Evening star., 1940-03-06
Ca||sUponMi|an
To Teach Them
Better Style
Shortstop Admits His
Throwing Suffered
After '39 Mishup

|
ORLANDO, Fla, March Gas
the Nationals ready themselves for
an intrasquad game tomorrow and
the start of a grueling grapefruit
league schedule on Sunday only two
things appear to be bothering Clark
Griffith.
The big boss of the Washington
club, together with Manager Bucky
Harris, seems to be vaguely worried
about a pair of arms. One belongs
to Outfelder George Case, the other
to Rookie Shortstop Jimmy Pofahl.
"It's the way they slide," Crit
fifth explained today, after Harris
announced line-ups for the intra-
squad game. Case keeps hurting
his arm while sliding, and, because
he is so easily injured, Bucky is
keeping him out of the game to-
morrow. Pofahl is pretty much in
the same class. That boy has a
world of class and a great pair of
hands.
'If he has any weakness, it's his
arm, and Pofahl told me today that
after he hurt his wrist while sliding
last year at Minneapolis, he had a
little trouble throwing
George Hurt Last Year.
Case was a pitcher before Scout
Joe Cambria discovered, signed and
helped to develop him. In the be-
ginning George was proud of his
arm, but because he had terrific
speed he was encouraged to steal
bases, and, as he slid to pilfer, he
developed the bad habit of throw
ing his right hand into the dirt.
During his first year with the
Mats the young f1y-chaser slid into
second base one day at Yankee
Stadium and threw his right shoul-
der out of joint. He was on the
Fbench for some time and when he
came back his arm lacked some OF
its old power.
| Last year, as a sophomore and
successful one, George was going at
a great clip until he slid again in
the course of swiping 81 bases and
re-injured his arm. He spent the
last three weeks of the season on
the bench.
Doc Milan Is Called in.
Pofahl doesn't throw his shoulder
out of place, but he hurts his wrist.
Jimmy was batting close to 800 last
July for Minneapolis when he
banged up this joint and while he
still managed to finish with good
year and gain major league bidders,
his average dropped to .302 and his
throws to first base showed the effect
of the injury.
Attached to the washington Board
of Strategy is one of the truly log
ical men to diagnose and correct
these cases. He is Coach Clyde Milan,
not only one of the great base
stealers of all times but a stylist. It
will be up to Clyde to remedy the
faults in the base-running tech
niques of Case and Pofahl.
The line-ups tentatively written
by Manager Harris for tomorrow's
intrasquad game indicates the in
decision of the Nat pilot. Originally
he planned to pat Pofahl in the
second hole, dropping Buddy Lewis
to fourth in the batting order Jimmy
Wasdell, he hoped, would make a
valuable man in the sixth or seventh
position.
Walker Is Cleanup Hitter.
But tomorrow, when the regulars
meet the Yannigans in a game
demanded by the local Chamber Of
Commerce, Bucky will try some
thing different. While protecting
Case, he will play Johnny Welaj in
center field and let him lead of.
Instead of Pofahl in the second
notch he will bat Wasdell, with Lewis
hitting third, Walker fourth, Cecil
Travis fifth, Jimmy Bloodworth
sixth, Pofahl seventh and Jake Early,
the catcher, eighth.
No pitchers have as yet been
chosen for either side and all that
camp followers know is that Sid
Hudson, Joe Krakauskas and Paul
Gehrman are not being considered
because they are booked to face the
Giants Sunday.
For the Yannigans, the lead-off
hitter will be Eddie Leip, who will
play second base. Sherard Robertson
will play short and bat second, fol-
lowed by Roberto Ortiz, left field;
Elmer Gedeon, center fielder, Jack
Sanford, first base; Joe Mellendeck,
! right field; Lou Minsal, third base,
and AL Evans, catcher.
Carrasquel Still Missing.
The only other news items in
camp were the continued absence of
Pitcher Alexandra Carrasquel, the
Venezuelan, and the tension of
President Griffith as he awaits word
from Baseball Commissioner Lands
on the cases of Farmhands Hal
Quick, Alex Pitko and Morris Adler
holt.
The old Judge wants all three to
be ordered to the Mats camps for
tryouts, which Griffith says they got
last fall. Griffith explained the
situation to Lands over the tele-
phone with studied care and delicacy
but the judge apparently was be-
wildered or the lawyer in him came
out because he demanded the ex-
PLANTATION in writing and Griffith,
having submitted his case in pen
and ink, now is waiting an answer
to his letter.
It really isn't important except to
Griffith who will have to train the
trio at an estimated expense OF
$1,000 If Lands is insistent. None
is likely to stick and all will be
shipped to farms.
Lands, according to Griff, is try
ing to do the right thing. He is
trying to prevent clubs from "cover-
ing up" players and keeping them
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