Evening star., 1938-03-07
WITT TALKING LOUD
Of TRIBE CHANCES
Champion Chatterer Says
He Needs Only a Good
Second Stacker.
BY the Associated Press.


NEW ORLEANS. March THE
American League has itself fine,
lusty new personality in Oscar Witt,
the old-time Detroiter, who has taken
over the management of the Cleveland
Indians as though it were pleasure.
Oscar is one of the few players who
ever was beaned squarely by one of
Walt Johnson's fast balls. His face
clear down to the chin was black and
blue for week. But he says that
has nothing to do with his job Of TAX
ing over club that tosses of man.
ayers as casually as the average man
discards his winter underwear.
Nope Oscar grinned, "the efs
fects of that lick wore OF a long time
ago. I know what I'm doing and
got ideas of my own about running
a ball club. If I can develop second
baseman We'll give those Yankees and
Tigers all the race they want"
Oscar. whose Newark Bears ran
clear away with the International
League race last season. is one of the
longest and most accomplished talk
ers in the game 1t is claimed for
him that at the recent winter meeting
in Chicago he talked Gabby Hartnett
of the Cubs right under the table ard
dropped only one close decision dur
ing four days and nights Of heated
bartering.
Jimmy Dykes of the White Sox
maybe shaded me a little the last
night" he confessed, but wasn't
in any kind of shape by that time"
Puts Silencer on Terry.
Bill Terry of the Giants was Oscars
most recent victim. Bill, whose
Giants are training at nearby Baton
Rouge, dropped in on Oscar in the
midst of the Madri Gras festivities
and started pouring the old oil on
the freshman pilot. thinking maybe
Oscar would be softened up by the
gaiety of the occasion
"You know what he says to me?"
chuckled Oscar. You. know we're
playing them a couple dozen exhi-
bition games on the way North. Well,
he says what ought to do is pitch
Bob Feller a little bit in every one
of those games. about like they did
last year, and we'd clean up a lot of
dough-
boy, did I get him told. l says,
Sure, Bill III pitch Feller every
day and you pitch Carl Hubbell every
day and Well really have ourselves
some fun That stopped him cold
and he went on back to Baton Rouge"
Feller, quite naturally, is the apple
Of Oscars eye. Already he's worked
himself into a state Of Indignation
over the treatment the kid got last
year, when he was used as a sort of
circus attraction until his arm cracked.
Feller to Pitch in Turn.
"Why, he's only 10 now," said Witt.
Hes just lamb. It's a wonder he
wasn't ruined for good. He's going
to pitch only in his regular turn this
season and he's going to be great
pitcher. I'm teaching him how to
use change of pace. He can't keep
on plowing that fast one through
there forever.
And I wish Jimmie Foxx and Iris
Speaker and the others would quit
predicting that Feller will win 80
games-or was it 40? Maybe he will
some time. but not this season. Id
be tickled to death to settle for 18
right now"
The Cleveland players. from the
novices to the veterans like Mel Har-
der. who has pitched under four previ-
GUS Tribe pilots, have taken to Witt
quickly.
The pitching veterans openly were
skeptical at the beginning of camp
a week ago. when Witt began putting
them through some special calisthen-
les of his own devising to strengthen
their legs.
For three or four days their legs
were so sore they could only hobble
about. But today two of the older
moundsmen confessed their legs felt
stronger than ever they could re-
member.
Few people realize how important
that is, either" said Mel Harder.
When they see a pitcher suddenly
begin to lose his stuff up in the hot
days they think his arm is getting
tired. Nine times out Of ten it's his
legs"