Evening star., 1941-04-14
Club Will Better
500 This Year,
Griffith Backs Pilot
Who Ayers Pitching
Is Much Improved
BY BURTON HAWKINS.

The enthusiasm of Manager Bucky
Harris and President Clark Griffith
of the Mats may not be Infectious,
but at least it's interesting. Both
are predicting Washington will play
better than 500 baseball this season
and Bucky even visions his club as
dangerous, providing he's staked to
another acceptable pitcher.
That could mean the Mats bosses
are harboring ideas of landing the
team somewhere in the first division,
a tremendous task when pausing TO
consider the carload of copy writ
ten to the effect that Washington
is destined for no better than
seventh place.
Grif1ith and Harris, though,
weren't approaching the season as
defeatiStS as the Mats prepared to
square off against the Yankees to-
day at Griffith Stadium in their
initial test. Harris is nursing much
hope for his outfit now that most of
the Piedmont League tinge has been
removed.
Bucky is no graSper of straws. His
managerial career has been bit
rougher than many because he's
willing to call spade just that, Per-
haps after viewing the BonuraS and
Wasdells over the years he is over
enthusiastic about the fielding fl
nesse of George Archie. Maybe too
much EStalella is making his eyes
twinkle at the mention of Roger
Cramer. Maybe he's an all-America
optimist-and maybe he isn't.
Milan High on Team.
Among the older Mats there is a
feeling this club can create trouble.
Coach Clyde Milan says any time
the Mats look bad they'll be hav-
ing an off day because, he says,
Washington is not bad team.
Buddy Myer, who has seen a few
seasons come and 60, says THE key
to the situation is our pitching.
We don't figure to get many runs,
but if the pitching holds up we can
be dangerous. Jimmy Bloodworth
has improved tremendously defen-
sively and he's hitting well. Doc
Cramer will save us many a run
cutting down guys trying to scoot
from first to third on single"
Were going to get good pitching,
says Harris. emphatically. I'VE have
six good pitchers in Leonard, Hud-
son, Chase, Masterson, Sundra and
MacFayden. Give us one more good
one to go with them and we're gonna
surprise a lot of people. No, there's
no prospect of getting that other
pitcher right now, but you can bet
we aren't twiddling our thumbs.
Harris is high on the youthful,
bespectacled Masterson, who almost
overnight seems to have been trans
formed into an acceptable starting
pitcher. Bucky. in fact, wouldn't be
surprised if MaSterson won more
games than Sid Hudson.
Sold on Masterson.
"I don't mean that as any reflec-
ton on Sid's ability cautions Har-
ris, "but merely mention it as an ex-
ample of how I feel Masterson has
improved. I can't account for it ex-
cept that over the years he appar-
emily has absorbed instruction and
now he's beginning to show it.
''Walter has that sidearm pitch
now and can mix his pitches well.
He's getting the ball over the plate
with plenty on it. He may lose scme
games-he's still a baby-but I think
he's going to win lot more than he
loses.
"I believe, with another pitcher,
we can stay over the 500 mark for
the first time in five years.
Griff is more optimistic. "Were
better than a 500 club right now"
SAYS the boss of the club which won
64 games and lost 80 last season. !
We've improved defensively and
we're gonna get some good pitching"
Washington, to play 500 baseball
or better, must win at least l3 more
games than last season. Bucky and
Griff believe the pitching and de-
fensive improvement give the team
4 fighting chance to do it.
Maybe they're thinking wishfully,
but at least it's refreshing to detect
signs of spark in the Mats, even if
It's verbal.