Evening star., 1932-05-16
ALVIN MAKING 'EM
|. FORGET 81 SPRING
Seems Started on Another
Campaign Such as Made
Him Coveted Hurler.
BY JOHN b. FOSTER.

n JEW YORK, May 16.-At this
M time one year ago Alvin
1 Y Crowder, who pitches for
Washington, was one of
the diSappointments of the Wash
ington Spring season. He had
not won game and owed the
statistical bureau entrance money,
as three defeats had been record
ed against him. Today he has
won six games for the Senators
and two defeats are charged
against him.
There Is a chunk Of change of form
worth having, and it is specially val
liable to the Washington team, which
is leading the league and has played but
three more games than New York. If
all the Washington pitchers were
Crowders, mere than one of them
might win more than 20 games this
season if they could maintain his pres
ent pace.
All the base ball facts about this
pitcher are interesting. At one time
washington was sure he would be one
Of the great stars of base ball. He was
pitching for the Birmingham club of
the Southern Association in 1925 and
was coveted young man. More than
one major club opened negotiations for
him because, in 1925, he had won l3
games and lost IL for Birmingham and
in 1926 he went through the association
like a Southern tornado and won II
games and lost 4. That egged on the
hungry wolves of the majors Wash
ington had the inside track and obtain
ed him from Birmingham. He finished
the season of 1926 with Washington
and won Z games and lost 4.
LIE started again for Washington in
i i 1927. but he wasn't there He was
little sour on himself and base
ball generally. Finally he was traded
to the St. Louis Americans for Tom
Zachary. 1t Is said that Washington
regretted the trade very shortly after it
took place, but that didn't help Wash
ington because St. Louis had Crowder
and stuck to him through 1928 and
1929. In 1923 he won 81 games and
lost for St. Louis and when anybody
said "Crowder" in front OF the Wash
ington management it was like intro
next year he won II games and lost IS
for St. Louis and Washington now and
then said something about the trade
being justified after all.
In 1929 he got of on the wrong foot
for st. Louis, although he might have
been worse, and when st. Louis felt that
Heinie Manush had served his time for
that team, and thought Goose uoslin
would make a better batsman for the
Browns, a suggested trade Of Manush
for GoSlin began to be discussed, but
Washington wouldn't hear Of 1t on even
terms.
THEY wanted something thrown IN
i and when st. Louis offered to send
Crowder back to Washington as part
of the deal, Washington snapped 1t up.
Owner Clark Griffith still felt in his
base ball bones that Crowder was some
thing of a pitcher after all, and that he
could do more good for washington
than he was likely to do for st. Louis.
Back Crowder went to Washington
and began to pitch winning ball. In
1891 Griff felt that Crowder would be
an ace for him, or a little slam, or
something like that, but the General"
which is Crowders nickname, got of
on the wrong foot and Washington
again wondered what allied him. Crowder
finally won 18 games and lost IL in
1881. by no means a bad record for a
whole season, but not as good as WASH
ington wanted.
This year Washington began to play
ball at the start. In fact, they played
well before the start, yet they were put
down as only $3.50 in March by mean
dering tenderfeet. They are now lead
ing the league, and Crowder. who has
won six and lost two games, seems
starting on another of those seasons
which at one time made him one Of the
most coveted pitchers in base ball.