The Washington times., 1933-07-08
SUCCESSFUL
SHOWING IS
NEW HOPE
BY GARRETT WATERS

Out West last month the Griffs
accomplished a most envious feat
besides playing the Speediest sort
of ball and appearing like the
new American League champiom
all the while.
It was winning every seriA
played against the four Western
teams of the circuit, namely, the
st. Louis Browns, Chicago White
Sox, Cleveland Indians and De.
troit Tigers.
Needless to say Manager
Cronin's gang had to do just
this in order to overhaul the
New York Yankees for first place
but the fact that they did offers
some incentive for similar show.
ing against their Western rivals
as they'll appear at Griffith Sta
dium during the next three weeks,
The Griffs are due to open
their current home stand today
before another one of those ban
ner crowds that attend baseball
games at important occasions
during the course of the season.
Important Day Today
Today the Importance involves
the first appearance Of Cronin
and his boys since their very
successful sojourn on foreign
fields during the past month,
while it has an added significance
in the fact that Walter Johnson,
once the peer of all pitchers, will
be Showing" here for the first
time in an alien uniform.
Dignitaries are scheduled to at
tend, while the crowd altogether
promises to number in the neigh
borhood of $4,000.
Getting back to the Griffs and
the showing they made out West,
they ran roughshod over their OPP
ponents in this manner: Three
out Of four games were taken
from the st. Louis Browns, four
out Of four games were taken
from the Chicago White Sox,
four out Of five from the Cleve-
land Indians and two out of three
from the Detroit Tigers.
The Griffs hope to begin right
where they left off in their home
stand against the West which be-
gins today with a double header
against the Cleveland Indians at
Griffith Stadium.
-Four contests are on schedule
with the Indians all told, and
although the team, now managed
by Walter Johnson, gave the
Griffs quite a battle the last time
they appeared here, the GrIffs
hope to get started on a new
winning streak by gaining at
least a trio of successes between
now and Tuesday when johnson
and his gang will leave for other
stations.
Being on home soil and in the
midst of a winning spirit, the
Griffs should do well rS:lring chis
home stand when every angle is
considered.
o. K? Maybe!
But it remains to be seen
whether the pitching will hold up
from such men as General Alvin
Crowder, Earl Whitehill, Alphonse
Thomas and Walter Stewart,
while it's something to figure
whether the batting of Heinie
Manush. Manager Joe Cronin,
Goose Goslin, Fred Schultz, Os-
sic Bluege and the rest will con-
tinue at the fast pace of recent
games.
On paper everything" shou1c
go right with the team. In all
likelihood each department will
deliver as usual but even so the
race to hold on to that two and
one-half game lead promises to be
a heated one as the New York
Yankees, now in second place, are
as good as the Griffs, if not bet
ter, on their home grounds.
All of which puts the pressure
Of the situation right up to
Manager Cronin and his gang.
who realize as we'll as everybody
else, just what must be done dur
ing the next .three weeks, and
just how they hope to be sue
cessful in their efforts to hold
on to their now coveted position
in the standings.