Evening star., 1939-12-08
Travis Dang|ed
AS Bait Before
St. Louis Club
Chicago Gets Wright,
Appleton for Vet
Riqhthund Hitter
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
Star STAFF Correspondent,

0SoA SkdA NoSACopOAAcAs .
CINCINNATI, Ohio, Dec. 8.-The
Nationals ageless quest for right
handed batting punch partially was
completed today with the acquisi-
ton from the Chicago White Sox Of
Outfielder Gerald Walker and, with
Shortstop Cecil Travis still available
as trading bait, Manager Bucky
Harris opened negotiations with the
st. Louis Browns for another right
handed hitting outflelder and
Pitcher Vernon Kennedy.
In an early-morning deal which
had been brewing for Is hours while
President Clark Griffith sat closeted
in American League meetings, the
Nationals sent Outfielder Taft
Wright, rs years old, and Relief
Pitcher Pete Appleton, IS years old,
to the White Sox in exchange for
the 30-year-old slugger who broke
into major league ball at Detroit
under Harris.
The trade was the first to be made
in the American League, and, with
the meeting coming to premature
close today, 1t was expected to be
followed by others. It was the third
straight year that Griffith and
Harris paced the league at the trade
mart. Last year Zeke Bonura was
sold to the Giants, by way of firing
the opening gun, and in 1871
minor trade, Ed Linke for Elon Hog
sett of the Browns. opened the con-
vention at Milwaukee.
Browns Wanted Wright, Too.
Harris, elated over the trade, i'm
mediately went into a huddle with
Manager Fred Haney of the Browns,
although when the Walker trade
was announced it was / o'clock in
the morning.
Haney, who had been interested
in Wright, also was receiving over
lures from the White Sox, who had
offered Outf1elder Rip Radchf and
Pitcher Clint Brown in exchange for
Outf1elder Julius Solters and Ken
nedy.
This Walker" Harris said, 'is the
kind Of a player who will give you
headache one day and make up for
it the next by doing something
brilliant. know. I had him once"
Best Of all, he added, hell be out
there giving everything he's got all
OF the time. He's really one of those
anything-to-win guys. He'll steal
bases and run into fences and
knock inflelders and catchers all
over the lot.
George Case is the same kind of
fellow. So is Pofahl, our rookie
shortstop, I'm told. Case, Pofahl,
Walker and Rookie Second Base
man Eddie Leip play the same kind
OF ball. Among the four of them
maybe they'll be able to wake up the
bunch of dead ones we had the last
couple of years."
Lewis May Play Outfield.
Harris doesn't want Solters now,
but he would like Kennedy, and if
the Browns are interested in Travis
the Mats may swing deal before
the training season starts. With
Walker playing left field and Case
in right, Harris needs center fielder
and he is cycling Chet Laabs. If he
is unable to get Laabs he will shift
Case to center, Walker to right and
try to convert Third Baseman
Buddy Lewis into left fielder while
putting Travis on third.
This is the way 1t probably will
work out because most baseball peo-
pie were of the opinion that when
Manager Jimmy Dykes of Chicago
made the trade for Wright and Ap-
pleton he had definite assurance
from st. Louis that he would get
Solters and Kennedy. The acquisi-
ton Of Wright gives Chicago four
left-handed outfielders, Radcliff,
Hank Steinbacher and Larry Rosen-
thai being the others.
One of this quartet, possibly
Wright, is expected to be shuttled
to the Browns. Further credence is
given to this theory inasmuch as
both Brown and Appleton are relief
pitchers.
Confident About Walker.
Fretting at the delay while Grif-
fifth was participating in legislative
activities upstairs in the headquar-
ters hotel, Harris corraled Dykes
and Vice President Harry Grabi-
neh of the Sox and waited with
(See BASEBALL, Page D-2)