Evening Star Newspaper, May 21, 1937, Page 41

WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1937. Foening Star WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION PAGE C— . Nats Renew Hunt for Catcher : Tribe Leading Wild Race by Nose RETURN OF BOLTON| Horse Lovers Here Are Facing a Problem of Which S 10 CLUB IS HINTED Griffith Also Considers Trade—Indians Follow Beaten Browns Here. BY FRANCIS E. STAN. wake of the latest catching RADE winds whistled afresh at I Grifith Stadium today in the blow-oft . trade winds and rumors of a comeback by Clif Bolton. With Johnny Riddle en route to Indianapolis and the Shanty Hogan- for-Riddle swap null and void as a re- mult of a decision by Judge Kenesaw M. Landis, the Nationals now have only two catchers—Walter Millies and Rookie Herb Crompton. True, Hogan will rejoin the Washington club, but present plans do not include Shanty, and his resumption of local livery may be brief. o Until another catcher is procured Millies will remain the first-string backstop, but President Clark Griffith does not regard Walter as being rugged enough to handle the post every day. “If he could catch every other day,” comments Griff, “he'd be all right. But in the past Millies always has ‘weakened if used every day over any stretch of games.” Crompton does not figure and so, barring a return of Bolton, the Wash- ington firm is expected to exhaust all possibilities until a trade for a catcher is made. Elva Lohr has a little talk with Chow Mein, which How to Take in Tomorrow (G ([BSSHFTE INAMERICAN L00P Nats Now Hottest in Mad Scramble—Homers Mark Tilts in National. BY SID FEDER, Associated Press Sports Writer. HE whole thing doesn’t make as much sense as an insane asylum, but the figures (which never lie) show the American League is off to a closer and more completely unlooked for start than it has been in years. On the face of performances to date, the whole business doesn’t add up—but there it is. True, the hitting in a league that features offense is ‘way off. But so is the pitching, so that shouldn’t make all the difference. By the end of the first month last year, five games separated first and fourth place. This season, the race was regarded as New York, Detroft, Cleveland and nothing much else, But so far it's been as tight as a mustard plaster all the way down the list—so close in fact, that only 4'3 games separate the leaders of the moment, Cleveland’s Indians, from the cellar-riding St. Louis Browns. Nats Hold Hottest Hand. AND most astonishing of all is that the longest of the long shots, Connie Mack’s mystifying Athletics, Jean Barnsley schooling Tipperary Mary, veteran hunter she will pilot over the jumps in the University of Maryland affair at College Park. —Star Staff Photos. Elizabeth Hurd and Mildred Carrico erhibiting some of the prizes that will be awarded in the compe- tition at nearby Annandale, Va. are in second place, leading both the Yankees and the Tigers. They were on top until yesterday, but the Indians she will ride in the George Washington University Fails to Answer Wire. event at the Meadowbrook Club. GRIFFITH undoubtedly has irons in the fire, but he is unwilling to admit it. He says ‘‘we may make a deal later,” but denies that it will be with St. Louis and, specifically, for Rollie Hemsley. It is obvious, how- ever, that he must dicker or forgive Bolton and allow him to come back if Clif cares to return. Already forgiveness is on the tip of Griff's tomgue. Early this week a “mystery man” from Bolton's home state of North Carolina visited Griff and represented himself as appointed by Clif to discuss plans for return to base ball. Griff, dubious, listened to the story and dispatched a check- up wire to Bolton at High Point. In his wire he asked if the man really was his representative and asked Clif what were his intentions. To date he has not heard from Bolton. Clif, it will be recalled, left the Griffs last August, pleading ill health. He left the team at a very inopportune moment, inasmuch as the Nats were fighting for second place. He aroused Griff's wrath and the Washington club promptly suspended Clif, But last Winter the Tarheel was reinstated and he reported to Spring training, only to bolt again. This time Griff declared he was washed up with Bolton for keeps but then, in times like these, it is difficult to keep the best of resolutions. Nats Sweep Series With