Evening star., 1936-02-26
BUCKY IS ELATED
OVER YOUNGSTER
Other Players Forget Own
Affairs to Watch Him
Learn New Job.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
staff Correspondent of The Star,

HLANbO, Tld., replu udiy Io.-
The noble experiment of try
ing to make shortstop out
~ of Cecil Travis finally was
under way today, and from all sides
poured words of praise for the 23-year-
old Georgia youth who may hold the
key to Washington's base ball success.
Openly elated at what he saw Travis
show in an unprecedentedly early in
field workout, Manager Bucky Harris
ordered the youngster back to short
today with as eXtravagant pat on the
back as big league managers are
capable of bestowing after dozen
years.
Clark Griffith, as excited as kid
with new toy, passed up his morning
round of golf for the second straight
day to stand on the sidelines, while
his strangely assorted squad of ball
players, rockies and veterans alike,
forgot their own strife to focus atten-
ton on the boy whose performances
during the next two weeks may de-
termine the Nationals pennant-race
chances for several years to come.
Travis Disrupts Routine.
1T is doubtful if anything quite like
Yesterdays scene has been seen in
a Washington training camp in years
Travis, who never before attracted un-
usual attention, walked into the club
house at Tinker Field day late, and
Immediately the atmosphere seemed
to become charged. The daily volley
ball game lost spirit and players as
most of the participants walked away
to watch an infield drill that might
we'll have been a partial preview of
Washington's 1886 infield.
Harris, who refused to mention
shortstop to Travis this Winter until
the youngster, himself. volunteered to
play at the post, wasted no time in get
ting down to business. He called Buddy
Lewis to third base, Travis to short,
Joe Kuhel to first, Rookie Floyd Perry
man to catch and then rounded out
the drilling group himself by taking
over second base.
At the end of half an hour Harris,
winded and leg-Weary from his first
active playing since the 1882 Washing
ton all-star game, broke into happy
smile.
I'm ready to 60 on record he
grinned, pantingly, "as saying that
Travis has a very definite chance of
making real shortstop.
Quick on the Trigger.
LIE DID couple of things today
for instance, that he never did
while he played third base. All last
season I tried to impress upon Cecil
the necessity of whipping the ball away
to base the second he got hold of it.
Somehow he never quite got the knack.
To-day, in the few minutes that we
played together. he did just that trick
as he never did while on third base.
I'm sorta sold on Travis chances at
shortstop after what I've seen so far.
He must learn lot of things, particu-
larly concerning double plays, out
honestly believe he's got the goods.
There isn't any question about his arm
and his intelligence and Willingness"
The infleld workout on the second
day of Spring practice came as a
genuine surprise, for not until the last
minute, when Travis motored from
Jacksonville profuse with apologies for
being late, did Harris himself plan
anything of the kind.
Bucky Quickly Winded.
EOR half an hour Nick Altrock
pounded the ball around the in
field. So torrd was the pace that
Harris, after 10 minutes of playing
second base, dropped out to stand be-
hind Travis and coach the youngster.
The others, Lewis and Kuhel, seemed
ready for test of twice that length,
however, and they were begging for
more at the end. Perryman did most
Of the throwing to bases from the plate,
with Alex Sabo relieving him.
Travis went both to his left and right
In faultleSs fashion and more amazing
than any other feature. he displayed
adeptness at Tipping the ball under
hand to Harris in double-play set-ups
at second base. When it came for
him to act as the pivot man, however.
Cecil did not look so polished, but
this was treated lightly by Harris and
Griff.
How many shortstops are excep-
tionally good at acting as pivot man?"
quoth Griff. Mine out of 10 of them
make the same mistake that Travis
is making-getting to the bag too far
ahead of the ball. Why even Ossie
Bluege does it after IA years in the
big leagues"
If Bluege isn't perfect after IA years,
Travis hardly can be expected to be
after 80 minutes. Nor do Bucky and
Griff expect too much. In fact, both
are ready to admit that Cecil already