Evening star., 1959-12-11
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW B, t.Auc,, ,1Auu
The Second-Ronkinq Harris

THE EApTY-HANDED return Of Cal Griffith from the
winter meetings and the almost simultaneous passing of
Joe Moon Harris bring nostalgia yearning for baseball
as 1t used to be- and for the late Clark Gth when he
was at his peak and hungry for a winner
Cal stands pat with ast-place ball clubs. Old Grif
with touch as deft any in the game used to build
pennant teams by trading and buying. And when he
built oneas the in 192-he shored up the weak
spots with such Moon Harris SO the Senators could
repeat
Solid ball players perhaps were less scarce in the
192Os and 19S0 than today but there is no detractng
from Clark Griths uncanny ability to sense when an
athlete had one more good, if not great, in his
system.
The Old Fox made two great scores at the marts
once in rs and again in SS. And Joe Harris part
Of the rs story.
ALTHOUGH THE SENATORS had won the 1924 World
Series, Griffith not deludng himself as to their
chances of successfully defending Walter johnson was
81 and George Mogridge pushing the age Tom
Zachary and Roger Peckngpaugh were aging too and Joe
Judge was considered brittle.
Grif1th swung three transactions that winter and
spring that were fantascally rewardng He obtained
Stan CoVeeske from Cleveland and Dutch Ruether from
Brooklyn, both on waivers. Covey close to 35 and
Ruether wasn't much younger From the sox he OBJ
tanned Harris for the never-missed Paul Zahniser
pitcher, and Roy Carlyle, an outfelder.
Washington would have won the 25 pennant
without the Sptbang CoveeSke the southpaw Ruether
and Harris who played first base and the outfeld and
than JohnSons mark. Ruether, who hitter too
1877 and batted 1893.
Harris first of two unrelated HarriSeS to become
standout pinch herS for the Senator'S 80 years
old that Maythe record books disagree played both
nrst base and the outfed, and batted valuable 1924
$3.50
MOON WAS NOT handsome fellow nor was he big
at least by modern standards for ball hitters He
stood 5-foot-9 and weighed about IT'S. But he all
muscle, as beftted an ex-coa miner and combat war
veteran.
Joe who had been wounded in World War I, had
face that was craggy and creased down his
left cheek How Griff and Manager Bucky Harris ever
got the fellow for little is mystery because he always
hit better than 300 whenever he got to play little Bit
True, Moon slow but the way he Swished the bat
compensated.
Harris wasn't supposed to crack the Senators outfed
of Goose Gosln, Earl McNeely and Sam Rice but he
did, finally between spelling Judge at first base McNeey
was TOO ht-htng Bucky Harris decided the
wore on, and Moon alternated between left and right
fields, with both GoSn and Rice taking turns in center
When the World Series with the Pirates up Bucky
announced on the train route to Pittsburgh that Moon
would replace McNeey.
THAT WAS MOVE Bucky never regretted. The Sem
ators were become the first club history blow
81 lead in games but it wasn't Joe Harris fault With
II hits for % bases hree home and two doubles
Moon drove across six and hit 440 First time up
he put Washington ahead with home run
The third game Joe won by 4-3 with Seventh-in inning
single In the next one Joe hit his second homer in
victory, and in the following game he third four
Dagger in losing In the finale he doubled
couple more runs, but the Pirates won anyway, 81.
Moon was one of those hitters who thrived
clutch conditions Pinch-httng bothered the solid
veteran. His swing seemed to get rusty his
nerves frayed few years LATER the other pnch-htng
Harrs-Dave-came to Washington and more or less
walked in the footsteps of Joe.
DAVE COULD PLAY the outheld and third base after
fashion but, unlike his predecessor, the husky North
Caronian, whom they called Sheriff. wasn't able to carry
his batting skls distance. When he was played
regularly, Dawes average fell off, but wonderful
pinch-htter.
NO maIer Wnere Joe Harris roamed he always carried
his batting eye. He was 3O4 hitter for Cleveland hen
he Joined the American Expedtionay Forces in 1917 and
when he returned two years later he batted 375 In
ls2O-2l he played outlaw ball but back to the majors
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