Evening star., 1932-05-09
Barney Hurls Without a Ball
Rival Clubs Credit Crifs Success to Pilots Handling of
Pitchers.

feats of the Yankees and the Athletics
few days ago, and they will yodel loud
and unanimously Walter johnson"
Take the Nationals hurting staff
one By one and call of their good
deeds against the Ydnks and the
MGckS and you tDiI not get a uedk
huzsdh from the experts or the play
ing members of the ttCo teams. Nope,
not a Dhimper. But you 10iu hear
from all that it Dds the pitching
knowledge possessed by the old mas
ter that caused the edotDnfdH of the
giant po1Uer OF the ttDo most pouer-
Jul clubs in the American League.
There Is nothing exceptional about
the Senator hurting this year" said one
expert watching the Yanks and the
Mats as Bob Burke passed IL men in
seven innings. But there is something
exceptional in their following the orders
of that big Barney over on the bench.
For the first time these pitchers are
really following orders. And don't for
get that there never was a greater
pitcher than that big boy In the dugout
who is giving those orders. Fellow. he
knows"
Talking to johnson the other day
upon the success Of his hurting staff,
an out-of-town writer got this: Sure
they are going great. They are throw
ing them where they should"
And that is just what Is happening
johnson realized that there was only
one way to stop the power plants of
MS biggest rivals, and that was not to
permit the dynamite to function. And
there Is no safer way of doing that
little thing than by giving the boys
on the end of the mighty totem poles
nothing at which to hit. You can't
nit what you can't reach still Is good
base ball logic.
Ydnk players, drriUno in NeD
York follo,oing the series here, free
~ admitted they Dere whipped by
Johnson strategy. They admitted
the beauty of the Johnson defense.
the potent tCdllop in the bats OF the
Washington cret0, but the largest
dish OF praise uent to Walter John
sons handling OF his pitchers.
Those Babylon batters admitted they
fell for Johnson's snare hook. line and
their hatbands. Any time that Sen
ator hurler tossed up a good ball to
those Yanks it was to pitcher Moth
ing but wild pitches were rendered
Byrd. Ruth and Gehrig. When one of
OF that trio hit he had to reach for 1t
plenty far. Such were the old masters
orders and the hurlers paid full atten-
ton to the boss.
Add to Sir Walters orders to
pitch them wild to Nthe power hit
ters the old speedster's work with
Weaver, Ragland and Fischer down
IN Biloxi in March and you have
some Of the reasons why the Mats
hurting STAFF is going along smooth
ly. johnson paid more stress than
usual upon his hurting staff down
there along the Gulf Coast because
be felt that unless it held up better
than last season the Mats were In
Tor tough shedding this semester.
Walter talked pitching poverty on
one hand and preached optimism to
his lean hurling staff on the other
He picked Weaver to bloom into star
dom, Fischer to make great showing
this season, and argued for Crowder's
statement that he would get of to a
nying start this year.
But. in a nutshell, the success of
the Mats hurting stat at the mo-
ment is due to splendid, smart tute-
Ldge and its obedience to orders.
The old master is up there pitching
Without a ball