Evening star., 1947-03-21
Sullivan al Shorfstop
Weak, Pitching Poor
In Rout by Wings
By Burton Hawkins
Sfor Sfoff Correspondent

WINTER GARDEN, Fla, Mar.
21.-The Mats have pitching woes,
their second base combination is
subject to change overnight, their
catching is mediocre, they are re-
lying on veteran Cecil Travis to
stage a comeback at third base and
their outfield is unsettled, so it is
with a sigh of relief that Manager
Ossie Bluege glances in the direc-
ton Of first base.
Bluege at times may feel like
embracing Mickey Vernon and Stan
Spence just for being around, for
they represent the two certain items
about Washington's baseball club.
Mickey will play first base and
Stan will be in center field, but
beyond that point the construction
of the 1947 Mats becomes a thing
of mystery.
Spence is the more expendable
Of the pair, simply because the
Mats are overstaffed in the outfield.
Vernon in one year has become the
Mats most valuable performer and
last season plugged a gap which
had bothered the club since Joe
Kuhel was swapped to the Chicago
White Sox for Zeke Bonura 10
years ago.
Vernon Mats Glamour Boy.
This time last year Vernon was
in a three-way battle for the first
base job with Kuhel and Jack San
ford and not doing too well in
the scrap He had a charleyhorse
and didn't hit his stride until two
weeks after the season was under
way, but then he settled that situa-
tion with something that ap-
preached permanence.
Vernon, President Clark Griffith
has made it clear, is with the Mats
to stay. Grif has rejected mail
sack of cash for him and when the
New York Yankees offered four
players for Mickey the other day
the Washington head snorted con-
temptously. Vernon Is the Mats
glamour boy.
Completely unworied Is Bluege by
Vernon'5 tepid 200 hitting in spring
training. for Mickey always has
been slow starter. Bluege isn't
expecting Vernon to match his 1853
hitting of last year, but he believes
he'll hover around 1925.
Vernon is the leagues outstanding
first baseman, with little competi-
ton. The Yankees have resorted to
testing 35-year- -old George McQuinn
at first base. The Detroit Tigers are
filling in at first base with Roy
Cullenbine, who is more noted as an
outfelder, and the Boston Red SoX
would give the Mats Rudy York and
a mortgage on Fenway Park to OBJ
tain Vernon.
Sullivan Shaky at Short.
Bluege has little to be happy about
these days. His pitchers aren't
showing much and yesterday when
he inserted Johnny Sullivan at
shortstop in the hope of locating
some senblance of talent, Sullivan
committed three errors. -
The Mats absorbed IA Walloping
from Rochester at Daytona Beach
as Bluege withheld most of his
regulars because of the cold, blust-
cry weather and damp field. What
he saw from his rookie crop didn't
stir praise.
Bluege has been flirting with the
idea that Sullivan could be the Mats
shortstop, permitting Jerry Priddy
to return to second base, but Johnny
was off to a sour start. Twice he
booted grounders and on another
occasion he uncorked wild throw
that allowed two runs to score.
Meanwhile Pitcher Luther Knerr
was fooling nobody. He was whacked
for runs in his three innings, with
Claude Wright providing the big
blow with a triple in the second
inning at a time when the bases
were janmed. Knerr is being re-
garded as a relief pitcher for the
Mats, but Scott Cary and Bob Callan,
who are slated to be farmed out,
were more impressive.
Nat Notes.-The Mats now have
committed 18 errors in five exLibi-
ton games, with their second base
men and shortstops contributing 10
:. Washington has 2-3 record in
the Citrus Circuit and the only
minor league clubs it has played,
Chattanooga and Rochester, won
handily.
Washington was to play Chatta-
nooga here today and will battle
the Cincinnati Reds at Orlando
tomorrow :. On Sunday, the Mats
Regulars will clash with Detroit
at Orlando, with the rockies jour-
neying here to play Chattanooga.