Evening star., 1939-09-07
Garden or First Base
Position Is 10 Be
Given Jimmy
Great Improvement Seen
In Youngster Since
Shift to MiIIers
BY BURTON HAWKINS.

by bUh1ON HAWKINS.
ANONYMOUSLY ousted in midseason
and handed a one-way ticket to
Minneapolis, youthful Jimmy Was
dell already is regarded as a fixture
with the 1910 Nationals by Presi-
dent Clark Griffith. Whether he
will return to his first-base chores
or patrol the outfleld will depend
on developments, but Mr.. Wasdell
definitely will be in that lineup.
When Wasdell migrated to Min
neapolis his prospects of returning
to the major leagues as Nat
appeared as dark as an evening
in Paris. He had incurred the
wrath of Griffith and Manager
Bucky Harris and his attitude re-
quired readjustment to fit their
! fancy.
He had committed a grievous err
ror which cost the Mats a game,
and before he had stepped from
his shower Griff and Harris had
sealed his fate. He was sentenced
to the minors and Outfielder Sam
my West temporarily was installed
at first base.
Picks Up With Millers.
1t seems 1t wasn't so much the
error and subsequent loss of the
game which irritated the Messrs.
Griffith and Harris to the point of
firing Jimmy. 1t was an alleged
feeble attempt to alibi his way out
OF the situation.
Jimmy had muffed an easy foul
fly. Some of his mates said he
sought to excuse it by saying he
purposely dropped the ball to rankle
fans who had been directing verbal
blasts at him for previous miscue.
Jimmy. anyway, left under a cloud,
but he'll return as a regular.
Wasdell didn't brood about it too
much. He journeyed to Minneapolis
and has prospered. He currently is
hitting $3.50, has clouted 81 home
runs and, more intriguing, has bat
ted In 81 runs in SO games.
Meanwhile, the Mats haven't had
much success in their wholesale
dealings in first basemen. After
West filled in for three weeks, Bob
Prichard was imported from Char
lotte. Jim Vernon of Springfield
followed Prichard and remains as
Washington's first baseman, but
while he is a polished fielder. his
painfully light hitting has branded
him as incompetent.
Position Undetermined.
Wasdell has been playing right
field for the Millers and Grifith's
reports from President Mike Kelley
give glowing reports of his prowess.
We'll have to wait and see what
happens before we know where we'll
stick him." says Griffth, but if
he doesn't play first then he'll be
in the outfield. He apparently has
found himself. All he needed when
he left here was a different attitude.
He just didn't think like big
Lacquer should.
Right now I'm not in favor of
shifting Buddy Lewis to the out
field. He's improved too much as
third baseman, doing things auto
matically now that he never even
tnOugnC OF before.
Il think this Jimmy Pofahl is
gonna click at shortstop. He's sup
posed to have a lot of spirit and fire
and you can't win without it around
second base. Pofahl and Jimmy
BloodWorth oughta make a great
second base combination.
Travis? He isn't out of the pic
ture. Ever since he's heard all this
talk of being traded he's been play
ing a great game at short. We may
try to make him over into a first
baseman, though, if Pofahl comes
through.
Shortstops Are Versatile.
They're making cracks about
my loading up with shortstops. I've
got Travis. Charley Colbert, Pofahl
and Hal Quick, but if they're good
shortstops they'll also make good
second or third basemen. Buddy
Myer came to us as a shortstop.
Travis came up as a third baseman.
Ossie Bluege was shortstop and
Red Rolfe played short with Newark
before he moved up to the Yankees"
There was nothing to disturb the
report, however, that Griffith al
ready has arranged a deal whereby
Travis will leave the Mats in ex-
change for first baseman or out
fielder