Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-16
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAV By FRANCIS srANN
Roy Sievers' Fence

1T COULD BE that once the pennant races are under
way the most suspenseul moments Griffith Stadium this
season will be waiting for Roy Sievers hit
you must know there is shorter barrier in left field
Regardless of who spawned the dea is Siever fence He
is the only Senator it figures to help very much.
No modern muscle in a Washington uniform ever
has led the American League in home The park simply
wasn't built for the longba hitter But young Cal Griffith
and presumably jolly Choy Dresser think Severs
chance
Severs put the bee the office bonnet two years
when he sugged "a homers Senator Last
year ne lifted Is out of the various parks dozen less
than Mickey Mantle smote to become the champ.
Where the strain Sievers, of course, his
own park He homered 10 times the road according to
the stascans but only times In other words
Roy averaged one homer in every II games at home.
DATATRoN HAS NO findings on this score but Burt
Hawkins came with which is the thing His
little black book reveals that in addition his
runs Sievers creamed % other pitches that fell short
ola barrier but which would have cleared the new one If this
is so and providing Roy hasn't lost his touch Mr. Bceps
becomes theoretical 47-homer man.
The musty records reveal that back in 1899 when Wash
ngon belonged to the old 12team National League first
baSeman named Buck Freeman the home title with
25 This done in park with right field only
feet high and 800 feet FREEMAN baed efthanded
1t done with the dead" ball it was considered
fabulous achievement AS matter of toct Feeman record
stood up until Babe Ruth hit 20 homers in 1919
Never did the late Clark Griffith prime of his hitters
for home but periodically he hankered
ong-oa hitter Had few sad experiences too when he
devated from the classic nedrve spray-stye htters
SO much better suited for the modern" u9l2) park
GOOSE GOSLIN WAS the first of Gris big hitters and
in 1928 the Goose baed 3 to lead the league
only II home and in 2S that only good for dis
tant third in the Fellow named Ruth had N that
and Gehrig had o.
1t that lacked power He could hit for dis
lance but that 4Ofoo tin wall in right field stopped many
his blows Most of Gosins drives ine-drive
variety.
When the teed off, his ball behaved like hit
brasSie shot One day in Boston, it recalled delivered
especially memorable cout memory serves Slim
rss was pitching and Gosns drive almost decapated
tall AS passed second base began rise 1t
still going up it seemed when lodged in the beachers 400
feet away
That night the lobby sportswriter congratu-
lated CoSn his hit THE will that for
years" the writer predicted.
"Yeah?" Goslin grunted well just wish I'd really got
a-hod of it,"
IN THE 1905, GRIFF possibly felt the ball suf-
GENTLY lively conquer the wide open spaces left field
set out to find muscular specimen to draw bead his
bleachers and first up with Freddie Sington, ALL
America tackle at Alabama Poor Freddie hufed and pulled
but he couldn't cut the mustard
The Old Fox wrote him off a musce-bound Then,
douby determined he acquired established rghthanded
power man, AL Simmons Old Bucketfoot "a years old
that of 1887 but he had bated 1927
before and Gr that in younger days when
Simmons with the Athletics, he often reached the
bleacherS.
AL tried Maybe he tried too hard. Anyway he fell from
1927 hitter 279 Shooting for those beachers II
times admittedly discouraging to AL.
Grif died hard during this phase, that against
his better judgment he traded his sck-hedng first base
man, Joe Kuhel, for zeke Bonura Of the White Sox
ZEKE WORE NIT in the field simply because it a
ticket to the plate He could swish bat all right and one
day in Chicago he almost tore of the head of rifs left
fielder less In of those dreary Senator's
series in 1887 the late Johnny Stone yawnng out
hands on his knees when Bonura blasted line drive that
rose above feet
Like cannonbal whistled past Stone and rebounded
of the concrete wall Just missing Johnnys face
to play it. Hardly moving in his tracks Shorstop Cecil
Travis heded the carom and held Bonura a single.
In the spring of 38 Zeke reported to the Senator's
credentials were impressive than Simmons had
been-a gaudy 345 Maybe he can't play first base" Gri
conceded, but he will give the long ball.
He did, too-on opening day Won the game with home
Then what happened to Simmons also happened to
Bonura. He wound up witt 289 and Griffith couldn't wait
sell him to the Giants where his 1921 the was
almost but not quite good enough to Offset his first basng