Evening star., 1933-03-24
GROVE BENT UPON
REGA|N|NC THRONE
Connie Declares He Wouldn't
Trade AS New Machine
for Any Other.
BY Stan Correspondent Of The Star.
TORT MYERS, Fla, March "a.
r. The first thing Connie
1 Mack did in rounding I'm his

TORT MYERS, Fla, March "a.
X The first thing Connie
L Mack did in rounding up his
pitching staff for this years
pennant race was to bring George
EarnShaw into line. After a
spotty season in 80, Earnshaw
spent the past Winter making Ill
advised statements on the AS
chances.
Connie talked with him, so that Earn
shaw not only made public statement
that he would quit clowning and settle
down to serious pitching. but dove into
the training at Fort Myers with a zeal
that quickly put him in shape.
Midwest of the Florida exhibition
schedule, the big moose was burning
a fast ball across batters' chests that
reminded OF his work in 1930-31 when
he pushed Lefty Grove for staff honors
Ii Earnshaw has the expected sue
cess, the AS will be a pennant threat
OF no mean proportions For Grove
seems destined for another Grove year.
Winning 25 games last season with an
ankle that put him out for a month,
Mose was still dissatisfied. He eyed
with i'll favor the record of Vernon
Gomez, Yankee star, and has deter
mined to show this young man who is
the boss man among A. l.. left-handers
Or right-handers for that matter.
CTILL third figure out to redeem
- a bad season is George (Rube) WAL
berg. Rube had salary troubles last
Spring. Then he experienced pitching
difficulties. Finally the boys rode"
him about his staying powers. For re-
ply the husky Nordic went out and won
eight straight games, one of them a
10 gem in Cleveland that was the
equal of Groves best effort This year
he has laid careful plans for a return
to 1890 form. resolving to keep his
temperament in hand first of ali.
Roy Mahaffey. run of-mine right
handler. forms the fourth of Comics
big four. He will find competition for
a starting role in Merritt Cain. young
Army post pitcher who was farmed to
Baltimore last year. Tony Freitas, who
won II straight for the AS after his
purchase from Sacramento in midsea-
son. will be No. of the starters.
This leaves scramble among half
a dozen other young men who have
shown promise down South. Big Jim
Peterson is prominent Pete was
plucked from the University Of Penn
| sylvania campus, carried with the AS
in 1881. farmed to Portland. and had
tremendous success there. A studious
Tim McKeithan of Duke University.
who won eight games after hing
farmed to Albany in the Eastern
League.
COWELL S. CLASET, MontreaI's
" huge southpaw, IS bidding for a
berth with the earnestness Of $50
pounds Of beef and bone. Hank Nc
Donald, Portland alumnus, is a right
handler who tried and failed in 1881
with the AS. Lew Krausse, the Media,
Pa, high school favorite. appears
little improved. Ed Kisloski-Cole,
semi-pro from Wilkes-Barre, Pa: John
Merena, Bridgeport, Conn; William
Dietrich. Philadelphia schoolboy, and
Eddie Cutler. Madison. N. j., are
youngsters with good chance to stick
part of the season.
Grove locks good. Very good" said
. Connie Mack. You know" he added
after a moment, even Nose didn't
have real good year last season. None
of my pitchers did. But I think we'll
have good pitching this year"
| Quite a character this 70-year- old
member of the clan McGillicuddy.
This is the thirty-third Spring he has
summarized his Athletics before the
season starts. You'd think it was his
first.
Gosh. I like this ball club" he con-
! flded. 'Yes. sir. like it as we'll as
any I've had. 1t should be popular
with the fans. Why. right now I
Continued on Third Page)