Evening star., 1933-03-16
HAILED AS BEST Box
PROSPECT SINCE '23'
Rated Real Ball Player as
Pitcher Following Second
Win Over Atlanta.
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

X Base ball bosses aren't in
IL the habit of hanging gar
lands around the necks of
scouts. More often they'd prefer
to wind thick hemp under the
chins of the boys who dig up the
talent that never should have had
its way paid to training camp.
There's one ivory hunter, though,
that Clark Griffith lauds to the
skies. He is Zinn Beck, the Chat
tanooga Club scout, who un-
earthed Ed Linke.
There's a scout for you," says Grit
fifth, with plenty of punch on scout" "
He got us the best-looking young pitch
er we've had around camp In years.
Beck certainly knew what he was about
when ne grabbed that boy out in Day.
enport last July"
Griffith enthused when he talked over
Lnke even before he saw the pitcher.
Eds records in the Mississippi Valley
League made the Nationals boss do
that. He talked more glowingly of the
youngster after seeing him in action for
the first time here. But after Linke's
performance yesterday against the At
lanta club in Biloxi Park, there was
no stopping the old maestro of base ball.
i say he's the flnest-looking young
prospect the Washington club has hooked
since back in '23, when it picked up
Fred Marberry from Little Rock" Grif-
nth raved after watching Linke work
superb five innings against the Crack
erS. why this boy has magnificent
curve and great fast ball There's
nobody around here any faster than
Linke. I'll go further and say there's
nobody else with the club as fast Very
few around the American League, in
fact"
THAT was plenty for the Nationals
L chieftain to put out, but he wasn't
through. How he got those corners
with his pitches. Splendid control"
And Griffith smiled. A pitcher, no mat
ter what else he possesses in pitching
way, must have control to please Grif-
nth. And courage, too. He has shown
me plenty of it.
And that's not all. Look how he
helded his position. Nothing daunted
him" the boss of the club was in high
by this time. Didn't he spear a line
drive that many pitchers would have
sidestepped? Yes, sir, and he turned
1t into double play, too. How he got
down for the dribblers and how he peg
ged to the bases!
Did you notice how he scampered
nome when he worked that double steal
And he hit 'en, too-a pair of singles
-wallopS as pleasing as one would want
OF course, that hitting might be dis
counted" Griffith added. But he took
a good cut at the ball There wasn't
any foot in the bucket"
The Nationals boss beamed. eyes.
sir, Beck dug up a great one for u.s.
Mark my words Linke not only has
the mak1n's of fine pitcher. He's a
ball player"
Griffith also had many nice things
70 say about Bud Thomas, the Virginia
Lad who chucked the last four frames
against the Crackers. He liked Buds
effort and predicted bright future for
the youngster who only two seasons
ago was heaving for the Olmsted Grill
nine on the Washington sandlots. The
boss, though, was so full of Linke that
Thomas will have to wait for the tribute
that should be his.
THE Nationals made short shrift of
L the Atlantans yesterday to go /
up on them in the three games
played thus far. They started scoring
m the first round, piled up a four-run
lead in the first four frames and in
the fifth splurged with a seven-run
rally to salt the set-to. They went on
to 1872 win.
It might seem that such a punch
made 1t particularly easy for Linke, the
nYrf u
been all needed by the Davenport de-
4verer to finish his five innings In the
van. During his term the Crackers
Cleaned of him just five hits and lone
walk. Ed struck out three, twice speed
ing the third one by dazed batter. The
other strikeout saw batter swinging
straight out from the shoulder at
wide breaking curve not quite knee-high,
Linke's hook was that deceptive.
Thomas, too, might have scored a
shutout in his four frames but for a
forgivable error by Myer. The Crackers
got but three blows off Bud He had
one out in the ninth when he walked a
batter. Then Myer at second base got
. double-play chance, but chucked Wild
1y past Johnny Kerr. who came over
from short a trifie sluggishly to cover
the middle sack A hit and an infield
retirement following enabled the Allan
tans to chalk up their two tallies.
The regulars started the game, but
when the fifth frame came along the
Becond-singers began to dribble In. Both
combinations gave good accounts. Seven
teen hits were collected off the quartet
of hurlers Wilbert Robinson, the portly
president of the Atlanta Club, directed
his manager to send into action. That
fifth-inning furore was accomplished
with flock Of six safeties following two
bases on balls Dave Harris and Bolton.
crashing the game in that frame, socked
solidly their first times up.
TOE KUHEL and Bolton were the
hitting demons of the fray. each
swinging with plenty Of vigor and
effect. Kuhel. in helping himself to
four hits in five tries, looked far bet
ter at bat than in any earlier effort IN
this camp. Bolton took a toe hold each
time he stepped up to the plate and
crashed for three laundering thumps.
Goose Goslin, up six times, really got
hold Of the ball for the first time. He
met it solidly each trip, but only two
of the drives got through to safety.
He looked the Goose of his hitting
days, back in %.
Routine practice was today's order,
but tomorrow the Nationals will swing
into action again, this time with the
Pelcans of New Orleans. Manager
Cronin is planning to use on the hill
Jack Russell, the ex-Clevelander who
took a humping from the Crackers
last Sunday. Russell wasn't in such
good trim then and hesitated to bear
down In pinches, but he claims to be
ready now. Johnny Burrows, the
southjaw sensation of the Phoenix
sandlots, also will be called on to do
some flinging against the minors.
EPIENnS AIIIMNI WIN