Evening star., 1935-03-19
PETIT, COPPOLA,
COHEN IN BATTLE
Many to Be Farmed Soon,
With Chattanooga Due
to Get a Touch.
BY JOHN 3. KELLER,
staf1 Correspondent Of The Star.

~ ILOX1, Miss, March l9.-It
x won't be long before a flock
of fingers, young and old,
will be moving from the Ma
tionals' training camp. Joe Engel, who
bosses the Chattanooga farm when he
is net scouting for Washington. is
here dickering with Clark Griffith and
expects to ship some of the surplus
talent now working here to the Look
outs camp at Panama City, Fla.
There are a dozen hurlers here
striving for the two berths still open
on the Nationals pitching staff, but
not more than three appear really to
be in the running for the places. They
are Sgd Cohen and Leon Petit, left
handlers bought from Chattanooga,
and Henry Coppola, right t-hander,
still the property of the Albany club.
Manager Harris likes Cohens pitch
ing intelligence and he believes Pet
tit. who has several years of good
minor league flinging behind him,
good enough to make worthwhile
performer in relief roles in the big
show. Coppola appears by far the
best Of the younger crop of pitchers
around camp.
Slated to Go Soon.
"a LTHOUGH neither Harris nor
NV Griffith has said so, it looks as
II Orville Armbrust, the chubby
chucker who came from the Look
outs for a brief trial with the Ma
tionals last year: Alex McColl, the
right who stuck in the minors
nearly score of years before getting
q shot at major base ball; Ray Prim,
southpaw recalled from Albany; Hugh
Mulcahy, a youngster sent here by
Albany for trial. and Bob EttS. a
semi-pro from Margaretulle. N Y,
will be the first group shipped.
Armbrust came to camp well above
last years weight and has not trained
nicely. According to Harris, Orville
Is not fast enough for the big leagues.
He probably is ticketed for return to
Chattanooga. While McColl still has
free arm, there seems no place for
him III staff filled with younger and
more experienced pitchers. And 1t is
questionable whether Chattanooga
wants him back.
This is Prim's third trial with the
Nationals and he looks no better this
time than when he first came to the
club. Albany would like him back
and probably will get him. Mulcahy
has fair fast ball, but he has not
shown enough of a curve to warrant
retention. He will not be picked up
from Albany. Griffith may be able
to find place in the minors for Etts.
who simply has not "it" as a big
leaguer.
To Place Scrivener, Lanahan.
CPOTS will be found for Arch
y Scrivener. the George Washing
ton University product, and Dick
Lanahan. the Washington sandlotter,
IN the minors. While Scrivener's
work in the inaugural exhibition con-
test was nothing to write home about.
he actually was not so bad as the
block of hits he yielded made him
seem. Both Griffith and Harris still
have faith in Scrivener, although they
regard him as about two years away
from major league caliber.
Lanahan is one of the surprises of
the training camp. He was not so
impressive in the early conditioning
work, but he gave a very satisfactory
exhibition in his three-inning term
against Albany last Friday. In yes
terday's batting drill he came through
with a fast ball that had more on 1t
than any thrown by the other pitchers.
Lanahan had been trying to improve
his fast one for q week. It certainly
popped out of his hand yesterday. Dick
may be signed by Chattanooga. Harris
believes he is ready to go in Glass A
base ball.
Digs a Disappointment.
"HE big disappointment of the
camp is Reese Diggs, the rangy
right-hander picked up from
Albany near the finish of last season.
In his brief term last year Diggs ap-
peared a likely prospect, and during
the first week of this camp he had
Manager Harris wild about him. The
pilot then predicted that "Diggs could
not miss" Then the boy began Slip
Albany last week never for moment
looked a pitcher He had no fast
one, lacked control and revealed no
intelligence at all in his work. Harris
now seems convinced that Diggs never
will make the grade.
Frank Petticolas, the 18-year-old
6-footer from Chicago semi-pro ranks,
has q chance to get somewhere. and
he will be placed for about two sea-
sons of experience. The Nationals
will have a tight string on Petticolas,
for Harris thinks this big lad has the
making Of another Schoolboy Rowe
PetticolaS has speed aplenty, q good
looking curve and excellent control.
But he must get the polish before
being ready for base ball's fastest COM
pany.
Borrows First Stacker.
ERANK MCDONALD, vocala, Pa.
Semi-pro, has joined the Ma
tional squad. Mcdonald,
youthful first baseman, originally was
ordered to report at Albany's camp, in
nearby Gulfport, but Griffith thought
It might be we'll to have another in
ttial sacker around for the exhibition
series and asked Joe Cambria, Albany
president, for the loan Of the player.
So Mcdonald, instead Of Cohen, the
pitcher, will relieve Joe Kuhel at
times in the Spring training tilts. On
Saturday here he will be at first for
the Washington Yannigans, who are
to battle Albany here while the regu-
lar team Is opening two-game series
with Kansas CITY at Mobile