Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-03
HARRIS AND BOYLE
TO DUEL At BILOXI
Only One to Be Kept to Aid
Manush, Reynolds, West
and Rice.
BY rom DOERER.

u Washington ball club for
1882, virtual carry-over
from the 1881 season, has so far
stifed the competition for berths
on the team at the training camp
here that, with the exception of a
pair of Second-String pitching
berths still vacant, there is only
one spot on the club that entails
a fight between candidates.
This position is a utility outf1eld role
and the aspirants are Sheriff" Dave
Harris and Ralph Boyle, the acquisi-
ton from the Baltimore Orioles in the
waning weeks of last season. On the
strength of what Harris and Boyle ex-
hibit during the training campaign and
in the Spring exhibition games will de-
pend their fate and future with the
club.
One of the pair is certain to be re-
leased, as six outfielders now numbered
on the roster are enc too many, accord
ing to the new scale necessitated by
the reduction of the player limit from
Is to %, voted by the big league mag
mates at their executive meeting last
Winter in New York. With provisions
calling for the retention of nine pitch
ers, three catchers and six infielders,
the outfield group Is automatically re-
duced to five.
Rice First Alternate.
Heinie Manush, Carl Reynolds and
Sam West are, of course, regarded as the
regulars and Sam Rice, veteran of 16
years service, Enthusiastically is first
choice as alternate. The other berth
lies between Harris and Boyle, and
johnson will not make the decision
until the start of the campaign on
April IL.
Harris and Boyle are slated to join
the club here Sunday and take their
first workouts with the full squad the
following day. The condition in which
they report may have a heavy bearing
on their early impression on the Ma
tionals' bosses, for the opening exhibit
ton game Of the season is scheduled
one week later and they will be expect
ed to be at top form for constant duty
then and thereafter.
Harris two years ago was the SenSa-
ticn Of the league as pinch-hitter and
led all the pinch batsmen Of 1880 in
that respect. He was obtained early in
the season from the White Sox in ex-
change for Outfelder Red Barnes, who
never was able to make the grade with
the Nationals and who since has been
relea-ed to the American Association
b. 10 Chiso-
Last year Harris pinch-hitting, his
cl, = duty, slumped badly, although he
fir. he'd the season with an average Of
.312. However, he failed miserably when
the Job was turned over to him upon
Sam Rice being taken from the lineup
for a long spell His wallops were for
healthy distances, but they were too in
frequent.
Clark Grifith himself observed Boyle
In action several games in Baltimore
before purchasing him from the Orioles
last year. That he was highly impressed
with the work of this 22-year-old lad
from Cincinnati is attested by the fact
that Johnny Gill, whose purchase from
the Orioles preceded Boyle's by only
few DAYS, was released to Chattanooga
by Griffith despite the fact that Gill
outhit Boyle by 80 points in the Inter
national Laague last season.
The release of Gill and the retention
of Boyle is a commentary on Grifflth's
method of handling ball players. The
Nationals owner, one of the few men
at the head of big league teams who
was former ball player himself. de-
clares that averages count for little
when he attempts to appraise the COM
parative value of ball players. He saw
in Boyle a better prospect than Gill;
despite the disparagement in the hit
ting averages, and is willing to stage his
sagacity against the figures.
Boyle Clever Fielder.
Boyle Is a clever fielder and fine base
runner and overshadows Harris in these
respects. Although his hitting has yet
to be proved, Griffith took the chance
on Boyle rather than Gill because of a
belief that Boyle may not only prove to
be good ball player, but brilliant one,
and in that case his investment would
be returned hundred fold
In the meantime the routine Of the
training at the vast Biloxi Field is IN
changed, save for the fact that the
pitching is bit speedier, the pepper
drills and the hitting practice a bit
more intense as the players shake the
kinks out of their arms and legs and
the volley ball games gain an importance
that promises world series meeting
between the teams captained by Fred
Marberry and Alvin Crowder.