But somewhere be-
tween their final game of the exhibit
ton series last Spring and their open
ing scrap in the American League the
Nationals lost everything they had In
base ball way, and have been FOUNDER
ing helplessly since.
One of the finest-looking clubs on
the field during the training season
the Washington club now is rated one
of the poorest aggregations in the two
ma or circuits. Its hitterS have stopped
hitting. its pitchers have stopped pitch
ing and its fielders have stopped fleld-
ing. There's no help in it.
Who or what is responsible for this
startling decline is not easy to inquire.
1t would not be fair to blame the poor
showing of the Nationals on their man
ager. johnson knows his base ball, he
knows the modern Sluggino style Of
game just as well as he knew the game
when it was more matter of skill than
brute strength, and he has labored
earnestly with his players. But john
son cannot do their hitting for them,
he cannot do their pitching for them,
them.
No DiSsenSiOn in Ranks.
And there seems to be no particular
player or clique of players with the
club creating any diSsension within the
ranks or attempting to undermine those
in authority. There have been some
few attractions of disciplinary rules. but
generally they have been the result Of
i,Y( Hor r,f @oIf fo
intent to kick over the traces.
Principal Setbacks to players GER
tainly cannot account for the miserable
failure of the Nationals Their pitch
ing staff has been hit by injuries sew
eral times, but even when the pitching
staff was at its peak in physical Condi-
ton 1t was not winning. In other de-
partments the club has been remark
ably free from injury. In fact, the Ma
tionals have Jared better than usual
this year in this respect.
1t may be that the Nationals were
playing far above their heads during
the exhibition series: that they never
really were as good as they looked then.
They certainly do not make good club
now. Here and there is player per-
forming in 1ne style, but collectively it
Is the poorest club that has represented
the Capital in major league base ball
in decade. There's no accounting
for it,
Griffs' Rally Beat Dodgers.
The Nationals won a es.e yesterday
In Olean. N. Y, but it did not count In
the league running. However, they
covered themselves with glory-and
mud. too-in beating the Dodgers on
the soggy field of Bradner Stadium,
to 8. The Brooklyn National Leaguers
helped themselves to half a dozen tallies
In the first round. but Johnson's charges
battled on to deadlock the game in the
sixth, and In the eighth they pounded
their way to victory.
Home runs by Frederick, Herman and
Henline of Irving Hadley before he got
his bearings had much to do with the
Dodgers getting their six-run lead,
Thereafter Hadley allowed few hits in
the next seven sessions, and when he
was In trouble his mates supported him
brilliantly. Myles Thomas hurled the
last round against Brooklyn and set
them down in order.
Washington got its first six runs of
Kent Greenfield, who pitched six in
nings. Five were made in the fourth. |
Ruel driving two over with a single.
and Judge accounting for three with
homer, Knocked over the right-fleld
stand. Boss singled over the tying run
in the fifth. Ballou went to the box
for the Dodgers in the seventh. and in
his second session Rice doubled, to score
two Nationals and bag the game.