Evening star., 1934-07-28
LOST SOMETHING
AWAITING SEASON
Griffith Sensed Difficulty,
Says Joe--"Crying win
Get Us Nowhere"
ny JOHN b. KELLER.

~ EEP our heads up as well
w as we can and try 10
~ battle II out. That's
about all we can do"
Thus Joe Cronin sized up the
deplorable situation of his Ma
tionals as they came out OF the
West.
We've never had a favorable break
this season the manager pointed out
today, but crying will get US no
where. we'll have 10 take II when
they dish II out 10 US and only hope
for a chance to get in q few licks
ourselves"
Cronin regards that Western trip
slunp as due more 10 lack Of power
at bat than ineficient work by his
curvins corps.
We should have had several Of
those games we dropped had the
club been batting normally" he said.
adding, ordinarily we are good
hitting outfit. More often than not
ve get a fair amount OF runs, but
we weren't most of the time we we're
out West. I'm looking for a pickup
In Our offensive at any time. After
ell. Manush was the only one Of us
hitting up to snud most OF the time
we we're away"
Each Of the other regulars had his
decided slump. Joe noted. But that
won't keep on" he said, wen be in
there hitting plenty again and get
ting our fair share OF victories. You'll
recall that even with our weak pitch
ing early in the season we did quite
a lot OF winning with our bats, and
! wouldn't say the pitching is any
weaker now than it was in the FIRST
half Of the campaign.
Joe Can't Explain II.
ZOE admits his club is rather shot
to pieces more so than the loss
Of Joe Kuhel and Jack Stone
through injury might appear to war;
rant. I'VE might make a braver
showing with both Kuhel and Stone
on their tasks regularly" Cronin
thought. but that's not so certain.
There are other spots that need
polishing. We weren't the ball club
we should have been by a long way
at the outset of the season when we
had everybody but Luke Sewell in
there working. Even with Sewell
things might not have been tiptop.
i now believe somewhere between the
end OF last season and the beginning
of this the Washington ball club lost
that certain something that made It
great"
No, Cronln couldn't explain Just
what was missing. And you can't
put your finger on the trouble. he
vent on. when We we're in train
ing. ut Biloxi in the Spring / was
quite confident we had another cork
ing club. one that would win again.
MY only worry then was due to
Crowder's failure TO round into form,
but that was no great worry at the
time. for the other pitchers looked
as though they might produce.
GriHhth Had Forebodings.
"CAY." Cronin popped. did you
know that Mr.. Grifith was do
ing all the worrying at that
time? He must have senSed some
thing that none OF the others of us
could get. He was on pins and
needles sll during the training season
and. oddly. when the rest of us got
around really to worrying over our
poor start In the race it was he who
began to grow optimistic, he thought
we were much better than the way
We were moving along
We'll, he is a greatly disappointed
man now" Joe said, mo wonder. 1t
must be blow to an owner to have
q club of so much promise fold up
completely. I'll say 1t is blow to
me and can't understand what has
brought 1t about"