Evening star., 1942-03-31
Veteran Bought
From Tigers Is
In Good Trim
$40, 900 SoIory Given
Buck, Is Report; Club
Now Seeks McNuir
BY BURTON HAWKINS,
Star Staff Correspondent.


ORLANDO, Fla, March 31-After
a lapse of nearly five years huge.
blustery Buck Newsom, baseball's
great mouthpiece and on occasions
one of its great pitchers, pulled on
a Washington uniform today and
President Clark Griffith Of the Mats
Immediately squashed reports he
would be involved in another deal
which would bring third baseman
to Washington. Purchased from the
Detroit Tigers last night for what
Griffith termed a figure consider
ably over the waiver price Of $500.
the husky right-hander and Griffith
already have agreed on salary ef
approximately $4,000 In effect.'
says Griffith, "he gave me a blank
contract and told me to fill it in"
Newsom thus becomes by far the
Mats highest -salaried player. VIM
ner Of only II games and loser of 20
last season. Buck had held out
against the Tigers plan to trim his
pay from its 1941 peak of s32 $500
to $1,000, figure later boosted
So 900 but still unsatisfactory to
Newsom
Il bought NewSom to uSe-not TO
trade" says Griffith. He weighs
223 pounds in his street clothes and
I believe if he gets down to 2l2
stripped he'll win for us. He ap-
pears to be in much better shape
than he was last season and he says
he'll take off more weight"
Must Shed Some Weight.
Griffith now is concentrating on
obtaining Infelder Eric McNair from
the Tigers to play third base. Early
last night Griffith revealed that II
he purchased Newsom he planned
10 trade him for a third baSeman.
With Newsom in the fold, Griffith
altered his conversation. however,
and will focus his attention on get
| ting McNair off the same club. >
A master Snowman, Newsom will
cash more stable checks than
Dutch Leonard, who won l0 games
for the Mats last season. Detroit
newspapermen reveal Newsom made
ST. 900, including bonuses and 1910
World Series coin, in two years with
I the Tigers.
Newsom blames his tobogganing
/ last season to the fact he had
reached the top and subconsciously
relaxed Il didn't mean to-" SAYS
Buck, but I guess eased up bit
and picked up a lot of weight that
didn't do me any good in those late
. inv t1-oc n &c
! If he is fat now, it isn't evident.
He is down to one chin and his
tummy is trim Manager Bucky
Harris and Griffith feel Newsom
must lose weight through the chest
to regain the form he displayed in
capturing 20 or more games in 1888,
1889 and 1910.
Newsom Says He Is Pleased.
One of baSeballs more Colorful
characters and welcome addition
to a generally quiet club, Newsom
! obviously was pleased with his new
affiliation. I'm back home and I'm
satisfied" beamed Buck. "Old Bobo
is going TO work now and win some
games. I'd like to pitch nine in
ningS Saturday.
| NeWsom isn't heSitant about in
forming the public of his proves.
He is a managerial headache with
/ his love of suds and bright lights,
but when he is in condition and in
/ the mood he pours a smoky fast
4 ball. How much he will aid the
Mats chiefly will depend on his eX-
tracurricular conduct and ambition
/ to reScale baSeball'S ladder
/ He is akin to the proverbial bad
penny His hectic career has in
| cluded service on IA clubs, including
Brooklyn, Chicago Cubs, ST. Louis
| Browns. Washington, Boston Red
Sox and Detroit. twice returning TO
the Browns and Mats.
Harris isn't contemplating altering
| his pitching plans until he views
| NewSom in action. Coach Steve
/ O'Neil of the Tigers said yesterday
when the Mats played Detroit at
Lakeland that Newsom is in his
finest physical shape of the last
three years and that his fast ball
still is steamy.
Must Revise Slab Staff.
Harris, though. wants to see for
| himself. He had planned employ
| ing Leonard, Sid Hudson, Jack
Wilson, Walter Masterson and Early
Wynn as starting pitchers but the
addition of Newsom may create a
(See HAWKINS, Page A-14D