Evening star., 1938-03-02
RICK T0APE DICKEY.
IN CATCHING STYLE.
Method, 0. K. Only if Paths
Are Empty, Calls for Use
of Much Softer Mitt.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.

ORLANDO, Fla, March 2.-Richard
Benjamin Ferrell, the catching half
of baseball's most famous brother
battery, begins his tenth season in
the American League with a new type
of catching mitt and a new plan for
handling the slants of Washington's
pitching staff this year.
Rick, the slender. 3l-year-old back
stop acquired in trade with the Red
Sox last June. revealed the plot to
Manager Bucky Harris and Owner
Clark Grifith today as he went
through his second workout Last
year. it may be recalled. Ferrell sus-
tanned one broken finger and, later.
suffered painful split of tire f1eshy
webbing between his right thumb and
first finger. In between re stopped
several other foul tips with his fingers
but escaped serious injury.
The idea. as outlined by Ferrell, is
to use softer, more pliable mitt and
try handling more pitches with his
gloved paw alone. Harris and Grit
fifth enthusiastically went for the idea
Bill Dickey of the Yankees catches
that way" pointed out Harris. 1T
can be done when there are no run
ners on the bases and the chances
are that it may save Rick from
finger injury during the course of a
season. 1t certainly won't hurt to try
it. Gosh knows. Rick doesn't do the
club any good when he is sitting up
in the grandstand with broken finger
in splint"
Last Year Tough on Rick.
"It's the fairly low, outside ball that
is dangerous to catchers," added Grif-
nth, "and we've got a few pitchers
who are at their best when they're
pitching low. When catcher grabs
a high, inside pitch he can't get hurt.
But those low and outside ones are
the balls that are fouled off straight
back"
The elder of the two Ferrells had
more than one mans share of tough
breaks last year. Starting with the
Red Sox, Rick set blistering pace
For the first few weeks he led the
league in batting with a figure above
the 400 mark. 1t seemed as if 1887
was destined to be the greatest year
of them all for the frail-looking vet
eran from North Carolina Then q
foul tip broke his finger and he was
laid up.
It was before Rick swung back into
action that Boston traded him to
Washington, along with Wes Ferrell
and Melo Almada, for Pitcher Buck
Newsom and Outflelder Ben Chapman.
With the Mats, Rick never was able
to hit his batting stride. His timing
had been spoiled by the long layoff.
At one stage in August he seemed
ready to hit again but it was then
another foul tip viciously twisted into
the webbing Of his hand and put him
on the shelf for two more weeks
When he returned his batting eye was
dimmed again. He finished with a
.229 average for Sc games with Wash
ington.
Mats Need Him Badly.
Rick is not .229 hitter by any
reasonable stretch of the imagination
His lifetime average in the American
League is .291. In four of his nine
previous campaigns Rick had batted
better than .3O0 Without injury he
ought to be good for .315.
There Is no Understanding Rick's
value to the Washington club. The
Mats have four other catchers on
hand. All are rockies and although
Mickey Livingston shapes up particu-
largly promising, he cannot be ex-
pected to step into Ferrell's shoes, If
Rick is injured, and carry on in the
same manner. If the Griffmen are
going to 60 anywhere this year, Fer
rell will have to be free of injury
or a deal for another experienced
catcher must be made.
Both of the Ferrells, Rick and Wes,
reported yesterday in time for the
second practice session. Wes con-
ferred with Griffith early in the morn
ing and signed his contract. Not long
afterward Outfielder Johnny Stone
also signed and Griff's contract trou-
bles for the year were over.
Simmons Starts Batting Drill.
1t was Outflelder AL Simmons who
directed the trend Of yesterdays drill.
Midway the practice Al coaxed q club
house boy into stepping into the