Evening star., 1933-02-23
CROWDER FIGURES
CLUB T|TLE-B0UND.
Bolton Against Moonlight
PIay-Kerr Takes Rookie
HurIer Under Wing.
BY TOM DOERER.

HnOXI, Miss, February 23.-
K Keep your eyes open and
l. your mouth Shut" Johnny
Kerr, Clark Grifflth's utility
infielder and coach-in-a-pinch, Is
telling Lloyd Cassell, "the green
est rookie in years." as the Ma
tionals' pennant-enthused van
guard starts parkward for their
initial workout of the year.
Cliff Bolton, who hit $40 and played
in 1872 games behind the bat for Chat
tanooga last semester, is feeling perky.
Cliff takes shine to big Bud Thomas,
the tall Charlottesville, Va, boy, who
won 20 and lost last year with
youngstown. Bud, too, is sort Of feel
ing good. Bud puts in boost for Tony
Citrano, Youngstown manager, who
brought the club into third place, and
expects to take it farther up the line
this year.
Some one remarks that Walter john
son said that Bud was the finest rookie
pitching prospect he had seen in years."
And the blond Virginian blushes and
says, "sho nuf?"
DOLToN stretches his legs, shades
- his eyes from the baking sun, and
says that Lynn Grifith, the young
left handler Uncle Clark turned over
to Chattanooga last Spring, is the
smartest young hurler he has ever
handled. Lynn turned in eight wins
against q loss with the Lookouts and
he hurt his arm in a scuffle during the
final month of the season. Joe Cam
bria gets him next year at Albany.
Watch him." says Cliff. He might
be around this way again"
And does the young Mr.. Bolton like
to bask In this sun? We've had the
coldest Winter at home In Carolina in
is years." he says.
FURTHERMORE Cliff does not think
l. those night games IN the Southern
Association are doing the bali play
ers any good. After few night games
stiffen up, and 1t takes more than q
few battles In the sun to loosen up. We
only play Is or 20 such games all sea-
son, though more than half Of tho
league plays night ball"
Ball players seem to b - ksen for
the moonlight games - thay efs for
salary cuts. News that Atlanse was cdt-
salary to $3.50, and na1l3ng 0eher cuts
Of about the same PROPORTION. nsde
some Of the youngsters 1nGtsR
Bobby Burke, who het666 - 1rum
Chicago, appears TO b - bqDtR pl4n-
cal condition than last y6mL Non hes
was forced to retire ann h66e hall.
Sent to Chattanooga, he 2UQteed sick
just before D game n Vt4 ~ .w9s
booked b give the LoohoGkS- y break In
their pennant Fight.
CENERAL ALVIN CROWDER, whoied
" the. whole American League t1ock
Of pitchers In victories last year,
happens to remember that when he
walloping the Athletics at Washington
to /, It made his even Tooth victory
in five years. While last years hurting
accomplishment gave him o kick, his
biggest thrill, the General says, came in
1928, when he hung up II wins against
only losses.
And his biggest scare came In 1923 at
| Winston-Salem, his home town, when.
as a young hurler, he was forced TO face
Nose Grove in an exhibition contest.
Grove was hurting for Baltimore at the
time, and his reputation had rung
| through base ball. But AL has carried
on to give Nose plenty Of man-to-nian
pitching battles.
The General looks for the Nationals
to be at the top this year, the Macks to
be threatening and the New York club
to show less strength than last season.
He sees a slipping Of the important
cogs Of the mighty Yank outfit.
T1NCLE NICK ALTROCK remembers
~ that this is his thirty-fou train
ing trip, during which series he has
failed to appear at camp on time but once.
That was, the leader of this party says,
back in 1908 when as pitcher for the
Boston Red Sox he was too i'll to get
of to camp. He was traded to the
White Sox the same year.
young Joe Cronin, and his fighting
Senators are the only threat to Yankee
supremacy this year." says the Birming-
ham Age Herald. And this batch Of
Nationals agrees.