Evening star., 1938-03-25
WORK W|THHEADS,
!. DON'T NEED YOUTH
Shoftner, 80, Is Described
as a CaIIoW Stripping.
Defense TIGHT.
BY JOHN LARDNER.


when ], A. Robert Quinn, president
OF the Boston Bees, heaves into view
The G. A. r. has designated Robert
as public enemy No. l, and the sur
vivors of the blizzard of '88 have vowed
to get him before he gets them.
This Quinn is the man who snatched
Lou Fette from his hearth and home,
while Fette's grandchildren clutched
at his knees and yelled murder"
He is the ghoul who seized jim Turner
in the act of applying for Govern
ment pension. He is the raider of old
mems homes who keeps Uncle Danl
MacFayden aWorking in the cotton
patch all day. when old Uncle Dan1
would like to be tossing horseshoes
with the boys back home in Newton
vile.
Not long ago the children and
grandchildren of Cy Young, great
pitcher of 80 years ago, began to build
wall around their home.
Mr., Quinn is in the neighborhood, !"
they said. land grandpa has got to
have protection"
Mr.. Quinn is hardened offender
. No blush appears on his sunburned
cheeks as he admits, down here in
the Boston training camp, that his
team will rely heavily this year not
only upon Fette, Turner and Uncle
Danl MacFayden, but upon a south
paw named Milburn Shoffner.
Callow Stripping of 80 Years.
-,
pitched Harry Wright's original Gin
cinnati Red Stockings to victory in
1875?
Tut, tut" says Mr. Quinn. "Shoff-
ner is mere rookie. He pitched few
games for us at the end of last season,
and now he is ready for his first full
season in the big time
And his age?
Tut tut" says Mr.. Quinn. "Shoff-
ner is callow youth, a STRIPPING, a
green high school product. His age?
Ahem." says Mr.. Quinn. His age is
80, the very prime of boyhood His
youth and innocence are refreshing.
See him romping over yonder with
young John Niggeling. another of our
rockies, aged 80. 1t takes me back to
my nursery days, upon my word it
does"
The sucking Shoffner, together
with the infants Turner'S, Fette and
MacFayden. are the foundation of the
Bees pitching staff for 1888. And
when all is said and done, it's not a
bad staff. Mr.. Quinn's grave-snatching
policy bore fruit last year, when Fette
Turner and MacFayden won 81 games
among them, accounting for nearly all
the Boston victories. The rookie Shoff-
ner, in the last weeks of the season.
added three to this total in four starts
The question is. can these ancient
bushers repeat? Turner and Fette won
20 games apiece last season, and Tur-
ner had the best earned run average
IN the National League Neither has
much speed, and neither has a. star
tling curve. They worked with their
heads. They knew where the spot was.
and they threw there
Stengel Expects Repeat.
And that being the case" says Mr..
Casey Stengel, their new manager. Il
don't see no reason why they shouldn't
do just as good for me this year. They
still know how to pitch and where to
pitch One year amt gonna ruin their
brains and their control, and that's
what they pitch with. The same thing
goes for Shoffner.
"A manager don't have to worry
about those fellas. They can pace
themselves. They know the hitters
And, besides" says Mr.. Stengel, yawn-
ing spaciously, Il like to sit around
with them and cut up old touches
about the time we fought with Custer.
Those were the days"
The Boston pitching should be
water-tight. Water-tightness. in fact
is the keynote of this ball club lust as
1t was last year, when the stingless
Bees finished fifth. The Bees play for
one run, and then they rely on the
defense to hold the lead
The lnfleld is smart and smooth.
Elble Fletcher and Gil English are
neat performers at first and third
RABBIT Warstler and Tony Cuccinello
make a steady double-play combina-
ton. If more youth and speed are
needed, a kid named Bob Kahle' from
Indianapolis can fill in for Warstler at
shortstop.
Gardeners Fine Throwers,
CAIRNS, Gene Moore and Vince Di
Maggie, in the outfield, are ball hawks
and fine throwers. Moore and Di Mag
glo threw out more base runners be-
tween them last year than any other
pair IN the league. Roy Johnson and
Max West "a rookie who hit .33l for
the Missions last year, are supposed to
!end punch to the ensemble.
Punch. of course, is what Mr.. Stem
gel needs in this club if he is going
to threaten the leaders. And there
isn't much punch available. Before
the season has gone very far you are
likely to see the old play-safe, stand
pat policy in operation again, and the
Bees in fifth place, where they seem
to belong.
Their pitching will make them in
teresting. Turner, Fette and Shoffner
the rockies, and MacFayden, the ref
ugee-can they stand off the none-too-
deadly slusgers of the National League
again? If not, nominate them for
the next four vacancies in the United
states Supreme Court. and I will use