Evening star., 1946-03-06
Buddy, Once inclined
To SuIk, Is Carefree;
Myatt Pounds Pill
By Burton Hawkins
Stor StoH Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla, Mar. 6.-Out-
fielder Buddy Lewis is willing to
solve the Mats third base problem
by taking over that post if requested,
thus creating an outfleld vacancy
for Gil Coan or Ray Goolsby and
blending more power into Washing
tons lineup I'D rather stay in
right field" says Buddy, but If
could help the team by playing
third base I'd certainly be willing
to try"
Buddy, 1t seems, never has been
asked to move into the infield
When reported here / was stuck
in right field and that's all I know
about it," declares Lewis. Il don't
know If I could be better third
baseman than those we have now,
but I'd take a stab at it if they
want me to. I just want to play
lit doesn't make much difference
where"
Manager Ossie Bluege, who pre-
viously had planned to reinstate
Lewis at third base and construct
an outfleld embracing JEFF Heath,
Stan Spence and Coan, rearranged
those blue prints because he felt
Lewis would fret too much about his
fielding at third base and that such
worry would wreck Buddy as hit
ter. Lewis attitude apparently dis
pels such thoughts.
A third bsseman for several sea-
sons after breaking in with the
Mats in 1886. Buddy was recognized
as one of the American Leagues
better hot corner guardians until
he developed a weakness in fielding
bunts. Bucky Harris, then manag-
ing the Mats, converted Lewis into
an outfielder in 1941 and when he
returned to Washington after a
lengthy stretch in the service it
was as an outfielder.
Lewis Attitude Changes.
No longer inclined to sulk, as he
was prior to entering the Army,
Lewis is a happy go-lucky carefree
1ndividual-an attitude which would
aid him in surmounting the diff
f1culties involved in switching back
to the infleld Buddy is prepared
to attempt the readjustment if re-
quested but he won't do the asking.
1t is conceded generally that to
bench Coan might harm an ex-
tremely promising outflelder. Coan
comes to the Mats stamped as the
most valuable player in the minor
leagues, but equally promising is
Goolsby, the most pleasant surprise
IN Washington's training camp.
Both are polished players but as
rockies are calculated to have con-
siderable difficulty disrupting an
outhelder possessing such veterans
as Heath, Spence and Lewis.
Meanwhile, George Myatt has
taken a substantial lead over Sherry
Robertson in the scrap for third
base, but indications that Bluege
isn't entranced by either of them
at that spot were evident yesterday
when First BaSeman Jack Sanford
was instructed to grab a fielder's
glove and work out at third.
Myatt Fields, Hits Well.
Myatt has been fielding we'll and
hitting spectacularly but George
lacks Lewis power and is rated no
better than Buddy as an infielder
Shifting Lewis to third and inject
ing Coan or Goolsby into the lineup
seemingly would bolster the Mats
attack. Lewis is ready, willing and
perhaps able to make the change.
So far he hasn't been asked to do
so by the Mats bosses.
The Mats "B" team will launch
Washingtons exhibition games
schedule tomorrow. meeting the
Detroit Tigers at Lakeland. The
"A' team will climb aboard two
planes tomorrow night at Miami
and whisk over to Cuba, where it
will meet the Boston Red Sox in
two games and be pitted against
Cuban players in five games during
a Today stay.
Supposed to join the Mats at
Havana are catcher Fermin Guerra.
infielder Gilberto Torres and pitcher
Santiago Ullrich, but whether they'll
report remains mystery to Presi-
dent Clark Grifflth, who discounts
reports those players have jumped
to the Mexican League.