Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-07

Ten pounds overweight but con-
ditioned by handball and squash
games. Vic Wertz has started
training to win back the first
base job he held when polio af-
f1icted him last August Is.
Wertz, arriving in camp a
week later than the rest of his
Cleveland Indians teammates,
has no doubt his comeback will
be successful.
II see you have five or six
first basement" he noted. We'll,
that's going to be my job. I
won't be a gazelle around the
bag, but I can feel in my bones
I'll have a good year at the
plate"
At 212. Wertz is about 10
pounds over what he considers
his best playing weight, but in
his initial two-hour workout
yesterday the 31-year-old slug
ger looked Gin good shape"
Manager AL Lopez said.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Mar
7 tP.-Luis Arroyo, the stubby
lefthander who sagged last sea-
son after a fast start with the
Cardinals, has come up with a
new pitch he hopes will make
him a 15-game winner.
It's screwball. Scout AL
Hollingsworth and Pitching
Coach Bill Posedel have helped
Arroyo develop the pitch, and
they think it will be particularly
effective against righthanded
Sluggers.
"I've got lot of confidence
in the peetch," Arroyo said yes
terday. you see the batter hit
the 'scroogie' into the dirt?"
Arroyo won his first six games
last year but then tailed off to
an 11-8 finish. At that, he was
the clubs No. 2 winner behind
Harvey Haddix Q2-16).
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.
Mar. 7 R.-Solid hitting by
Rance Pless. Dave Melton and
Eric Mackenzie and several good
pitching performances marked
the Kansas City Athletics squad
game yesterday.
Mackenzie, a rookie outfielder,
drove in three runs with a dou-
BILE and two singles and Pless,
last seasons most valuable play
er in the American Associa ton
with Minneapolis, whacked a.
double as the Whites downed the
Reds. I'll.
Melton, up from the Pacific
Coast League. had pair of
singles for the Reds, who were
held to four hits by the tight
pitching of Cloyd Boyer, Chuck
Kowalski and Dutch Romberger.
MESA, Ariz., Mar. Z P.-I
Frank Kellert, first baseman
picked up from the Brooklyn
Dodgers, might see lot of ac-
ton for the Chicago Cubs this
year. Manager Stan Hack indi-
Gated today. The 32-year-old
Oklahoman is the top hitter in
camp with .429 average. He's
also blasted a pair of home runs
and two doubles.
VERO BEACH, Fla, Mar. u
P).-Brooklyn ShortStop Peewee
Reese. who injured his back dur
Ing workout last Friday, feels
much improved" but he's not
taking any chances.
Reese showed up in the Dodg-
ers' camp for the first time in
several days yesterday. He took
a whirlpool treatment, a rub
down and then left. He isn't
expected to work out again until
the week end.
LAKELAND, Fla, Mar. z (F).
Steve Gromek. veteran De-
troit Tigers pitcher, has no mis-
givings about his 1856 future,
Manager Bucky Harris plans to
start him regularly in the early
part of the season and then use
him as a reliefer.
That's all right by me-" Gro
mex said. Il can be ready to goI
into a game after taking only
eight or 10 pitches in the bull
pen and the five they give you
on the regular mound"
Whats more" the 36-year-I
old Gromek said, Il can sit out
in that bullpen for a week, warm
I'D two or three times a day
when it looks like I might have
to 60 in the game, and still not
have a bad arm when I finally
do get called"