Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-30
TRADE FOR ARTHUR
WAS PREXY'S HOPE
Sale Leaves Griffs With Lit
tie for Barter-FeW
Spring Dates.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.


sides involved. For instance,
that sale of Charles Arthur
Shires, first baseman, by the Ma
tionals to the Milwaukee club OF
the American Association prob
ably tickled the buyer, but by no
means did it make Clark Griffith,
president of the Washington club,
happy. Shires' departure leaves
Griffith little worth while in the
way of trading material.
Instead, it was sad blow to Griffith
He had banked heavily on using Arthur
the Great as trading material this VIM
ter. vet was compelled to dispose OF the
player to the highest bidder IN tne
minors for nothing more than caSn;
And not so much cash, at that, as Dali
PLAYERS are priced nowadays.
That all major league clubs waived
claim to ShireS surprised no one more
than Griffith He had regarded-ano
still regards-Shires as q much oetter
first-sacker than some holding regular
berths in the majors and had no loea
the player would be permitted 10 escape
from the big show.
Now the disillusioned prexy has MOTH
ing more than $4,000 to show for
whataman the player for which the
White Sox were given Pitcher Garlano
Braxton and Catcher Benny Tate last
June, and $4,000 isn't likely to buy
much in base ball.
Griffith made q last effort TO use
Shires in a major club trade before
shipping him to the Brewers. He got
in communication with L. G. McEvoy,
vice president of the Browns, with re.
gard to a deal involving Art, but could
do no business Instead the st. Louis
oficial tipped of Grifath to the fact
that business might be done with Mil
waukee.
Now, Milwaukee is a minor subsidiary
of the Browns. Also a major league
waiver is supposed to be strictly
major league secret until the major
club holding the waived players con-
tract is ready to talk teHns OUTSIDE
the big show. Yet Lou Nahin. one OF
the Brewer executives, was all set to
strike a bargain with Griffith as soon
as the latter telephoned.
Maybe garrulous Shires will wear
st. Louis uniform some time next
season.
ANY deals the Nationals may make
IA with the minors henceforth will
not be with clubs of the class "A
circuits-the American Association, the
International League and the Pacific
Coast League-unless they toe the mark
and accept the major league draft
terms At midnight last night business
between these leagues and the big fell
lows were off.
Grifiith again has said he does not
expect sny WaShing on deals while Joe
Engel, Washington scout and presideng
of the Chattanooga club, the Nationals
farm, and his club manager, Bert ME-
hoff, are at the annual minor league
meeting in Montreal this week. He
may have something else to say. how.
ever, after a conference with Engel and
Niehod tomorrow.
WITH Shires gone, every attention
w will be paid Joe Kuhel at the
Biloxi training camp that he may
be made a clever understudy TO the
veteran Joe Judge at first base. Al
though Harley Boss, who served for
time with the Nationals. has been
bought back from Kansas City, kuhel,
who was impressive in his brief appear
ance in big time the past season, will
get the Job as first substitute.
Two other f1rst-sackers on the Wash
ington roster, Dick Goldberg, picked up
from youngstown, Ohio, semi-pro ranks,
and Baxter Jordan, drafted from New
ark, may be discounted.
UNLESS Grindith rakes up SEINE more
~ dates for his Washington ball club
the Nationals will all but pass out
Of the exhibition games business next
Spring. Right now the prexy has listed
but 10 Spring training tits and just
of these are booked for Southern
diamonds.
Present plans call for the Nationals
to swing into action first at their Biloxi
camp on Sunday, March is, in a game
with the Baltimore club of the In
ternational League. Then nothing APP
pears on the schedule until April 3,
when Birmingham of the Southern As
ISOLATION will be encountered at Bir-
minSham. Grifnith has announced sew
eral games will be played by the Ma
tionalS between March is and April 3,
but there Is nothing definite about this.
The Nationals will be in Birming-
ham two days, being scheduled for q
game there on April also. Then they
viii Jump to their Chattanooga farm
for tuSsles with the Lookouts on April
S, s and T.
Thursday, April 9, will find them in
washington for the only engagement
now booked with major league oppo-
nent. That day the Nationals will be
hosts to the Phillies in Grifith Stadium.
April 10 and IL will be given over to
home-and-home matches with the
Orioles, the first game of this brief
series being slated for Baltimore
1ne exnlDlClOn ScneQule VIII end with
tilt with Rochester of the Interna-
tional League in Griffith Stadium on
Sunday, April IL, Looks as though the
Nationals will open the American
League season, or very likely the major
league campaigning, here on April Is
or IA.
NEXT Spring the Nationals will begin
i Y their training little earlier than
they did in the last one. Accord
ing TO information from the Washing
ton club office the pitchers are to as
semble at Biloxi on February IS. The
past seasons training was begun Feb
ruary 81.
The outhelders and infielders of the
club are to get down to business at
the Mississippi camp on March 8, about
two weeks after the battery bunch gets
going. Some of the young pitchers by
that time should be far enough adj
vanced in training to chuck some good
ones at the boys in batting practice.
T Asst Spring the Nationals stay at
- Biloxi was rather brief, but this
time they will do most Of their
training on the Mississippi coast.
While the date for leaving Biloxi has
not been definitely fixed, the Nationals
probably will stick around the Missis-
eippi camp until April 2, then head for
Chattanooga, with a two-day stop-over
ut Birmingham on the way.
VANCE BUSY FISHING.