Evening star., 1936-01-05
NOT TYPE NEEDED
IN HARRIS PLANS
Bucky Must Look to More
Youthful Performers in
Rebuilding Team.
BY FRANCIS Z. STAN.
-O LEON PETIT, mellowing
Il pitching rookie" of the Ma
tionals- went the dubious dis

pitching rookie OF the Na-
tionals, went the dubious dis
i tinction yesterday Of becoming
the first Washington ball club salary
squawker of 1886.
Penning a little note of indignation,
Petit challenged the valuation placed
on his services by President Clark
Grifhth's contract offer and while the
prospect of Leon holding out hardly is
likely to create much excitement with
Washington fandom, the issue might
well be worthy of note for another
reason.
On the strength of his record of eight
victories and five defeats last year, Pet
tit Is asking for boost in stipend
and bad off as are the Nationals for
pitchers, it is not likely that Leon will
get it. Quite contrary to this time
a year ago, the Washington roster
shows distinct markings of the talented
hand of Manager Bucky Harris and
Petit Is skating on thin ice.
For all of his Merriwell feats in the
early stages of the 1885 American
League campaign, Petit hardly is the
type of material with which Harris
hopes to rebuild ball club. At 80
years of age and with q minor league
record of 10 years behind him, Leon
unquestionably is entering a danger
zone.
'36 Club Shows Influence.
ROUGHLY speaking, it was about a
year ago that Griffith pulled the
napkin from his neck at Lions Club
luncheon and absolved Harris of any
responsibility for any disappointing
performance by the 1885 Nationals.
The club that Griff handed Buckley,
of course, was the one that finished
the 1884 season In a demoralized state
and worse, team that would miss its
most important cog-Joe Cronin. In
q sense, it was not Bucky's team.
So far this season Griffith has done
no absolving, nor is it likely that
Harris wants any absolution. Bucky
could and will do much to the 1886
Nationals, but even as the Washing
ton team stands now it smacks strong
ly of Harris taste.
The Nationals hardly could be in
better hands for rebuilding. Harris
proved his ability to mold winning
team in 1924 and 1925 when he won
the Capitals first two pennants. In
q less glamorous measure, but prob
ably even more completely, Harris
nodded the current championship
Detroit team while serving his five
year stretch at the helm of the Tigers.
It was Harris, too, who brought
Yves Ferren out of retirement, elevated
Bill Werber to stardom, and generally
laid the foundation for the rejuvenated
Boston Red Sox.
Coaching Shift Bucky's Doing.
HARRIS efforts to whip the Ma
tionals into a team more to his
liking definitely are in evidence. 1t
would appear. 1t was Bucky who
instigated the Earl McNeely-for-
coach movement and, of course, who
decided to do the first-base coaching
himself.
It was Harris. more than Griff, who
was behind the trading of Heinie
ManuSh for Roy Johnson and Carl
Reynolds, both Of whom have played
under Bucky.
This is just suspicion, but 1t prob
ably was Harris who was pressing the
proposal of a trade Of Cliff Bolton to
Cleveland for Frankie Pytlak.
1t would not be a good policy, Of
course, for Bucky to express himself
on Petit at this time of the year, but
the inference from the Washington
club front office seems to be that
preference this season will be given
to the youngsters who show promise
OF eventually making the grade rather
than count on comebacks BY the vet
eraris who threw him down in 1885.
Grif probably will quibble with
Petit. who has all the earmarks of
a useful Spring pitcher, but the quib-
bling may not last long if Leon doesn't
come around. And the same holds
true for Earl Whitehill, Bump Hadley
and Jack Russell.
Petit won't be the only salary
squawker, in ali probability. He merely
is the first to sound off on this subject.
But before the boys yelp too loudly,
they might take time out to debate
with themselves and determine if they
ut into Harris scheme Of things.