Evening star., 1935-11-23
HERO OF "a GETS
TH|RD-BASE POST
Harris Looks for improved
Base Running With New
Set-up on Lines.
BY FRANCIS r. STAN.

Af611 WAAS "SAA -
- place among Washingtonis base
ball immortals In 1924 with an
~ unforgettable single-off f-a-peb-
BILE to bring the Capital its only world
championship, will return to the scene
Of his greatest triumph next year as
third-base coach, it was announced
today by Manager Bucky Harris.
Returning from the minor league
meeting in Dayton, Ohio, Harris de-
clared that McNeely, also in attend
ance at the confab, definitely has
accepted terms and will fall heir to
the coaching job held last season
by Johnny Kerr. The latter was given
his release several weeks ago.
Long dissatisfied with his coaching
set-up of the 1895 season, Harris
seemed almost as pleased with the
signing Of McNeely as If he had snag-
ged that much wanted pitching
strength during the Dayton meeting.
With McNeely on third base and
Harris coming out of the dugout to
personally handle the first-base coach
ing the Nationals will present an
entirely new trafdc personnel when
the 1885 American League season
opens.
Nick Altrock, who has coached at
first base for more than two decades,
virtually has been retired and will
conf1ne his activities to tutoring young
pitchers IN addition 10 his pre-gen.
rIorniug.
Esri Na2 Teanc ek yer.
pRESIDENr CLA2k GRIFFITH,
VINO has been in communication
with McNeely since late last season.
following Harris request for Earrs
services, also expressed qualification
over landing the new coach, who will
clear up affairs on the Coast in the
next few weeks and then head for
Washington, preparatory to leaving for
the Orlando, Fla, training base in
mid-February. Since leaving the big
leagues in 1881, McNeely has served
with Sacramento Of The Pacific Coast
League as player, manager and club
president.
Earl not only was smart base
runner himself" says Harris, "but he
was one of the best team players 7
have ever known. For example, he was
the hero of the 1924 world series with
his single in the twelfth inning of the
seventh game. But the next season
we got Joe Harris from Boston and he
didn't play regularly. He was kept on
the bench until late IN the game when,
If we had q lead, he'd replace Harris
because Of his fielding.
"A lot Of ball players might take this
hard, but Earl didn't. When he wasn't
playing he'd hop out on the coaching
line at every opportunity. Earl had
plenty Of spirit and even then he was
a good man to have on the coaching
line
Touched OF Capital Hysteria.
THE Nationals base running last
season was something Of D
chronic headache TO Harris. The
Grifs had speed to spare, out tney
stole few bases and missed many op-
portunities to grab extra bases.
Bucky didn't blame su this ON the
1885 coaches, but his new sct-up
might well indicate a determined
effort to capitalize on the speed Of
Dee Miles, Jake Powell, Buddy Myer
and other fleeter players. McNeely, he
feels, will be able to do much toward
developing Miles and Powell into
feared base runners.
McNeely, christened George Earl,
will be 81 next May. He began his
professional base ball career in 1922
with Sacramento, batting .213. The
next two years, however, McNeely
batted 1893 for the Coast League Sen
ators and Griffith, hot on the trail Of
Washington's first pennant In 1924,
bought the centerfielder for a re-
ported price of $35,00O in cash and
three players, including Wild Mathews,
also center fielder.
The deal proved to be one of the
shrewdest of Griff's long career, ulti-
mately touching off. in the Fall of
1924, probably the greatest display Of
base ball hySteria in history.
Earl was sensation in his big
league debut, hitting $3.50 in 43 games
with the Nationals and finally break
ing up the dramatic series with the
Giants. McNeely was unable to MAIN
tain this pace, dropping to 2S5, 1903
and .276 the next three years.
In 1927 he was traded to st. Louis
with Dick Coffman for Milton CASTOR
and he spent the rest of his ma jor
league career with the Browns.