Evening star., 1945-03-09
Early Loss Of Haefner
Feared; CarrasqueI,
Vaughn Get in Line
BY JOHN B. KELLER.


Preparations for the 1945 baseball
campaign have gone only into the
third day, but those in charge of
Washington's Mats already are won-
|dering what the club will do about
lpitching this year.
War draft and manpower prob
lens threaten to jolt the Mats to
such an extent they may go into
the championship season with only
six on their slab staff-and that de-
spite word received yesterday that
AL Carrasquel, wintering at his Ca
racas (Venezuela) home, has recon-
sidered plans to play ball in Mexico
and will wear Washington uniform
again.
Mickey Haefner, doughty south
paving knuckleballer, is due at Col
lege Park next week, but Mickey is
Ia and rumors coming from his
home at New Athens, ILL.,, indicate
he soon will be service bound or
sent into war work. Mickey is a
coal miner and if the Army doesn't
grab him the mines almost certainly
will.
UP in New York, Wally Holborrow,
semipro who looked plenty good in
his one trial against the Cleveland
Indians last season, fears to leave
his post with the City Sanitation
Commission and Larry Burger has
been sticking to his defense plant
job. Already, the Nat front Office
has been informed that Dick We'll
teroth will not report before the end
of his high school year in Williams
port, Pa.
Big Burden on Four Hurlers.
With these pitchers gone, the
Mats would have left only Dutch
Leonard, Roger Wolff and Johnny
Niggeling, veterans now in training
at the University of Maryland field;
Marino Pieretti, drafted from Port
land last fall; Santiago Ullrich, Gu
ban righthander, who at camp last
year showed he was far from being
a big Lacquer, and Carrasquel.
With Niggeling strictly a once-a-
week pitcher last year because of a
stomach ailment, and Leonard get
ting along in years so far as pitch
ers are concerned, the main slab
burden would fall on Wolff, Cares
quel and a pair of rookie hurlers.
It's enough to put wrinkles in the
brows of the Nat board of strategy
this early in the conditioning cam
paign.
There are other worries, too. Stan
Spence hasn't written the club head
quarters for months and there have
been hints from his Kinston IN. c.
residence that he is nearing induc-
ton into the armed forces. Spence's
loss would indeed be terrific wallop,
for last year with his fine fielding
and strong hitting he was just
about the Washington ball club. The
outtielder is due at College Park
next Wednesday when the second
squad reports to Manager Os Bluege,
but many around the club are be-
ginning to doubt he will show up.
Vaughn Coming Back.
The bosses were cheered somewhat
by news that Fred Vaughn, second
sacker picked up from the American
Association last year, will join the
club. He wired yesterday, accepting
terms and announcingshe would be
in some time before the, end of the
month. He also said the operation
on an ailing heel was successful.
Vaughn is expected to take over the
middle base regularly this year, with
George Myatt, guardian there last
season, moving over to shortstop.
Many of the Mats problems, and
those of other ball clubs, too, may
be eased by the manpower bill
passed yesterday by the Senate
Unless it is altered too much in
conference, its provisions likely will
take care of baseball's personnel
situation, Government authorities
intimate.
Gerald Priddy, who played ster-
ling second base for the Mats before
going into the Army, now is in the
Army and Navy Hospital at Hot
Springs, Ark, suffering from arth-
ritis, according to the Associated
Press. He became i'll a few months |
ago in Honolulu.
When the Mats start their spring |
exhibitions March Is they will have
as umpire Jim Boyer of the Amer
ican League staff. He is among eight
American League arbiters assigned
to clubs of the loop by President |
Will Harridge. Yes, umpires, like
ball players, have to undergo spring
training.
Nativity Five in WoIkover