Evening star., 1938-03-17
CHANCE S[ABB|ST
T0UTED AS FIND
Doehring Of Chicago Bears
Signed by Reds After
Informal Workout.
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Associated Press Sports Writer

HSSotAdteO 1IcoS SpOTLB Wf1Lef,
TAMPA, Fla, March 17.-Bill Nc
Kechnie would just as soon not dis
cuss the chances Of his last-place Gin
cinnati Reds, but he does believe he
has made sensational pitching find
In John Doehring, 235-pound fullback
OF the Chicago professional Bears.
Bill, one Of baseball's conservatives
is very high in praise Of Doehring
Thinks he might have discovered acci-
dentally a really great player, one OF
those naturals that come to manager
maybe once in his career, II he's
lucky. The Reds could use a number
Of them.
It's dizzy story about Doehring
who Is also part-time wrestler. He's
rs now and he hasn't played any base
ball since he was in his teens. That
was in his home. Milwaukee. As he
explained 1t to McKechnie, he struck
out IL in a row the last time he
pitched. but it hurt his arm and he
gave up the game
Since then he's been playing a lot
Of football for the Bears. After the
Bears completed their transforming
tour with the Washington Redskins
down here, Doehring, like his team
mate, Bronko Nagurski. turned to the
profound sport of wrestling, and he's
been winning like sixty.
Caught Baseball Fever.
A week ago, though, he showed up
at the Reds workout and asked Nc
Kechnie if he would let him toss a
few balls. Spring was in the air and
he felt like having good game of
catch. Bill said sure, to throw as
many as he wanted at Virgil Davis,
the veteran catcher. He hadn't cut
loose with dozen before Davis STOP
ped operations with a puzzled look and
put sponge in his big mitt
Il don't know when I saw a faster
ball" recounted McKechnie. II
wouldn't believe my eyes until I
asked Davis, and he said I was dead
right. His fast one hops like Bill
Hallahan's used to, and he has as good
a curve as I want to see. He looks to
be great hitter, too. Honest, be-
lieve he's the finest prospect in all my
experience"
Bill. as you might have guessed, be-
gan flourishing a contract in Doeh-
rings face, but the big fellow wasn't
impressed. He was lined up for a
deputy sheriff's job in Milwaukee, he
explained, and he didn't want to lose
it. McKechnie finally talked him into
going up to Milwaukee at the Reds
expense to clinch his job with the
law and then come back. Doehring
returned yesterday and signed the
papers.
Needs Little Experience.
"One years experience is about all
he'll need" McKechnie predicted.
I'm going to keep him with me right
to the start of the season and then
send him to Columbia in the Pied
mont League He'll burn it up, sure
as the world"
Doehring still is bit startled about
the whole thing. It's something to
have even the Reds snatch you OF the
wrestling mat.
When he talks about the rest of the
club, reluctantly, Bill isn't quite so
happy. He can't see for certain where
the Reds are going to be any better.
Obviously. he pointed out, every job
on the Cincinnati club is wide open.
It's that way when team finishes
eighth, Is games from the top. Even
Ernie lombard, the slugging catcher,
stands a good chance of losing the
flrst-string job to Willard Hershberger,
a youngster from Newark.
If there is any improvement, Nc
Kechnie looks for it to come from his
new first baseman, Frank Mccormick,
down from Syracuse. and from the
veteran outfielder, Dusty Cooke, who is
back in the big time after having hit
an impressive .345 at Minneapolis.
The pitching staff. headed by Lee
Grissom, is young and full of possibili-
ties. but as whole 1t still lacks con-
troll. and, as McKechnie points out,
that's bad.