The Washington times., 1933-03-31
FINE
BALL AGAINST
CRACKERS
BY GARRETT WATERS
Times Staff Correspondent

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ATLANTA, Ga, March 81.
Manager Joe Cronin has been
known to have many a surprise
up his sleeve since his appoint
ment as director Of the Griffmen,
but there's one particular surprise
that he's giving away every day
and he probably doesn't realize it.
He is grooming General Alvin
Crowder, star pitcher, for the
honor of twirling the opening
game of the regular American
League campaign a week from
wednesday when the GriffS face
the Philadelphia AS at Griffith
Stadium.
Cronin sent Crowder six innings
in yesterdays encounter with the
Atlanta Crackers, and the Gen
eral, following through like real
trouper, hurled in excellent style
although he gave up five hits and
two runs to his Southern League
opponents.
The game marked the first
time that a Griff pitcher has gone
this distance. And Manager
Cronin and his merry men might
have won had Crowder been al
lowed to have finished out the
string, but Bill McAfee was given
the assignment starting the sew
enth, and in the ninth the Crack
ers took such a liking to Bills
shoots that they slowed the old
ball game safely away in their
pockets for a triumph that was
really triumph from their view
point.
SingtOn Triples
With the Griffs leading, 3 to 2,
in the ninth, Babe Sington, first
up, smote lusty triple to right
center off McAfee which began
his downfall. Pete Susko, first
baseman of the Crackers, kept
right on with the idea of breaking
up McAfee's day by tripling to
the same sector of the outfield, his
clout easily scoring Sington. Then
Fred Neisler, big backstop, ended
affairs as suddenly as they had
started by singing sharply to the
left, Susko denting the plate,
which gave the Crackers a we'll
earned 4-to-3 victory.
Crowder was we'll nigh invincl-
BILE with the exception of the two
innings in which he gave up the
hits for Atlanta runs. The first
of these came in the second when
Sington doubled and scored sew
eral moments later on McKee's
single. The second and last run
off CroWder made it's presence in
the sixth when Rollings singled,
went to third as Bluege threw
wildly to first, and scored on Sing
tons single.
Score In Third
The Griffs took the third inning
to coin all their markers. Errors
by the Crackers helped them a
whole lot. Sewell, first up, singled
but was forced at second on
CroWder'S attempted sacrifice.
Myer got life on Chatham's er-
ror, and both he and the General
scored on Manush's long single to
right. Myer beat the throw by a
whisker after a fast sprint from
first base. Goslin's single drove
across Heine.
Babe Sington was the star of
the fray. He socked out three
hits, a single, double and triple,
and came through with two SEN
sational catches in leftfield in
the sixth. Naturally he is the
spring idol of Atlanta fans now.
Sington, an All-America football
tackle at Alabama, played with
the Alabama Stars in the charity
football exhibitions in Griffith
Stadium in December, 1881.
Manager Joe Cronin was to
make another change in his bat
ting order today, However, the
shift in this instance involves
only two Of his players, Buddy
Myer and Joe Kuhel.
The pair will change places,
Kuhel becoming the lead-off bats
man, and Myer, the hit and run
HI