Evening star., 1933-02-26
ADDED VETS ROUND
OUT HUR[|NG CREW
Much Expected of Stewart,
WhitehiII Power Seen in
Catching Staff.
BY TOM DOERER.
- ILOXI, Miss, February 25.-

IL and his manager-shortstop,
Joe Cronin, began peeping
into the crystal this afternoon in
an effort to see where this aggre-
cation Of pitchers and catchers is
headed.
The duke, of course, is Uncle
Clark Griffith, the only base ball
man in captivity to have been
knighted anywhere, any time and
for no reason. Uncle had a few
swords waved in his face today to
make him a knight in the Biloxi
Mardi Gras.
However, as a heavy fog sifted off
the Gulf Of Mexico the managerial
pair drew up their chairs in the hotel
lobby and matched their mathematics,
with the result that the figures showed
both to believe that the Washington
hurting staff of 1888 will be rs per
cent improved over that of 1882 and
the catching aggregation, with the ad-
dition of young Cliff Bolton, will be
similarly improved in defense and 100
per cent better on attack and in fight
ing spirit when the young man from
Chattanooga is taking an alternate
turn up there with his new war club
While the old gray ranger and the
briStling kid helmsman do not look
for Gen. Alvin Crowder, the cream of
the American League crop Of mounds
men, to repeat with 327 innings of
work and 26 victories to streak a path
of glory through the league, they do
feel that Monte Weaver, the now
stronger rookie sensation of 1882, will
repeat with % wins.
Remember" admonishes the gray
sage of base ball. that the Washing
ton base ball club went through the
1882 season with only two dependable
pitchers. Remember that-just two Of
them. Crowder and Weaver.
Brown, as usual, got away to a
good start, but, also as usual, as he
has been doing for five years. he slowed
under way. Bobby Burke. due to ill
ness, failed to make much of an i'm
preston, Fischer was unable to help
and Cofman did nothing. while AL
Thomas arm bothered him and Nc
Afee came along rather late. Ragland
and Bud Thomas were too new
THEN uncle and Joe burst into
i oratorical praise Of the young men
who have come to them by the
trade route, what they expect Of them
the American League pennant with
them next season. They look for five
dependable hurlers next season.
Cronin believes that Walter Stewart,
the wrong-side hurler, who could do
no better than Is victories against 10
losses for the sixth-place St. Louis
Browns, will be much improved
pitcher, with an outfit which promises
power at the bat, great defense and
potential hurting excellence. Joe con-
tends that the bolstering influence OF
Crowder, Weaver, AL Thomas and
Whitehill will make the southpaw
dangerous and effective pitcher;
II look for 10 wins from Walter this
year." says Grifith. He ought to
switch around his last years figures
considerably. He is fine pitcher and
only needs the stimulus of a fighting
club to make him very good one. At
SO years of age he is far from through
Players, too, contend that Stewart,
six years with the Browns. had become
track worn and that the change of uni
forms may revive in him the power he
showed with the st. Louis club in 1880,
when he hung up 20 and II.
EARL wH1TEH1LL, who totaled 16
IL wins against 13 losses for Bucky
Harris Detroit outfit last Sc eon.
should be q big improvement ove' Fred
Marberry, for whom he was traded at
the last pow-wow Of the moguls in New
York, according to the gathering Of
seers.
Grifith and Cronin believe that Earl
will give them 20 victories this year
to hit against Marberrys relief work
of 8 won and lost, and that Bill
McAfee will steady down to beth start
ing and relief work to keep the staff
well balanced.
In relief work Griffith looks for as
much success from his new mound staff
as he got from his last years aggrega-
ton, when 1t hung up 18 relief VIC
tories against lost for an average OF
.783, the best of the loop.
McAfee blazed the trail not only for
the team, but for the league, in relief
work, Crowder mailing un five wins and
no losses and McAfee three wins and
no losses. Al Thomas, with a weak
wing, got two and nothing.
So with his two relief stars still
aboard and AL Thomas arm as straight
as a string, Griffith and Cronin look
for sterling rescue squad to be pres
ent to send in when the enemy's war
clubs begin popping sparks.
In summing up his hurting strength
Griffith points particularly to AL Thorn
as. the ex-White Sox, as being great
starter and rescuer and the young man
upon whom the club will place a lot
of dependence this year.
Thomas is an ideal pitcher and
player" says Uncle Clark. When
he came to our club his arm was bent
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