Evening star., 1939-02-11
Mysterious Joe
Insists Ortiz
Tops Fe||er
Fine Fielder, Batter,
Too, but Big Bosses
Must Be Shown
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
Star Stah Correspondent.

SeoA o'oA WA ASopo%oeAt'
ORLANDO. Fla, Feb. 11.-He is
faster by plenty than Bob Feller.
He is faster by a slight margin
than Walter johnson was back
in 1907. He stands 6 feet 3 inches
and fogs 'em right-handed. He
is % and has 10 years of good
pitching ahead of him.
Moreover Senor Roberto Ortiz,
late of Cuba. belongs to the Ma
tionals, and to hear some of the
training camp talk he'll be IN the
box on opening day burning his
fast ball past the Yankees.
All of these developments hap
pened today when Mr.. Mysterious
Joe Cambria, the lonesome scout
of the Senators, waddled into Or
lando. Chained to Mr.. Mysterious
Cambrias wrist was a huge. stoop-
shouldered lad whose long arms
dangled close to his knees.
Meet Bobby Ortiz" said Mr.. Cam
bria, addressing Manager Bucky
Harris. Here is boy who posi-
lively is faster than Feller. III
stake my reputation on it,
There are some belittlers who
insist that Mr.. Cambria is stalking
nothing. Others view the lone
some scout in kindlier light. After
all, Joe dug up George Case, Bobby
Estalella, Joe Krakauskas and a
flock of others.
Camel Batted Against Walter.
AS Mr.. Cambria was making the
proper introductions a huge, portly
gentleman bore down from the
south end of Exposition Park. The
large party was identified as Mr..
John Camel. commissioner Of base
ball in Orlando. manager of the
local entry in the Florida State
League, winner of II minor league
pennants in the old days and one
time Pittsburgh first baseman.
Il saw this boy in St. Augustine
the other day." beloved Mr.. Gan
eel, enthusiastically. hes the fast
est pitcher I've ever seen. Back
in 1907, which was Johnson's first
year in the majors, l batted against
Walter. Let me tell you he wasn't
as fast as this Ortiz boy
Mr.. Cambria is all for having
Harris nominate Ortiz as one of
his regular pitchers right now He
can't miss thundered Scout Cam
bria. Listen, I thought so much
of this guy 1 flew-risked my life
in an airplane-to sign him to a
contract. l flew over the ocean.
with nothing but deep water and
sharks below"
Mr.. Griffith Arrives Today.
Mr.. Ortiz, himself, is very ret
icent young man. He doesn't say
much. Even if he wanted to speak
a piece he couldn't. unless 1t was
in Spanish. The large senor, you
see, has only been in the States
for three weeks. He never spoke
a word of English until he met
Cambria.
Ortiz has a pair of hands like
a pair of hams. They came from
cutting sugar cane explained
Scout Cambria, impressively. I'll
tell you all about him some day.
Hes really great ball player
added Joe. Hes so good that it
was only the other day that I de-
cided he was pitcher. You see
he can play center field like Speak
er used to do, and when he gets a
holt of the ball with his bat he
drives it as long as Ruth.
But concluded Cambria, mod
estly. because he is faster than
Feller and because he has swell
curve ball, like Tommy Bridges,
decided he was pitcher"
Manager Harris is not the only
one in town who will pass judgment
on Senor Ortiz the next couple of
days. Today was to mark the
arrival from Belleair, Fla. OF
Uncle Clark Griffith, who may have
something to add to Mr.. Cambrias S
spiel.