Evening star., 1932-05-06
VET TO HAVE DAY.
HERE THIS SEASON
0ptimiSts Club Arranging
Plans for Event-CroWder
to Face Chisox.
BY JOHN b. KELLER.

ND Sam Rice, longest -Serv-
ing member of the Ma
" tionals, is to have his day.
Not that the veteran
hasn't had many days on the
playing field that meant much to
his club-only last Tuesday he
slammed the ball to the right
field corner of Griffith Stadium
for a two-base hit that pulled a
game out of the fire-but this
time it will be his day to be hon
ored particularly by Capital fan
dom.
| Some time this season while the Ma
tlonals are at home Rice will be the
center of ceremonies of an affair in
which grateful fans will express in some
substantial form their appreciation of
his remarkable service, a service that
has extended over II playing cam
paigns with the Nationals.
Plans for a Rice day at Griffith
Stadium We're to have been tentatively
prepared at noon today at a luncheon
meeting of the Optimists Club. Wash
&. Williams, a member of that or
ganlzatlon and long an admirer of
Rice on the ball field, who is leading
the movement to honor the veteran
player, was to have assembled a COM
mittee and start the ball rolling
What form these honors for Rice
Will take is somewhat uncertain. Since
the Joe Judge day here, when Wash
lngton'S first baseman received a sum
OF record breaking proportions for such
occasions in base ball, the American
League has ruled that member clubs
may not contribute any of the gate re-
celptS of game to a player under such
circumstances.
That big Judge day sum was made
possible by the Washington clubs sub
stantial gift and the waving of a por-
tion of its share of the gate money by
the Detroit club, the visitor here Judge
day. This time all money must be
provided by the Capital fans. How
ever, Rice is more than popular here
and 1t is not expected that much diff
Guilty will be encountered in raising an
amount that would properly express
Washington's appreciation of its great
ball player.
HAVING given their Eastern rivals
thorough drubbing, the Nation
ais. after a two-day lay-off from COM
petition, this afternoon we're to turn
their attention to opposition from the
Western sector of the league They
were to start a three-game series with
the White Sox. who have been taking
it on their collective chins right regu-
larly out in the corn belt
Manager Johnson was to send his
sensational recruit, Monte Weaver.
against the hodge podge collection
Manager Fonseca has under his wing
this afternoon, butt according to Wash
ington pitching plans the Chicagoans
will be up against the f1inging of a
veteran tomorrow. Al Crowder is the
Washington slab choice for the week
end fitting in Griffith Stadium.
The Nationals are going into this
string of games with their Western op-
ponentS with all hands in tip-top trim
and a great chance to settle themselves
more comfortably than ever in first
place in the league race.
IF those Athletics are out of this
i American League race. they don't
know it. Only yesterday in their
first brush of the season with West
ern outfit they performed like the AS
of other seasons. Backing fine pitch
ing by the great Lefty Grove with solid
smacking they gave the Indians plenty
of punishment.
The AS may be down but they're
never out.
d UMP HADLEY, former Griff hurler,
- seems to be doing very well on
the firing line in the livery of an
other club. The pitcher who had every
thing in a pitching way but never went
so nicely here outside of his first sea-
son in the majors, stepped along in fine