Evening Star Newspaper, April 9, 1929, Page 29

b QUINTET OF EXTRAS ARE CAPABLE CREW Cronin, Stewart, Rice, Fiarris and Gooch Available—Giants Beaten in Opener, 8-3. BY JOHN B. KELLER. UGUSTA, Ga, April 9—Well tested in 23 games played up to today, the Nationals’ reserve talent proves the best the club has possessed in years. The five extra rllyera other than battery- men are of such high class that they can step into action at any time and perform well enough to make the ab- sence of regulars scarcely noticeable. Manager Walter Johnson is satisfied his outfit is well protected in this respect and it seems he is well satisfled. Charley' Gooch, Stuffy Stewart and Joe Cronin for the infield and Sam Rice and Spencer Harris for the out- field in emergencies, form a capable crew of extras. All excepting Gooch have big league experience back of them and Gooch has developed so rapidly this Spring that he may be accounted far above the minor league draftee he was at the outset of the training. Out of the lot, Second Stringers Cronin and Rice are especially valuable. Cronin, though a mere youngster, al- ready has seen much seryice in the roajors and knows just how the game is played in big time. Above all, he's a wonder in the shortfield, a handy man at second base and promises to become a really good hitter. Improved as a Hitter. ‘When he came to the Nationals from Kansas City last season, Joe was not 5o strong at bat, but this Spring he has been driving the ball often and far since changing his style at the plate. He now is more ready to swing and swings more freely than in the t season. And this young man can fleld. He showed Washington fans last ear he was no slouch at shortstop and e's much better this Spring. He has a strong arm, gets the ball away fast and accurately and in double-plays “feeds” the sphere well to the pivot man. Age does not seem to have affected the veteran Rice to any great extent. He has not been in many games thus far because those in charge of the club know just what Sam can do, but in the practice series he gallops about the field to make startling catches, and at bat he slashes liners that have won him high honors in stick-work many seasons. Sam seems to have his eye on the ball as he did last year and in 1928 he socked for an average of .328. It isn’t often that a club has players of the caliber of Cronin and Rice sitting on the bench. That the Nationals have indicates how great is the playing ability of the first-stringers who are keeping these two out of the regular line-up. Gooch All 'Round Man. Gooch came to the Nationals from Little Rock mainly as a third sacker, but he has done little third-sacking 1n‘ sractice. Instead, the stocky athlete has | become an understudy to Capt. Joe | Judge at first base and Charley can per- form arcund the initial station in right impressive manner nowadays. He can . play a fine game in the short field, too. This he proved in the last tilt in Tampa. In that game, he stepped around the | short. fleld in_high-class ‘manner and revealed a powerful throwing arm. In addition to his fielding ability, Gooch looks to be a hitter with power. He has banged the ball solidly in the ex- hibition contests. A good ball player to have around a club, it would seem. Stewart and Harris are no strangers to Washington fans. Stuffy was with the Nats several seasons before going back to Birmingham for the 1928 cam- paign. He is as fleet 2s ever and gets plenty from his speed on the base paths because he knows how to run bases.