Browns. OLTON, according to his “repre- sentative,” has been working out with a semi-pro team in North Caro- lina and is almost ready for action. At press time the Nat officials were taking this declaration with the pro- verbial grain of salt and wondering why Bolton did not answer the tele- gram. Anyway, with Millies doing the bulk of the catching, the Nats haven't been faring so poorly. They slipped into fifth place yesterday at the ex- pense of the hapless Browns, winning & 5-to-4 decision in 12 innings. The victory gave them a clean sweep of the St. Louis series, extended their winning streak to four in a row, and marked the fourth consecutive game they have won by a one-run margin. The victory streak, inci- dentally, is their longest of the cam- paign so far. To win the Nats had to come from behind for the Browns took a 3-0 lead off Ed Linke in the first five innings. By scoring twice in the eighth the Griffs tied it at 4-4 and with Monte Weaver succeeding Linke and Jim Walkup succeeding three other St. Louis throwers the clubs battled until the twelfth, when Wash- ington pushed across the winning run ‘without Walkup getting a single man out. Indians on Warpath Here. "WTH Jimmy De Shong pitching for IWW"ihe Nats and probably Earl ‘Whitehill on the firing line for the Indians, a two-game series with Cleveland was to be opened today in Griffith Stadium. The Indians hopped into a tie for the league lead yester- day by routing Boston and their in- vasion here will be watched with interest. It will be the Tribe's first appearance of the season. De Shong was seeking his fifth straight victory and all signs pointed to the use of Whitehill, who was traded away from Washington last year for Jack Salveson. The portly southpaw is the type who figures to give the Nats plenty of trouble but, by the same token, there is no denying the fact that Washington has beaten every southpaw who has faced the club with one exception. That ex- ception, Lefty Gomez, both won and lost against the Nats. Carl Fischer will get his second chance as a Griffian starter tomor- row in the series finale. Fischer re- oently was purchased from Cleveland on waivers. Minor Leagues International. falo, 10-2: Baltimore, 8-0. ewark. 7: Toronto. &. Byracuse. 17: Rochester, 3. Jersey City-Montreal. rain. American Association. 8t Paul. 3: Toledo. . inneapolls. 3: Columbus, 1. City, '8: Indianapolis. 6. Louisville. 2 (12 innings). Southern Association. m. 9; Chattanooga. 0. - . 47 Atlanta, 2. Knoxville, : Nashville, 2. Pacific Missions. 6: Oskland. in Francisco. 6: Los Angel ortland, 7; Sacramento, 4. attle. 5; 8an Diego. 0. Pledmont, 12: Winston-Sslem, 3. i JRogky Mount,'3. Norfolk. 4. ‘Three-Eye. g::nur. 14: Bloomington, $. ris. 4: Moline, 2. Sally. Augusts. 9: Columbus. 5. to try to figure base ball. toward Washington. & tumble, now is the regular catcher. the clud. Riddle was an unknown. from his frame in training camp and had set a new reducing record. But Griff said he was too slow and never wanted to see him again. So the Nats got Riddle, but they never realized what a riddle. Johnny was obtained on the hearty recom- mendation of Scout Joe Engel and his 1936 record of having made 101 assists intrigued Griff and Harris. . Now for a catcher to make 101 assists in a season he must throw out a lot of base runners. That was Johnny’s forte . . « throwing and moving around. But when Riddle reported he did not look so good as & thrower and he complained that his arm was sore. “It always gets sore until warm weather comes,” he explained, ‘You Figure It Out. ONEdnylnst.lamhele- ticularly costly low throw and his arm was X-rayed. His elbow in the photos resembled a gravel pit, there were 80 many chipped bones. More- over Griff was dismayed to note that 50 badly broken had been one of his legs that he was forced to wear & heavy brace. So the Hogan-and-cash-for= Riddle deal was canceled. Poor Johnny! For nine years he had caught for Indianapolis in hopes of moving into the majors some day. His elbow bones must have been chip- ped years ago, but he could throw when the weather was warm, regardless of the loose bearings. Then, at 30 years of age, he did move to the big leagues and he was 3o elated he hardly could wait to bring the missus to ‘Washington. He was waiting for her wlien he was sentenced to the bushes again . . . perhaps for life. And Hogan. The poor guy will find no welcome mat for him to wipe his feet upon when he arrives. The Nats don’t want him,’although Griff was saying today that “maybe Shanty can serve as sort of a ‘pitching director’ for & while.” Poor Shanty! This is indeed an empty position, whatever it means. But where ill winds blew for two men they blew glad tidings to Millies. At Orlando he was No. 3 backstop to Hogan and Clif Bolton. When OClif bolted he automatically moved to No. 2. He remained the second-stringer when Riddle first came. Now, for the time being, Walter finally is a regular. Brooklyns Sold Millies. 