The Washington times., 1935-12-10
Griffs Due
For Face
Lifting
By KIRK MILLER
Times SPORTS Editor

-
these brittle old bones that the
Washington ball club is about
to undergo a severe face lift
ing.
You may hardly know the
1886 edition when it scrambles
out on the greensward come
mid-April, as a result of the
major operation due to be per-
formed this week in the Windy
City.
There will be so many new
parts inserted here and there
in the machinery of the i'm
pending Griffmen, you may actu-
ally mistake it for a brand new
model.
Other than Buck Newsom, Earl
Whitehill, Jake Powell, Buddy
Myer, Cecil Travis and the bat
boy, l wouldn't wager a quarter
any mothers son of the others
will return to Washington next
spring, should Griff get chance
to dispose of them for something
more valuable than a pair of hom.
ing pigeons.
A Desperate Trio
In other words. am convinced
that not only Bucky Harris, but
Owner Clark Griffith, have gone
to Chicago with something up
their sleeves besides their elbows.
The Three Wise Men of the
House of Griffith, the third diSci-
pie being Albany's subsidiary
delegate, Joe Cambria, the per-
sistant Wop. boarded last eve
nlng'S Chicagobound common
carrier, with desperation written
across their countenances.
While they were looking for
ward to transactions which would
change the complexion of the
club, they were also reflecting
on the two drab seasons just be-
hind. Therefore their determina-
ton that no more of these should
rise up to haunt them, provided
money or trading talent could
forestall such a circumstance.
Out in Chicago this trio is
Joined today by a branch mana
ger, the harum Scarum scout, Joe
Engel, of Chattanooga, who claims
he can spot good ball player
while blindfolded in the dark.
Ears to the Ground
Among them. they will sound
out every possible channel of
sale or barter, in order to make
the Griffmen something more
than a mere name ere another
baseball campaign is ended.
AS say, I am expecting quite
a turnover in player material.
Heinie Manush is almost sure to
go, although to whom, your guess
is just as good as mine. There
are many fans who seem to think
Heinie is washed up, slowed down
to trot and on his last baseball
legs.
There are others who lean to
tie theory that there's still a lot
of outfielding, as well as batting,
left in the old boy. and that all
he needs is a change of scenery.
It's in the cards he'll get the
latter, and a pitcher or catcher
who isn't exactly a cripple would
be the means of Heinie's going
hence before the week is out, if
read Clark Griffith's palm cor
rectly the last time we were mitt-
glomming.
Also for Exchange
I believe Johnny Stone or Fred
Scnulte could be had on the same
terms, although Griff must also
get an outfielder if he is going
to use his present gardeners as
bait for club strengthening.
Come to think of it, possibly
was bit hasty in not including
Joe Kuhel in the group mentioned
in the beginning whose jobs
were comparatively safe with
Washington. Good Businessmen
are scarce in the land today, and
since Kuhel has no particular
understudy here, it would be dan
gerous to consider him as base
ball Wampum.
There are those sophisticates
who will tell you Bucky Harris
has a mad" on Kuhel.
But I can't forget that there
were also those 'in-the-know,"
who. good many years ago, had
Harris and Buddy Myer on the
outs for some trivial reason or
another. but time never verified
any such feeling.
To a fellow who has been
watching Harris in good fortunes
and bad for over a dozen years,
however. time has proven that
Harris never lets anything enter
into his judgment of a ball
player except whether he can
play ball.
But let me repeat, outside Of
those six, Kuhel. Myer, Travis,
Powell, Whitehill and NeWsom,
why. this may be the others last
week with Washington.