Evening star., 1948-04-01
Hitting,F
Bdserunning All
In GiI's Favor
Swipes Six Bogs in Six
Attempts; Tip by Engel
Cures Plate Fault
By Burton Hawkins
By Burton Hawkins
ssar sioff Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla, April 1.-Skep-
ticism over the ability of stream
lined Gil Coan to wedge his way
into major league society and mingle
with the elite rapidly is vanishing
under Florida's sun, for the good
natured Mats left fielder Is clicking
consistently.
This is Gil's third stab at reg
ular Washington job and this time
he has clinched a position. He is
hitting .309, displaying impressive
bursts Of speed on the bases, field
ing adequately and generally con-
ducting himself as an established
major Lacquer.
In Is exhibition games, In some Of
which he appeared only briefly, Gil
has stolen six times In as many
attempts. Against the Detroit
Tigers he swiped second, third and
home. He stole home against the
Cincinnati Reds and second against
the Philadelphia Athletics and
Phillies.
His hitting is giving Manager Joe
Kuhel no concern, for among Gil's
II safeties have been two homers,
a. triple and a double. 1t was Gil's
lusty home run with two out and
one on in the ninth inning here
yesterday which enabled the Mats to
tie the Kansas City Blues, l4-14 in
an thinning struggle called on ac-
count of futility.
Improves as Fielder.
"He's not the best outfielder In
the world yet" said Coach Clyde
Milan, but he's improving all the
time. He doesn't stagger under fly
balls any more and he hauls 'em in
better than he had been. He doesn't
have a particularly strong arm and
once in a while he has thrown to
the wrong base, but he has shown
great improvement and he should
improve more with every game.
Gil has solved one of his prob
lems,' explained Milan. HE has
stub for left thumb and balls were
popping out of his glove which
should have been caught. That was
because Gil couldn't grip his glove
properly. He has had special web
built into the glove and now he can
hang on to ball better"
There were, times last season
when Gil was laboring with Chat
tanooga, that he believed his base
ball career rapidly was deteriorating
fer sCoan wasn't hitting with the
Lookouts and he had failed in two
trials with the Mats.
I was pressing and all of stride
Coan recalls. Il was worrying about
it, and I guess Joe Enger sensed 1t.
He called me into the Office one
day and said, 7 don't care If you
strike out so times in row-start
swinging at that ball He had sized
me up right because I had to con-
fess 1 had been punching at pitches.
well, I got going that afternoon
For the first time in weeks felt
right at the plate. I got couple
of hits, but that wasn't important
I felt natural and relaxed"
Says He'll do All Right"
Coan was imported for II games
with Washington last fall and Gre
ated a lasting impression. He
swatted 500 in his short stay be-
fore the season closed, and it was
a confident. enthusiastic youngster
who departed for his Rosman, N. c.,
residence.
OF his first try to make the Mats
in 1916 Gil says simply, II wasn't
ready. There was too much I didn't
know. Now, though, I know I'm
ready. I'm gonna do all right"
Coan, who has batted across Is
runs in spring games, brought home
five yesterday with a brace of sim
giles, home run and two bases on
balls. He spanked the Mats 17-hit
attack which also featured Sherry
Robertson's third homer of citrus
circuit campaigning.
The Blues pounded Joe Jones for
10 or their 81 hits and seven runs
before. Vernon Curtis was rushed to
the mound in the fifth inning
Kansas City blasted Curtis for four
runs in the sixth and picked up three
more in the seventh off Hal Toenes
and Tom Ferrick.
Meanwhile, the Mats, who trailed
11-2 at one point, moved into con-
tention with a fiye-run outburst in
the sixth and sliced the Blues ad-
(See MATS, Page ca