Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-08
JONES AND HADLEY
ALONE GOING SLOW
Rice Displaying Plenty of
Pepper-PheIps Proves
He Can Sock Ball.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

- speed ITOIn now OH. 1ndb
was the order issued this
- morning as the Nationals
masSed in Biloxi Stadium for
their daily base ball drill Their
arms we'll loosened by eight days
of throwing, the pitchers will be
permitted to put a little some
thing on the ball, and there will
be more strenuous heaving by
catchers, infielderS and out
fielderS.
Manager Walter Johnson wants his
team to enter the championship race in
the American League this year in far
better shape than it was at the begin
ming of the last campaign, and will
have all hands putting more pepper in
their work during the two weeks re-
manning before camp Is shifted to
Chattanooga.
Several pitchers are so far advanced
in their conditioning work that they
may well put all they have into their
slabbing. Fred Marberry and Ad LiSka
are in excellent trim already. So are
Lloyd Brown and Bob Burke. the young
left-handers. Herbert Pyle and Carlos
Moore, newcomers to the club, also are
quite ready to show their wares This
bunch will be permitted to chuck EN-
in there.
It's different with Sam Jones and
Irving Hadley, though. While both are
working earnestly they are not at the
point where it would be safe for them
to attempt tricks with the ball. Jones
is deliberately slowing his training
under orders from Trainer Mike Martin,
although Sam aims to be in good shape
when the club breaks camp here. Sam
is no youngster in the game and his
right wing needs a deal of nursing.
Hadley still is bothered by sore feet,
although he has shed many of the extra
pounds he brought here with him and
really is toiling every day. He should
soon round into form.
Thomas Arm Sore.
Myles Thomas has been troubled with
. slight soreness in his pitching arm,
but with the weather daily becoming
warmer this pitcher believes he will
soon get rid of the ailment. Don
Savidge and Paul Daugert, the least
experienced rockies of the mound staff,
have been working in batting practice
and probably will be regularly assigned
to this task now that the other fingers
are to essay more serious effort.
The outf1elders here are getting plenty
of exercise nowadays. Fungo hitters
keep the fiy-hawks chasing all around
Tie PdSIuIco. LEGS uIuob NC SbEEIlBIH-
ened and shagging flies probably is the
best way to restore the power and
speed to underpinning weakened by a
Winter of rest. The field used by the
Nationals for their drills is much bet
ter for the outfielding work than they
used in Florida so many seasons. The
gardens are covered by springy turf
instead of sand as at Tampa so there
should be no charley horses sprung this
Spring.
About the hardest worker in the out
field squad is its oldest member Sam
Rice. Sam now gets about the ground
in great style, and insists he is every
bit as fast as he was last year. Rather
surprising, this, for Sam has been using
his legs for 38 years. Sixteen of these
years he has been using them in pro-
fessional base bah and the base ban
game is not so easy on legs.
George Loepp, the gardener bought
from Baltimore, buckled down to the
training grind as soon as he reached
camp and with only few days work
has whipped himself into right fair
form. Loepp seems to possess much
speed and he appears a pretty good
Judge Of hoists to the outfield, too. He
covered much ground in practice yes
terday when special attention was given
him by Manager johnson. He did not
do so well in the batting drill, but it
would not be right to check on his
power with the stick until he has
swung for at least a week.
Phelps Hefty Hitter.
Two of the athletes are seeking the
BAH savagely in the daily batting prac-
tees. Rice is sailing it toward the
fences and so is Gordon Phelps, The
latter has fine pair of shoulders and
he puts plenty behind his drives. He
has good form at the plate, too and
thus far has been good in the timing
OF his swing. Whether Phelps can
gauge really good pitching will not be
known until he is tested under fire.
But one thing about him can be said
right now, whenever he hits a ball
squarely, whether it be well pitched or
simply thrown, that ball is going to
travel a great distance. The Bowie
boy can sock.
Joe Judge is carefully building I'D his
legs for the impending league season
grind. For years Joe's underpinning
annoyed him considerably, but last sea-
son he went through in great shape and
ne aims to make it unnecessary for the
club to exercise their option on Harley
Boss, young flrst-sacker, farmed to
Chattanooga, this year.
Among the first on the field each
morning, Judge takes a warm-up jog
and then for about 10 minutes goes
blhOusl COURSE OF leg exercises de-
signed to loosen as we'll as strengthen
the thigh muscles That done the
veteran first-sacker does some more
running before entering a pepper game
IN which he plays for as much as
quarter of an hour. After that comes
batting and fielding practice before Joe
calls it day. It's big order, but
Judge fills it.
Bluege's Knee Seems o. X.
So far Ossie Bluege has performed
as II he never had had any knee trou-
BILE. The leg that was operated on
last Fall after, Ossie had suffered for
months from an injury incurred during
game in Chicago seems quite strong
Bluege declares it now causes him no
trouble and he isn't sparing it any. He
jumps about the third base with ease,
bending the leg every way, and at bat
he takes his swing with full pivot
that throws much strain on the knee.
yet 1t does not hurt him. Bluege GER
tainly has not lost any speed Like
Judge, he does a deal of running dur
ing his practice and he can cover
ground in good time.