Evening star., 1941-03-14
0utfie|d Is Fair,
But Harris Still
Pitching
Hitting Is Uncertain,
lnfieId Strength
Questionable
BY GAYLE TALBOT.
Associated Press Sports Writer

E1SoOS4obNA ACoS SpOI Ito "IILcl'
ORLANDO, Fla, March 14-Hav-
ing finished within one jump of the
American League cellar last year,
Washington's Nationals are under
going a great Shifting-around in
spring training in rather forlorn
hope that something might click
and put them up in the running.
For one thing, the great Cuban
experiment is over, and outside of
one lonesome Venezuelan the club
that Manager Bucky Harris put in
the field will be as American as the
Capitol dome. Without breaking
any condolences, we can that this
is great relief to Bucky.
For another thing, they know now
with an awful certainty that Buddy
Lewis is not an outfielder and are
bringing him back to his former
post at third base, with Cecil Travis
shifting over to short and the weak
hitting Jim Pofahl reverting to the
bench.
None of this is likely to do the
Nationals any real harm and it
might effect some slight improve
ment, but it begins to look as if
"Old Fox" Clark Griffith has lost
forever his knack of putting to-
gether championship teams out of
old bailing wire and odds and ends
from the attic.
Pitching Still Needed.
Its pitching we need, of course" :"
said Harris. They slugged us
around pretty brutally last year.
We could stand a little batting
strength, too, but I would let that
pass if we could come up with
another Sidney Hudson or two"
Hudson is the youngSter who
jumped straight from Glass D to the
majors last year and. after a slow
start, suddenly learned change of
pace and became a great pitcher.
He forms exactly one-third of the
clubs mound staff. the other two
being Dutch Leonard and Ken
Chase. Among them, they either
won or lost the amazing total of SO
games last season, which gives a
rough Idea what the rest OF the staff
must have been like.
Joe Krakauskas, who threatened
for couple of years to become
dependable winner, finally used up
Harris patience and was traded to
Cleveland for the veteran oatfelder
Ben Chapman. Roger Cramer was
obtained from the Boston Red Sox
in three-cornered deal that sent
Gerald Walker to Cleveland.
With George Case still on hand,
this gives the team an outield that
a lot of clubs could use. They are
a fast trio, at least, and they will
need all their speed and endurance
many an afternoon this summer
Chapman asked for the deal and is
working unusually hard.
Archie Can Field, Anyway.
First Baseman George Archie is
Washington's "star" rookie, the one
rival managers always ask about first.
He is a quiet number, but he looks
as if he can field. He hasn't produced
as hitter, however.
Archie, who had a previous trial
with Detroit, hit .322 for Seattle last
year and was voted the most
valuable player in the Pacific Coast
League. He made 215 hits in 179
games, so he wasn't exactly flash
in the pan.
At second, the team still has Jim
Bloodworth, who hit only .245 last
year. How long he will remain there
is problematical, for the 36-year-
Buddy Myer is making a determined
effort to win the job back for him
self and is looking surprisingly good.
Either player, though, is stop-gap.
Rick Ferrell still is a good catcher
after IL years in the main tent,