Evening star., 1945-03-15
Slim Squad Handicaps
Manager Of Griffs;;
InfieId Mustered
BY JOHN B. KELLER.

ny 1OAAkN 0s nEAAEns
! First to begin its training, Wash
ington's baseball club threatens to
be the last of the majors to round
into condition for the champion
ship campaign.
| While other clubs, out only few
days, had anywhere from 18 to 20
men working out winter kinks and
were preparing to jump into exhi-
bition games early next week, the
Mats at College Park had mustered
only II players at camp up to today
and weren't at all certain Of when
lor if-the 20 remaining on their
roster will report.
A shortage of pitchers and q
dearth of outfielders have Manager
Os Bluege fretting. He has started
his skimpy squad In batting prac-
tice, but hasn't enough moundsmen
to toss 'em up even to the few bat
ters at work. Dutch Leonard,
Johnny Niggeling and Roger Wolff
still are the only regular hurlers at
hand and they have only Bert
Shepard, one-legged air service
veteran, and AL Rossi, a recruit
from semipro ranks, to help them.
At least seven more capable
pitchers are needed, especially when
or if-the remainder of the squad
checks in at the University of Mary
land field
Outfielders Staying Away.
There was a pitcher or two among
the nine Cubans who checked in to-
day. But no one at club head
quarters appears to know when
Mickey Heafner, stalwart southpaw;
Marino Pieretti, draftee from Port
land, and Larry Burger, yanked
from the semipros, will turn up or
whether they will.
Unless there is a sudden rush of
slabmen to College Park, Clark
Griffith will have to scrape the sand
lot barrel to round out curving
corps for his Mats.
The outf1eld situation is just as
serious. George Case got into base
ball togs yesterday to be the only
gardener in training. But George
still is nursing the left shoulder he
had repaired by an operation last
December and it may be weeks be-
fore he'll even attempt to use the
arm freely. Stan Spence, the clubs
leading batter last season, has sent
word he won't join the Mats until
just before the season opens-if at
all, nobody knows why Jake Powell,
the Montgomery County (MdD cop,
hasn't been around and Walter
Chipple, draftee from Montreal, has
made definite announcement he
won't report.
AL of which leaves the Mats with
George Binks, supposed to be in at
any time, and few Cubans to COM
plete the outfleld.
Infield Finally Mustered.
The only thing Manager Bluege
seems assured of at the moment is
an infleld. Chuck Beihl, a shortstop
taken from the University of Pitts
hurgh; George Myatt, last years
second sacker; Hills Layne, 1914
utility infielder, and Fred Vaughn,
second baseman bought the middle
Of last season, joined the veteran
Joe Kuhel yesterday.
Kuhel at first, Myatt at second,
Beihl at short and Layne at third
were sent through q brisk drill afield
and responded efficiently. Vaughn
did not do much work as he had
an operation on his heel not long
ago. 1t may be weeks before he is
able to give good account of him.
self. Those in charge of the Mats
are wondering why Vaughn didn't
have the operation performed right
after the close of last season in
stead Of waiting until shortly before
the opening of the training cam
paign.
Jim Langley, a rookie first sacker,
arrived at camp after practice was
through, but was to be out today.
He was the 18th of the regularly
listed Mats to show up.
But Bluege needs many more to
round out team. Until the pitch
ers and outfielders pour in-and
catchers, too, for Al Evans is the
only backstop on the roster at hand
the manager will find the going
plenty rough.