Evening star., 1946-12-01
Mats Owner Is Hoping
To Bolster Club at
Winter Meetings
By Burton Hawkins

By Burton Howkins
Late this week 77-year-old Clark
Grifith will determine the fate of
the 1947 Mats. In his photo o-fringed
office the boss of the washington
Baseball Club viii glue an ear to
telephone, hear an operator an
nounce Los Angeles calling" then
launch what will be tantamolnt to
a three-day long-distance harangue
which principally will settle the
status of next seasons team.
On the scene at Los Angeles for
the Mats at the annual winter
meeting of the major leagues will
be Manager Ossie Bluege, Vice
President Calvin Griffith and Scout
Joe Cambria, but they won't make
q move without consulting the boss.
They'll accomplish the spadework
on Washington's prospective deals,
but the man who will shovel new
life into the Mats or dig them
grave will be sitting at Griffith
Stadium.
The Mats three representatives at
Los Angeles have been instructed
to dicker for right-handed- hitting
third baseman, a Notwithstanding
ting outf1elder, a right-handed-hit-
ting shortstop, right-handed-hit-
ting catcher and left-handed
pitcher They've been told to ig-
more bids for First Baseman Mickey
ofct
hitter.
Decides to Keep Vernon.
"I was toying with the Yankees in
regard to Vernon" admits Griffith,
but I've decided to keep him. I'm
sure he'll be 800 hitter for us for
years to come, and he's the best
first baseman in the league, SO we're
gonna keep him"
Definitely out Of the Mats 1947
plans Is Dutch Leonard, veteran
knuckle-ball pitcher, who will be
traded. As nucleus for his pitch
ing staff Griffith is relying on Bobo
Newsom, Mickey Haefner, Early
Wynn, Sid Hudson. Ray Scarbor-
ough and Milo Candini
Also figuring prominently In the
Mats pitching blueprints is Scott
Carey, who won 27 games with the
Mats farm club at Orlando, Fla, last
season. If other clubs want to talk
trade in regard to Walter Master
son, Roger Wolff. Marino Pieretti,
ROLAND Miller, Bill Kennedy or
Vernon Curtis, Griffith win be re-
ceptive, but at this point only Leon
ard is certain to be clipped from the
club.
To bolster third base, Griffith is
seeking Ken Keitner of Cleveland
as a start on his emphasis of right
handed hitters. Griffith Stadium S
left-feld bleachers will be 80 feet
closer to home plate than they were
last season and the Mats boss wants
hitters who can pump home runs
in those temporary stands.
Would Alternate With Travis.
Keltner, though, would be OBJ
tanned to alternate with Cecil Travis.
Griffith feels Travis still is capable
of brilliant baseball If employed on
part time basis and cites the fact
that Travis batted better than 800
into July last season before his legs
sagged.
Sam Chapman Of the Philadelphia
Athletics and Johnny Lindell of the
Yankees are the object of Griff's af-
fection in regard to obtaining a
right handed hitting outfielder. Both
belt for distance and either would be
welcome among an outfleld that cur
rently is exclusively ft-handed with
Buddy Lewis, Stan Spence, Joe
Grace. Gil Coan and George Binks.
To plug the shortstop gap, Grif-
fifth has cast covetous glances in
the direction of Vernon Stephens
of the st. Louis Browns and Eddie
Pellagrini of the Boston Red Sox.
If he fails to land either of them
Griffith plans to convert Second
Baseman Jerry Priddy into short
stop and install George Myatt at
second base.
Birdie Tebbetts, Detroit's pep
perry catcher, has been offered to
Grif1th previously and the Mats
boss may grab him. If Griff gets
the left-handed pitcher he wants 1t
will be Joe Page of the Yankees,
but he'll be happy to settle for
Frank Papish or Ed Lopat of the
Chicago White Sox or Stubby Over
mire of the Tigers.
Predicts Lively Trading.
Griffith admits every club in the
league has approached him in re-
gard to deals and predicts the live
liest trading spree in baseball his
tory when team representatives get
together at Los Angeles on Thurs
day, Friday and Saturday.
Calculated to aid the Mats in
their trade talk this week is the
fact that three Griffith proteges
now are in managerial spots, with
Muddy Ruel at St Louis, Bucky
Harris at New York and Joe Cronin
at Boston. Calvin Griffith, Incl
dentally, has been visiting with
Cronin at San Francisco and will
drive with him to Los Angeles.
On the trading line Washington
will place Leonard, Catcher Jake
Early, Infielder Billy Hitchcock ano
Spence as primary bait, but Griffith
is in a mood to listen to virtually
any deal broached. He's anxious tc
shuttle the Mats and deal a PEN