| He's good around the middle sack and | appears to have improved at bat. | Harris will be recalled as the player | who frequently appeared in right field for the White Sox several years back. | He's a nifty outfielder and a likely hit- ter, and were he with any one of sev- | eral other clubs in the American League probably would be holding a regular garden berth. It's a capable lot of ball players Man- ager Johnson has in reserve, a much better lot than Bucky Harris had when he managed the Nationals. The Harris clubs were weakened greatly whenever a regular had to be withdrawn from service. It looks as though the power of Johnson’s club would not be greatly reduced under similar circumstances. Take Opener From Giants. ‘The Nationals’ reserve force was not pressed into service yesterday at Bir- mingham, the club taking the measure of the Giants in the 8-to-3 opener of the annual Spring training series be- tween these clubs, with the regular line-up playing the route. Garland Braxton and Irving Hadley did the flinging for the W: outfit, while the left-handed Carl Hub- bell and Curley Ogden, erstwhile Na- tional, were on the hill for the New Yorkers. Four hits were made off Brax- ton in his six innings, of which two were bunched in the second inning, netting the Giants & one-run lead. Hadley was socked in each of three frames he pitched, three of the five hits off him and two passes being clustered in round nine for two runs. The first hit off Hubbell came in the third inning and in the fourth the Nationals jumped upon the left-hander for six more safeties and five runs. Ogden, who. pitched the eighth only, was knocked for three safeties and as many markers. Goose Goslin and Benny Tate wers the big noises in the Washington at. tack. It was a triple by Goslin in the fourth that sent over the two runs, putting his team ahead, and it was an- other triple smote by Tate that cleared . filled sac in the ninth. One was down in the Giants’ second turn when Terry tripled. He got home as Bluege threw out Jackson. w'his lead was more than swept aside, however, ;vhen the Nationals splurged in the ourth. * ‘West Starts the Parade. West opened the big innihg with a Texas leaguer single to center and pull- ed up at second as Myer singled. ‘Ihen Goslin made his best hit thus far this Spring. He lined the ball against the fence back of right-center, driving his | two teammates home and. reaching third himself before the sphere was re- the infleld. After Barnes gist EE@;E H E ¥ v o BASE BALL VS. GOLF. WELL AT Looks LIKE A GREAT SEASON'EH T 1'LL SAY HE'S WITH THE GIANTS- . THE GIANTS- OR TWE CUBS \ orR wHaT 7 1T SURE DOES, 1'M RARIN' To Go- ' WHO DD You THINK: 1S Goneg To CoP THIS YeAR ? You'vE GOTTA FIGURE ©N BABE RUTH~— HE'S STILL PLAYING — wewtir's PRETTY HARD To SAY - BUT KeeP YouR ‘Eve oM GEORGE VQIGHT VOIGHT WHAT GAME ARE You TALKING ON THE SIDE LINES | With the Sports Editor 1 y DENMAN THOMPSON: ITH the opening of the season only a week away and the make- up of his infield still unsettled, Connie Mack may find himself under the handi- cap of getting off to a poor start. The tall tactician’s difficul- ties anent the inner cordon de- veloped when Shortstop Joe Boley contracted a sore arm that kept him out of the line- up for a long period and finally caused him to be sent home a week in advance of the re- mainder of the squad. But it is not the temporary loss of Boley that is causing Mack concern so much as it is the fact that he can't decide who is to play where. In other words, the lean leader is suf- fering from what might be termed an embarrassment of riches in the way of infield talent. Need to Get Organized. The Athletics are the team generally picked to give the Yankees their toughtest battle in corraling a fourth straight championship, just as they proved the highest hurdle the Huggmen had to take for the past two seasons, but unless they can get organized and present a strong front at the outset they are likely to find the Griffs, Browns and Tigers - more than mere idle threats for the honor of being chief contender. The Mackmen are due to help the Nationals pry the lid off the campaign at Clark Grif- fith Stadium a week from to- day, but Connie as yet has been unable to decide on the identity of the player who will cavort at any of the infield .positions except second base, where the capable Max Bishop will continue to hold forth. Connie’s quandary is due largely to the fact that in Foxx, Dykes