Evening star., 1939-02-03
Control Is Main
Study Of Glass
Al Orlando
Pilot Wrenches Back
As He Tries to Hit
Pitch Far Outside ah
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT,


ORLANDO, Fla, Feb. 3.-For the
first time in nearly 20 years as a
major league second baseman and
manager, Bucky Harris was out of
uniform today. Furthermore, he is
convinced that Washington spring
training started not too soon.
Camp was opened a fat three
weeks ahead of schedule so that
Harris could cure the wildness of a
crop of green pitchers and add a
few polishing touches. The plan
worked in reverse. Harris fell a
victim to his boys lack of control
and they polished him off.
Twenty minutes after training
officially opened Harris was dropped
for the full count. He was batting
in a pepper drill. A wild rookie
threw him a pitch low and outside.
Bucky lunged, swung and sat down
hard with a torn muscle in his back
He had enough for the day. 1t may
be several days before he can climb
back into a uniform.
That" unused Mr.. Harris, phil
osophically, lis what you call being
shown the problem ahead. This
adhesive tape I'm wrapped up in
now itches like the deuce, too."
Only Bunts Are Allowed.
The opening days of training are
going to be as casual as possible.
The squad didn't spend an hour on
the field yesterday and Harris plans
no longer drills until next week.
Then school really is to start.
The idea is to teach fundamentals
to a flock of class A, B, and D
leaguers. A wooden backstop has
been constructed at one end of Ex-
position Park. A half swing from
the plate is capable of riding ball
out of the premises, for Exposition
Park really is soft ball arena. But
that. according to Harris, makes
everything perfect. Nothing lustier
than a bunt will be permissible.
Half of these fellows probably
don't know what bunt is, much
less being capable of fielding one or
dropping down one themselves, says
Bucky. "Griff's program is to teach
these fellows to sacrifice, to handle
bunts and make plays on them, show
them how to hold runners on the
bases and, of course, to get the ball
over the plate"
This was accompanied by rueful
rubbing of the back.
Cal Griffith on Go.
Notes to you:
The right-handed pitchers may
take a couple of weeks longer to
get into shape this year because all
the slot machines have been taken
out of the Orlando swilleries .
They say the reason they were
banned was because the operators
got hoggish and cut the give" down
to II and Is per cent, instead of the
25 per cent chance they gave the
suckers in the beginning The
church people have been after the
slot machiners for some years, but
they couldn't get public sentiment
on their side until the iron cancers
just stopped paying at all.
Grif may have thought he had a
promising young Jewish pitcher on
his club in Early Wynn, up from
Charlotte, but it develops that Early
isn't Jewish -. He's part Indian
Reminds of the story of Wally Moses,
who was playing in the Texas
League -. A scout for the Giants,
then hot after a Jewish ballplayer
to cater to the clientele in New York,
started to bid for Wally until Moses
told him he wasn't a Jew So
the Giants scout left him in Texas
and Connie Mack came along and
grabbed a fine outfelder.
Calvin Griffith, adopted son of the
Mats president and boss of the
Charlotte farm team, claims that
he is attending three spring train
ing sessions this spring-the first
was at st. Augustine, when the
Washington school" opened last
month-the second will be the Mats
grind, which will find Calvin hover
ing on the sidelines and waiting to
grab players that Griff doesn't want
and the third will be Charlotte S
own training season, which will start
late in March in Charlotte.