Evening star., 1932-04-17
Johnson IS CERTAIN
HE HAS CONTENDER
Nationals Expected Soon to
Hit Batting Stride With
Cronin Back on Job.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

/ Il 1111A3 ApTLl IO.-WeU
- seasoned by their four games In
| the championship race and
ready for any kind of weather.
they can run into nothing worse than
that encountered in Boston recently
the Nationals are all set to show before
their home folks for the second time in
| this young American League campaign.
It's to be big show, too, this Wash
! ington ome-coming tomorrow For
| TIE johnson band is to carry its fight
with Connie Mack's circuit champions,
| the Athletics, into Griffith Stadium in
the Capital Any time Nationals and AS
mix especially in Washington, there's
grand rumpus
There should be fireworks in Wash
ingtons Sunday tuSsling, for the game
will mark the first meeting this year
between Fred Marberry, the big Texas
tosSer of TIE Griffith brigade, and Al
Simmons, demon slugger of the Mack
maulers.
| Sending Marberry and Simmons into
| the same game is like throwing into a
small pen a pair of bulldogs who have
never been introduced. Things hap
pen-and actively. When he's pitching
against Al. Fred always has chip on
/
Al always Is ready to chuck his hat into
the ring
| One can only guess at Mack's pitch
ing choice for the Sunday set-to. It
may be the right-handed George Earn
shaw, who was manhandled by the
Yankees in the season opener here last
Tuesday. Then again it may be the
| left-handed Rube Walberg. who was
driven to cover by the New Workers
Friday. Games have been so few for
the AS and the weather has been so
| poor that Mack has yet to set start
| ing routine for his slabmen.
! Washington should see quite a lot OF
| its ball club during the next eight days.
| In addition to the tilt tomorrow games
are scheduled for Griffith Stadium with
the Red Sox on Wednesday, Thursday
and Saturday and week from to-
morrow the AS will return to the
Capital.
Monday and Tuesday Manager john
son will have his gang back here for
scraps with the league champs. Fri
! day will be an off day. Bads news for
the fair fans of Washington. Theren
be no ladies' day in Griffith Stadium
until April 90. What treat the shrill
rooters will get then, however, for once
again the AS will be the Nationals
guests.
MANAGER JOHNSON says he Is
1v1 right well pleased with his
Nationals to date. He is more
confident than ever that he has far
better ball club than he directed last
season and believes his club, barring
accidents, will achieve greater success
than 1t did in the 1881 campaign.
I'VE haven't so many pitchers, true,
but what we have are good pitchers.
Far better than the average, l would
say. One hears a lot about the AS
having a championship pitching staff.
1 can't see it that way" Johnson de-
clared today. Instead, I'd say it's a
staff pitching for a championship
team-at least, that's what it has been
for three years.
"The AS have fine pitchers. I'm not
attempting to take anything from them.
What I mean Is that Mack's pitchers
have had such fine support extensively
and defensively that they have been
able to carry on successfully even when
not at top form.
81 think that the pitching staff
Washington now has would make
great name for itself If supported as
well as the pitchers of the AS have
been the past three seasons" Walter
contended.
And I am confident our pitchers
will get lot of help from the remain
der of the team We haven't struck our
true hitting stride yet There's more
power in the club than has been shown.
When the boys begin swinging regu-
larly-and am sure they Will soon
we'll surprise 'em.
I'm not worrying about defense. We
have the best fielding club In the
league. One of the best in base ball, In
fact.
I'VE ought to make a great fight
in the race this year" was Johnson's
earnest comment, 'and am sure we
will"
VYTAsHINGTON'S regular lineup
w took the field today for the first
time in the championship season,
for ShortStop Joe Cronin, forced to re-
main in the Capital to nurse an ailing
sinus and sore tonsils while his team
mates were in Boston, hooked up with
the club there.
Cronin still is not his old self so
far as strength is concerned. Natur-
ally so. for one does not come back
from the ailments he suffered in day
or two. But base ball is life to Joe
and being in the game once more will
do more than anything else to bring
him around to top form quickly.
Cronin's absence from the early play
revealed that the Nationals have in
Johnny Kerr probably better utility
infielder than many had thought. Al
though more accustomed to playing at
second base, the little fellow who came
to Washington with Carl Reynolds in
the big trade with the White Sox last
Winter was right at home at short
stop against the Boston OUTFIT.
In his three games Johnnys fielding
was flawleSs. He got to the ball fast
and his throwing was speedy and ac-
curate In both engagements in Bos-
ton Kerr was the fielder in the pinch
in the ninth inning. In Wednesdays
tilt, after the Nationals had gone to
the front by one run, the Washington
sub shortstop scooped up two hot ones
to account for the first two outs in the
Boston ninth and in the Friday tussle,
when the Red Sox had runners on
third and first bases, Johnny gathered
in Berry's sharp grounder to start
game-ending force play.
Kerr appears in every way steady
fielder, and, though not so sturdy at
bat, the club did not get bad break
when he was moved over from the
White Sox.
THOSE squawks made by George Mo-
i riarity and Bill Dinneen about
the broadcasting by Ted HuSing
Of their efforts at umpiring in the
season opener in Washington last
Monday may get the base ball public
a fair deal, at least in so far as game
officials are concerned.
The umpires hollered because they