and Orwoll he has three athletes capable of playing sev- eral positions. Joe Hassler, chief understudy for Boley at short, has been playing a bang- up game at that point all Spring. He always has been recognized as a strong defen- sive player, and it happens that this year he has been outslug- ging all the other members of the cast. Dykes Due Consideration. In view of Hassler's un- looked-for prowess at pill punching, it seems probable he will start the season at short, provided Boley still is ailing, although Dykes is sure to get a lot of consideration on the strength of the fine showing he made there while subbing for the injured Boley last Fall. © With Boley is shape to play it was Mack’s intention to in- stall Dykes at third base, tell Foxx to give up the notion he is a hot-corner guardian and go to first and leave Orwoll, who still is trying to find oul whether he is a first baseman or a flychaser, out of the pic- ture, ‘except insofar as he might render service with the mound corps. But if Boley can’t play and Dykes is nominated for the shortstopping, the chores at third base will be looked after by Sammy Hale, a consistent .300 hitter, who has demon- strated his ability for adequate coverage in that sector. With Al Simmons apparently back in his fine form of 1927, the veteran Bing Miller hitting hard and fielding well and the E v George Haas giving a ‘soarkling performance in all torihoa m_ine garden esper 0] e en, espe- cially with a performer of Homer Summa’s ability in re~ serve. * Two Capable Catchers. For catching they are well set, oo, with 2!:5 ‘hard-hitting Cochrane and Perkins g fine g throwing fettle and displaying : a gratifying degree of agility in handling the shoots of what many are pleased to regard as the best pitching staff in the league. The most formidable mem- bers of the box brigade are, of course, Lefty Grove, George Walberg, Jack Quinn and a newcomer named Carroll Yerkes from Portland, with help hoped for from the vet- eran Howard Ehmke and George Earnshaw, the Oriole acquisition. _Critics also speak well of Bill Breckinridge, Dart- mouth collegian; George Ma- licky of Nebraska and Al Jones, a Gettysburg product, so there would seem to be no dearth of twirling talent. But unless Mack assembles an infleld quartet, tells them they are “it,” and develops the co-ordination essential for team play, the A’s are apt to flounder to such an extent at the outset that ground impos- sible to recover may be lost in the opening weeks of what promises to be a tight race. A $40,000 Golf Story. the one that relates most of the episodes of an 18-hole match, being replete with woe and hard luck, wouldn't bring so much in | the open market. But Dr. Francis Certer Wood, the famous cancer specialist, ran into a golf story from an actual experience which netted precisely $40,000, and thereby | | stands as the world record along thfls‘l line. At a dinner given to raise money for the Cancer Society Dr. Wood said that in making his request for funds he was much like a Negro caddie who had worked a round for him at Augusta, Ga. The caddie stuttered badly, which added some- thing to the ensuing suspense when Dr. Wood asked what the regular fee was for 18 holes. “Well, suh,” the caddie said, “the reg- ular fee is 50 cents, but gentlemen always give $1, and some REAL gentle- men give $1.25.” | So many of those present wanted to qualify under the “real gentlemen” di- vision fielt they had to act accordingly | and revise their original donations. The } result was a clean-up for an extremely worthy cause. & | : Placing the Divisions. . . | H difficulty in ranking modern ! sodes that move through various classes. Sammy Mandell, lightweight cham- | plon, badly outpointed Jimmy McLarnin, Inow rated among the good welter- ! weights. Just after Mickey Walker was | deposed_ as welterweight champion he ! won the middleweight title, As middle- weight champion he at least had an even turn with Tommy Loughran, i champion of the light