The Washington times., 1930-03-22

Baseball is just around the
corner. Three weeks from next
Monday the 1880 season will be
opened at Clark Griffith Stadium
with a game between the Wash
ington club and the Boston Red
Sox. The game here will be the
only one played on that day, the
National and American Leagues
possessing an agreement to have
the national pastime open in the
National Capital alone every sea.
son Washington is scheduled to
start at home, which is every
other year. The other IA teams
will swing into action the follow
ing day. April Is, and a new
season will, indeed, be on.
I do not believe Washington
has a championship team with
or without Goose Goslin. Too
many important positions on the
Griffmen are filled by men who
are slowing up, and. while the
crop of youngsters is an interest
ing lot. speedy and ambitious
they will hardly coordinate well
enough to make much of an inn
preston on the daShing Philadel
phia Athletics or the always
dangerous New York Yankees.
They, incidentally, are the
two teams which believe
will come down the stretch in
neck-and-neck race, with
Cleveland and Detroit furnish
ing some competition and the
Chicago White SOx running
in the role of a dark horse.
In the other league, the Ma
tional, I am looking for the Chi
cago Cubs and the rejuvinatec
Philadelphia Phillies to fight i
out. 1 should not be at all sur
prised to see an all-Philadelphis
World Series next fall, but
wouldn't bet dime that such
thing will come to pass, because
I believe spring baseball predic
tions are a thorough waste ot
time, and I don't intend to wast'
any more of yours, or mine, II
making them.
For the last two weeks Wash
ington has been stepped in a hold
out war between Goose GoSlin anc
Clark Griffith, and up to thu
present moment both gentlemen
are locked tighter than the five
power naval conference.
If this baseball deadlock con
tinues, both men stand in a fai
way to lose plenty of money
whereas, if the Stalemate il
broken, each can make himsel
considerable.
The debate has waxed so warn
locally that the adherents of botf
sides are we'll entrenched behinc
an array of wordy arguments. Al
ready President Clark Griffith i
the benefactor as :. result Of thI
publicity the case has drawn, ant
/ imagine Flo Ziegfeld would Civ
a pretty penny to get the Sam'
controversy in the press, and We
the air. in the case Of HIS sta
player baking and refusing to re
port for rehearsals in the week
Immediately preceding a "Follies
premier.
However, baseball, also an
amusement, wakes fat on ,he
same basket of groceries, and
Mr.. Griffith can be thankful
that the GOSIin situation has
come up to focus attention on
an otherwise drab spring
training season.
I believe the Goose Goslin-Clarl
Griffith controversy has two dis
tince phases.
If you look at baseball as
purely business proposition il
which capital and labor ar
fighting it out, your sympathie
can't help be with GoSlin, as il
his case, capital is trying to re
duce the wages of labor by som
40 per cent, and if that is fail
then I'm NOT talking through {
microphone-I'm talking through
my hat.
If you believe in Santa Claus
if you are fond of fairy tales, i
you believe baseball is a Spor
submerged in sentiment. then yol
have a right to believe GoSlll
owes baseball his body and sou
in return for the opportunitie
it has given him and that h
should be a nice boy and d,
right by OUR NELL.
I do not wish to sway any
body's feelings in the Goslir
Griffith debate, but I have seel
little brotherly love, little appre
citation, little sportsmanship an,
little gentleness between owner
and players of baseball.
I recall too wildly that
the local club thought Wal.
ter JOhnSOn's days as
pitcher were over and after
he had served the club Su-
perbly more than 20 years, it
unceremOniOuSly let him slip
ANONYMOUSLY to the minors,
where he managed Newark
for q year.
As a cOld-blooded nYactiol