The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-04-01

must nave al 2sSeN& ~AN #aSSasz1sa
unbroken Suc-Frank Buck" O'Neill
cession of warm, cloudless days to
be in condition for the opening
of the season.
Ten whole days in less than a
month have been washed right
out of the training calendar Of
the Griffmen. The infielderS and
outfielders reported in moribund
Biloxi on March 9, to find them
selves welcomed by week Of rain.
There was no practice that
amounted to a hill of beans, al.
though the boys did get out and
run around. Two games were
washed off the slate.
Lack of practice is reflected in
the Griff batting. Minor league
pitchers have Stilled the bats Of
our noble athletes. Take Heinie
ManuSh. who has the best life
time batting average on the ball
club. Against Birmingham he
came to bat with three on and
two out on one occasion. An
othe-- time he came up with men
on second and third and two out.
Did he hit? Sure, all the way out
to the second baseman for third
out.
Welcomes Break
Harris, keen practical psy-
biologist, welcomed the break on
Saturday in sense. He figured
that the boys who should hit but
who are not hitting were start.
ing to press. But he tossed in
the towel, the sponge, the chair,
and the bucket when Sundays
pastime were erased in the slant
ing rain.
"This is terrible" said Harris
today as he watched the east
ern sky for signs of sunlight.
"After the time we lost in
Biloxi had hopes of good
weather on the way home. 1
didn't mind Saturday, but, be.
lieve me, 1 minded yesterday.
If we don't play today and to-
morrow in Nashville it is going
to be bad. Yes sir, the Situa-
ton then will become serious
in baseball sense.
"We're not ready, and don't
be bunked by any optimistic
vaporings on the subject. We
can make ourselves ready if
we get decent weather on the
way north, but only if we get
decent weather from now until
we reach Washington.
Glow many pitchers are
ready to go into the season."
/ asked Harris.
Gust two" Was the an
swer.
"And they are?" we pressed.
"WhitehilI and Burke" he
replied. Good heavens, you've
been with the team and you've
been around long enough to
know. What do you Think"
What this agent thinks as
against what the manager thinks
is of little Importance. We have
informed the readers Of this
space for some time that the
team was not ready; tn a t it
could not be ready in view Of the
number of days lost.
N two of the last three exhibit
ton games played, the Griffs had
10 men left on bases. In those
same games the boys scored seven
runs. These games were against
Kansas City and Birmingham.
Boiling it all down, the team
lackec the punch to convincingly
wall0p minor league opposition.
And that lack of punch, I contend,
is due entirely to the time lost in
Biloxi because of rain.
Pitchers Behind
Not only are the pitchers be-
hind i'll their development as the
batters are lacking in punch but
the inner defenSes of the team are
not ready. The strategic system
of cutting off throws is not per-
fected. Here the team is playing
gam;S and you look for baseball,
but the pitchers are standing
stock still in the center Of the
diamond while infielders paw and
claw around them. Alien run
ners are able to scamper ahead
with no one to stop them.
Throws hang in the outfield, with
relay men uncertain in their
movements.
The Griffs haven't had time to
work out combination plays that
win bill games. and there's moth
ing that can be written or said
to alter the facts of situation
that mas steadily progressed until
we must view it with more or less
alarm.