heavies. And lm believe Tommy Loughran, a light- heavy, could outpoint any of the heavy- HE average golf story, especially | Gpq; I fighters is shown by a series of epi- | WHERE DOES HE PLAY 7 I'M TALKINK BASEBALL -—BY BRIGGS HE PLAYS EVERY PART | OF THE GAME- HE'LL WIN THE FLAG THiS YEAR SURE \ r_/ I'M TALKHING ABUT GOLF Capital City League Midgets To Make Their Plans Tonight Business Manager George Honey may ‘meeting tonight of managers and athletic officers of posts wishing to sponsor midget class teams in the American Legion series of the Capital City Base Ball League. The meeting will be held in the municipal playground department office, room 2, Municipal Building, at 8 o'clock. Each team is asked to have no more than two representatives present. Team and individual entry blanks will be dis- tributed. Arlington Independents are after Sunday games with senior or unlimited class nines. Call Richard Lyle at Clar- endon 321 after 7 p.m. Phoenix A. C. diamonders, who are to gather at the clubhouse tomorrow night at 8 o'clock, are after a practice game for Sunday afternoon with an unlimited division team. The nine also has a few open Sautrdays and Sundays for which jt would like to book with teams here or in nearby Maryland or Virginia. Write Business Manager L. C. Risler, 240 Tenth street southeast, or call Lincoln 3370-W between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. Y Friendship A. C. base ballers will drill Thursday afternoon at 5:15 o'clock at Nevada and avenues., Coaches Curran and Terna ask all can- didates to be on hand. Games with Mount Rainier, Maryland A. C, A. B. & W. Busmen and Hiser's All-Stars are sought by Isherwoods. | SEASON'S plans will be made at a THE SPORTLIGHT BY GRANTLAND RICE have been a bunch of tail-end hitters. Oh, yes—sure! Their names were Cobb, wiord and Delehanty. And this happened when Cobb, Crawford and l‘.:elehlmy were at the height of their glory.” The closest approach to this feat came about in Cleveland around 1966, when Rube Waddell, with the bases full and nobody -out, fanned Lajole, Flick and Bradley in a row. Just how many pitched balls the Rube used up has slipped from memory. When these two—Johnson and Wad- dell—were crowded, they could slip a| batter that helpless feeling above any other pitchers in the game. Johnson could do it with sheer speed. Waddell not only had almost as much speed, but also a fast curve ball that started around the neck and dipj around the knee as it sailed up to the plate. Overdue—Another Great Pitcher. ITH Alexander slipping and Pen- nock wearing an uncertain arm, Dazzy Vance is about the last of the great pitchers. There hasn't been a pitcher good enough to win 30 games in many years now. -Bob Grove may get into that class this Summer, and he seems to be the leading prospect when it comes to a matter of future greatness. There are any number of good pitch- ers—good, young pitchers—but not up to the old standards of Mathewson, Brown, Walsh, der, Plank, Alexander and a few others. Sl THREE 1925 CARDS LEFT. Only three of the 1925 Cardinals are | ster. They are Bot- | on the nt rosf tomley, Haines and Sherdel. The rest have gone far, far away. lyn infield. Bissonette was christened Delphia and Flowers’ first name is | D'Arcy. IEZ<IIII, I All Ready for TENNIS - Full line of the famous “Narragansett’ Rackets lwpwmmm He would at least be an even shot. The only moral seems {to be about this—why not let Sammy i Mandell, the lightwelght ruler, have a icrack at the heavyweight throne? | The Record Pitching Feat. ]wm-r is the greatest mqwj + YV pitching feat in base ball Hitory? Immmpmwavmmmf.