The Washington times., 1930-06-26
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SyPe()Rrt1RIIAILI ye( ! :
Kirk Miller


ington, so to speak. You don't
need me to tell you he has
registered with the public, and
has registered in a very posi-.
tive sense.
A year ago when Art was the
Jobnny-C -Come-Lately of tn e
league and when they were try.
ing to throw q wet blanket on
this boyiSh upstart from the
wilds of Texas, we lifted up a
voice to say he should be left
alone; that baseball was dying
on the stem for the need of
some color and that Art would
outgrow some of his Skittish-
ness and probably be something
OF a drawing power at the
gate.
Little any of us dreamed
that within the 12-month
tthere'S a nice old English
term he would be wearing a
Griffian pinafore and drawing
money for the Old Fox right
here in our own ball yard.
where, from his start at scratch
a week ago, he has pleased the
fans immeaSurably.
Not only has he pleased the
fans. but he's pleased his bosses.
Walter Johnson and Clark
CIR fifth. Griffith said so in an
interview with our own Joe
Holman, and when Griffith
speaks such praise of a bali
player he knows he is doing so
at the expense of that ball
player bringing the matter I'D
when he signs his next contract.
It's a racket, you know. and a
ball player, like the rest of we
mortalS who work for a liv-
ing, has got to get it when he
knows he's in good and is
"CLI CIlOuBnC OF.
So far, in his weeks exhibit
ton under a WASHINGTON ban.
ner, Shires has not only cashed-
in with the public on his great
life and spirit and dash, but he
has backed this up with play
afield and at the bat that
stamps him as being something
more than the young blow-hard
that they labeled him out in
Chicago.
Shires is really ball players
ball player. He's the type of
nervy youngster to whom a
man like Clark Griffith would
take a fancy. for Griff must
have been just such a daring
young sprite when he was a boy
as is this lad he has seen fit to
bring to Washington in trade
for a whole battery, and not a
bad battery at that.
Most great men who have
accomplished worthwhile things
have been able to do SO be.
cause down in their own hearts
they were convinced they had
the stuff in them to do the
task they cut out for them,
selves.
ShireS announced when he
came to the big leagues he was
great, that he had greatness
in him and that he was going
to make the grade. That's the
first thing anyone needs to
Succeed-confidence. Shires had
1t and said so and he was
tagged accordingly-mostly in
jest.
1t is no crime to tell the
world you intend to make good;
in fact, it is very refreshing
to see that attitude in some
of the types of young men
they're turning out into the
world today-many of them
without near enough starch or
spunk in their make-upS.
But / think now, as thought
then, that Shires' determine
tion, self-admitted determine
tion if you please. was rubbed
in a little bit on him during
his first year in the majors.
But he proved of real stuff
when he took it all and con-
tinued to try his best out there
on the field. That is some.
thing that it has taken many
big leaguers years to learn
the lesson of taking the cheers
with the 1eers and vice versa:
and Shires took it all and still
played plenty of good ball and
continues to play it.
It was a break for him to
get away from Chicago, not
necessarily to come to Washing d
ton, and that wasn't the worst
break in the world, but to get
away from his big league kin
iergarten, to get away from the
scene of his early awkwardnesS
md mistakes which fans are
1ot prone to forget, and come
70 town where he'll be taken.
as Isl" not for what he wears
IN the street or his stance at
he dining room table. but for
what he does out there on the
'ield. The rest is nobody's busi.