The Washington times., 1936-03-28

Hold Fan
Interest
Bv KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

Say what you will about
the 1885 Washington Griff-
men, in your summation it
cannot be denied that it will
be an interesting team to OBJ
serve, if only for the embryo
mai erial which is on hand for
development.
Neither Clark Griffith nor
Bucky Harris would be 50
sanguine as to say they have
q pennant contender in their
laps, because there are ad-
mittedly three, if not four, more
formidable clubs in the league
which stand to monopolize the
first division.
Pitching Doubtful
But If Washington's pitching
prospects were brighter than they
appear, there would be no telling
what part of the place and show
money the team might save.
Washington is plainly in the
throes of a transition which has
seen the wreck which was the
1884 ball club, slowly torn down
and replaced with new parts. Such
names as Manush, Schultz, Gro
min, Goslin and Sewell, by-wordS
in any household where baseball
has been a topic in the recent
past, have given away to less Ia
miliar but aggressive figures.
In their stead have come along
TO fit into the jig-saw puzzle the
likes of Jesse Hill, Jake Powell,
Dee Miles, Johnny Lewis and Cecil
Travis. Veritably young legs and
arms and heads have been graft
ed on to body corporate which
begged down in the 1888 world
series and seemed never to be
able to shake off their disappoint-
ment.
Ten-SecOnd Boys
And it is these fast, young 10
second ball players, glowing &C
counts Of whom you have had as
q daily diet for over month
now, that will make the Washing.
ton team one of the most faScinat-
ing studies in baseball that either
league will offer starting next
month.
You baseball fans will have to
be patient a year or two before
you can again begin to think IN
pennant terms, if the ground
work which Washington has laid
this spring is an indication. But
in the meantime you'll find many
an hour of absorbing baseball
out here at Griffith Stadium,
watching a promising crop OF
kids blossom into full flower.
BY divesting his club Of the
stars Of a year and two years
ago, Griff has by no means scut-
tied his ship after the fashion
of Connie Mack and the Ath-
letics. Washington still has Myer
and Kuhel and wsom and
Whitehill and several others with
known ability. Bluege remains,
and will have definite utility.
There is a fine nucleus for a ball
club here. It will be built upon.
Hustle and Hope
In other words, Washington
will offer a baseball show this
summer which should arouse as
much spirit in the stands as will
be rampant down there on the
field. There will be hustle and
hope and enthusiasm and plenty
Of ambition. Those promises can
definitely be made for the out
field which will have received
quite a face-lifting, and the same
goes for the left side Of the intield.
Answers to many questions will
be sought from the nondescript,
patch-quilt pitching staff made up
Of Newsom, Whitehill, Russell,
Deshong. Iinke, Weaver and
Appleton.
Whitehill must prove that he
hasn't gone over the hill, that
bleak horizon of hopelessness
which is the dread Of every ball
player who knows he has seen his
prime.
Newsom has to make good on his
boasts before signing that he, could
be counted on for 25 victories.
De Shong has to establish his
value in the scales that are ex-
pected to balance off the Roy
(C0ntinued on Page II, Col, II