‘u:‘, | less innings in the world series’ of 1 ‘That is one of them. & be reached at Lincoln 5233 after 6 p.m. Five players are sought by Walter Johnson peewee class team. Write Ed- die Ackerman, manager, 54 M street, apartment 210, or telephone Franklin 10090. All aspirants will be looked over by Coach Mays. Manager Boyd of the Manhattan senior class base ball team, at Atlantic 3296-J, is after a Sunday game. The team will meet tonight at 1723 Bay street northeast at 7:30 o'clock. A drill was to be held by Auth un- limited class diamonders this afternoon on Monument diamond No. 10, and an- other will be staged on the same field | at the same time again Thursday. | Washington Red Birds were to hold a Rosedale playground. Contests with junior class nines are wanted by Montrose Park team. Man- ager Weaver is booking games at Lin- coln 6638. There are fancy names on the Brook- | GADVET0 RETURN ASSEASDNOPEN Sore Finger Back to Normal. Boley Unlikely to Play in Inaugural Here. HILADELPHIA, April 9 The pitching Lefty Grove, Athletics hurler, is back to normal and he will be ready for duty next week. 1t is doubtful, however, if Shortstop Boley’s arm will be in shape for the A’s opening game against Wi N NEW ORLEANS, April 9 (#).—Man- ager Roger Peckinpaugh is well' pleased with the work of the hurling staff of the Cleveland Indians, and particularly | to with the unexpectedly promising form shown by John Miljus and Ken Hollo- way. With Joe Shaute, they are ex- pected to start the first three games against Detroit next week. DALLAS, Tex., April 9 First man Art Shires back in good graces, ‘White Sox broke camp to- day and headed for Memphis, Tenn. Shires, who was sent home for com- plaining publicly about Manager “Lena” Blackburne's discipline, was taken into the fold after due apologies. A four-run rally in the tenth inning enabled the White Sox to defeat Dallas, 9 to 5, yesterday. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., A 9 (#).—Four hits and two unearned runs were all Dick Coffman of the St. Louis Browns allowed the Oklahoma City Indians yesterday in nine innings. Coffman’s control was near perfec- tion, five fanning and only one walking. He retired the side in one-two-three order in five innings. TULSA, Okla, April 9 (#)—It's a rare New York Yankee ball game in which eight home runs are hit and none (;E‘t;l:gl to the credit of Babe Ruth’s That's what haj ed yesterday when the Yanks bowed to the Tulsa Oflers, 12 to 9,,Eight circuit drives were made, four by each club, but the Babe was diamond drill this afternoon on the| forced to content himself with a pair . of singles. RICHMOND, Va., April 9 () —Bob ‘ije Jornson of Concord, Mass., young rookie catcher with the Red Sox here, came through when given a chance, as Man- ager Bill Carrigan’s rookies have a way of doing. | Yesterday against Reading this young man from the home town of the em- battled farmers, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and other celeb- rities, made a good to fame by smashing out a single, triple and home run in four times at knocking in four runs and scoring the | Afth himself. SHREVEPORT, La. April 8 (P)— Two games with the Pittsburgh Pirates —one today and the other Wednesday— | will end the Southern training trip of | the Detroit Tigers. Rain prevented yes- | terday's scheduled game. Mapleleafs at Detroit, Friday. | Muddy Ruel Peewees, who will engage ‘Wonder Baker Boys in a base ball game on the Rosedale lplly[mund Saturday afternoon at 1 o'clock, d afternoon at 2:30 o't diamond. Ruels are listing games at 1124 Montello avenue northeast. on bat, R rill Priday | out idad [m_mwamssnul By the Assoclated Press. Today's Schedule. At Augusta—New York (N) vs. ‘Washington (A.). At (N.) vs. Hous- At Evansville—St. Louls (N.) I'VM anhl:ivewn—flmh h (N i . . Detroit (A.). g = At Atlanta—Brooklyn (N.) vs. At- lanta. Al! Oklahoma City—St. Louis (A.) vs. At Memphis—Chicago (A.) vs. Mem- Oklahoma City. phis. mM(zt)uhmmd—Bam (A) vs. Read- g (L), At Little Rock—New York (A) vs. Little Rock. At Norfolk—Boston (N.) vs. New Haven (E). Yesterday’s Results. At Norfolk—Boston (N.), 13; Haven (E.), 12. At Houston—Chicago (N.), 10; Hous- m, 1. At Oklahoma City—St. Louis (A), 5; Oklahoma City, 2. At Tulsa—Tulsa, 12; New York (A.), 9 At Birmingham—Washington (A. New York (N.), 3. At Montgomery—Brooklyn (N.), 4; qu‘; Dnllel.l;y'—%hmn (A), 9; Dallas, 5 (10 innings). At Richmond—Boston (A.), 8; Read- ing (L), 4. At _Philadelphia—Philadelphia (N.), 11; Philadelphia (A), 8. Others—Rain and wet grounds. Ve, New | MANHATTANS TO MEET. Manhattans will meet tonight at 7:30 |o'clock at 1723 Bay street southeast. | Games are sought with senior and un- limited class teams. Manager Boyd's | phone is Lincoln 3206-J. Due to a | schedule mixup the game listed in May | with Foxhall has been canceled. GIANT KILLERS NEW YGRK. Welsh, of Reese. 