Evening star., 1935-03-12
GARDEN VETERAN
IS PEPPY IN DEBUT
Winter Gym Toll Fits Fred
to Avert 0usting From
Center Field Berth.
BY JOHN B. KELLER,
Stan Correspondent Of The Star.

x are some here at the Wash
ington ball clubs training
camp who do not believe
Fred Schultz will handle the center
field Job for the Nationals this year,
but the veteran outfielder is not one
Of them by long shot.
This here Sington will have to
show plenty to get me out of there"
Schultz said with lot of emphasis on
his words today. Then he proceeded
to step into some high, hard ones in
batting drill and larrup the leather
to the far corners of Biloxi.
There Is no doubt that Schultz Is
here to make look bad these skeptics
who have limited he is not quite there
as a batter and about ready to bow
to one of the two rookie outfielders in
the Nationals camp. In his first
practice of the season yesterday he
sped about as though he had been on
the ball field at least two weeks, and
he swung with surprising vigor at the
plate.
Schultz is showing how much good
was done him by the gymnasium work
he went through at his home in Bel
vedere, Ill, during the Winter. He
looks in playing trim right now, al
though he says he kept about 5
pounds over working weight that he
might have some extra to keep him
going in the training grind.
Underpinning Is Sound.
bers9o3e,s sn9a at .wa1a training s.rs camps
perienced some slight trouble
with my legs" Schultz admitted.
Nothing strange about that Most ball
players, especially outfielders, are
bothered that way in the early going
Well. this time I determined I
would get away from that. So I took
special exercises planned to strengthen
my legs while at home. And I'm sure
the exercises benefited me.
II know that hard workout l had
yesterday did not tie me up at all.
And say, wasn't that a workout.
can see one must travel fast for Har-
rls. I had heard lot about him, of
course, but never knew just how he
handled his men before. If my first
workout under his direction was fair
sample of how he conducts training,
I'll say he is the one to get everything
out of player
That's great with me, though. It's
q pleasure to work for a manager who
keeps you going and at the same time
drops an intelligent hint now and
then as to what might be best for you
to do in preparatory work" the vet
eran outflelder observed. That's what
Harris did with me in my first work.
out Of the training season. And he
kept me going without giving the i'm
preston of being a slave driver.
Likes Harris Type.
I'LL say he is the kind of manager
I like. If I do not get along with
him I don't believe it would be
his fault. And if I don't keep my
center-fielder job it won't be his
fault" Fred added I'm confident
he'll give me the fairest kind of
show to prove that I'm more deserv-
ing OF the center-field place than
either of the rockies looking for it.
you can bet I'll be out there bat
Ting with all have to remain in the
lineup. And I feel pretty certain
that what I have will keep me in
there. I'm not concerned about the
fielding end of the job OF course,
these young fellows, down here proba-
bly, are good fielders. But I can 90
and get 'em myself And after all you
know I'm not an old man as out
fielders go. I turned 81 just last
January"
Fred had stopped couple of times
during conversation to take his turn
at the plate in the batting drill. And
in each turn he swung handsomely to
smack sharp ones to center. Good,
clean line drives they were. It looked
as If he had lost none of the power
that made him 1888 batter in the '33
world series, the only one in which he
ever played. and a .29s batter for his
major league career of eight years.