2b | ot > I N C] sossan~usNmamS - [ 0 | o ) 1 escscssenunsel PR i cesunssusemun? Totals | WASHINGTON. | west, et | Myer. b G ! start on the road | B New York. | Washington ', | Runs_driven in—Jackson, | 3 T | The Tigers are to play the Toronte | AN OUTSTANDING EXAM of how PIRATE CRIPPLES ARE ABOUT READY Adams Gets Back in Line-up and Traynor to Return in a Few Days. By the Associated Press. HREVEPORT, La. April 9.—The parade of Pirate cripples back to the diamond neared its end yes- terday, when Sparky Adams, shortstop, injured a week ago, returned to the line-up. Pie Traynor, nursing an ailing hip, will get a few more days of rest. Adams will be lead-off man again this season, Manager Bush announced | yesterday. Then Waner boys will fol- low, then will come Grantham, Traynor, Sheely, Bartell and the battery. MONTGOMERY, Ala., April 9, (#).— *|Dazzy Vance, star Brooklyn pitcher, | troubled with sciatica, has been sent to | New York to receive treatment. The | attack is a light one and Vance ex- pects to be in shape to start the season. NORFOLK, Va., April 9 (#).—The much-battered Boston Braves have broken their losing streak, but they came within an ace of not doing so from over-confidence. Eight runs in the first and two more in the sixth gave them a 10-fo-1 lead over the New Haven Eastern League club here yesterday, but they finally | won the game, 13 to 12, only through a | ninth-inning rally. HOUSTON, Tex., April 9 (#).—Capt Charlie Grimm of the Cubs has realized | the ambition of every hitter. | _Grimm hit a “straight flush” against | Houston yesterday—a home run, triple, double and a single, a feat rare in base ball annals. Claude Jonnard, who came to the Cubs via the free agent route, also added spice to the game by hurling no-hit ball for five innings. The Cubs won, 10 to 1. LOUISVILLE, Ky., April 9 (#).—Dis- | appointed yesterday when the Cincinnati | Reds met their traditional rain on ar- & | riving here, Manager Jack Hendricks counted on celebrating his fifty-third birthday anniversary with a victory over |the Louisville Colonels today. Until yesterday the Reds had worked out and played exhibition games throughout the South for six weeks without a single | postponement because of the weather. EVANSVILLE, Ind., April 9 (®—A . | day of idleness yesterday, three more games and then the city series before the National League opening, was the remaining pre-season schedule of the St. Louis Cardinals today. A game with Evansville was cancelled yesterday by an April shower. It had criginally been scheduled for Nashville, but & flooded park precluded the contest. ' BOWIE RACES April 2 to April 13 W. B. & A. Special Trains direct to Grandstand, Leave White House | Station every 20 minutes after 12:30 | P.M. Use the railroad, avoid expense and delays resulting from congested . | traffic on the highway. FIRST RACE 2:30 P.M. PLE = HUGE SALES INCREASE VALUE ™ WE BOUGHT 10. cent cigars in many loeal- | Johnson, Waddell, Ben- | ities and submitted them to unbiased to- g baeceo experts. Dozens proved to be made of ”‘ nobetter tobacco than White Owl,yet White ©Owl sells at only 3 for 20¢c.. . WHY? > WHITE OWL is literally bought by the billion «eo S0 we can afford to take less profit, put the money inte Exn‘\ Valne, and reap greater reward in the long run ... The former 10 cent smokers prove this daily... They save one-third on White Owls and, in addition, get fine, mild, sweet-tasting eigars, m.muwdmfieud-lyl-;m.