'ASHINGTON now has three is s, fixture. Millies is sure to stick, but pretty soon Griff will bob up with a new catcher and Walter may find himself playing second fiddle again. ‘The futures of Hogan and Orompton ‘with Washington are not too bright. Out of the developments recently rises a new and most vivid illustration of how scarce are big league catchers. After combing the highways and by- ways for a receiver the Nats saw little slternative but to melt down 290- pound Hogan during the Winter. When Shanty wasn't satisfactory, the best catcher in the minors was Riddle, who developed into an elderly gent ‘There simply are no up at the present In the Spring Hogan was the center of attention at Orlando. Harris called him the Nats “key man.” prisingly fast and could beat Rick Ferrell and Bill Dickey at running. Millies was the third-string catcher and crmsidered lucky to stick with "POPPING OFF Ytan. The Disease Is Catching. NE sure way of obtaining entre to any of the better bughouses is Catcher Johnny Riddle today is en route | to Indianapolis, from whence he came to the Nationals a couple weeks ago. Shanty Hogan, at the precise moment, is heading back And little Walter Millies, whom the Griffs never gave Bucky Clark Griffith claimed he was sur- Two weeks after the American League season started Shanty received notice of Mister Griffith’s displeasure with his work and was traded to Indianapolis for Piddle. It was all very touching at the moment, for Shanty had melted approximately 50 pounds< ones in the majors. Dickey is adept and can hit, but he is brittle and the Yanks have nobody else who really can fill his shoes. It's & Real Famine. RICK FERRELL is a good mechani- cal catcher, but he is not a great receiver. Augmenting him ‘on the Red Sox are Moe Berg, who is retained chiefly to curse umpires in the six | in: foreign languages he speaks, and Gene (See POPPING OFF, Page C-3) " Four in a Row ST. LOUIS. Davis, 1b & E] PYNURUECET. [<] SRRDIIRD cufi. 3b Knickerbocker. ss Huffman ¢ Carey. b Hildebrand, p Blake. p Knott. p Walkup, p Summtsommm i 530022050 M B e 8los O S olos Totals ___ x—None out when winnin scored. WASHINGTON. Chapman. cf .. B 5 5 Q ] o | soconarcssss » ol oosscssommn R Y —— | sos0aruas, tNewsom Totals - 4 *Batted for Linke in seven tRan for Travis in seventh, 8t Louls __ - 000 210 100 000—4 Washington 2 000 002 020 001—5 Runs_batted in—Vosmik. Clift, Oarey. Kuhel Simmons, Myer. Bluege. Two-base wis (2)." Ki Simmons. Three- 1 Catey, Sfolcn base —Chapman. Double plays_- Knickerbocker to Carey to Davis (2) Lefi on bases—8St Louis ‘ashington, 14. Bases on bal off Knott. s By Hildebran Blake.'2: by Linke, 4: by Walkup. Hits—Off Hildebrand. 1 in 1)3 {nnings: off Blake. 4 in 3% innings (none out in Linke, 8'in 7 innings: off Knott, innings (none ‘out in eighth); off ver 1 in 5 innings: off Walkup. 6 in 4 ings (none out in eighth). Hit by pitcher —By Knott (Bluege). Passed ball—Huff- Winning pitcher—Weaver. | 20000000000 M slo B 5| 0oommmsmec i o 8 % H man. Losing pitcher. Quinn. Walkup. Umpires—Messrt McGo 2 n and Moriarty. Time HAH MEN'SSHOPS—14th &G o 7th&G K e 321214th . .. only Tri-Wear gives you genuine China Buek at Peace Insecure at St. Louis By tke Associated Press. T. LOUIS, May 31.—The gas- house gang has no intention of surrendering, but perhaps the large White Towel Coach Mike Gonzales waved may bring peace, temporarily at least, to the Na- tional Lesgue's St. Louis battle front. Then again, the Brooklyn Dod- gers, who open a two-game series here today, may be as willing to battle it out as were the departed New York Giants: Or an umpire may call another balk. George Barr, whose balk ruling against Dizzy Dean led to Wednes- day’s “battle of & century,” re- sented jeers from the nal dugout and chased Manager Trankie Frisch just before the alt lit_ bamboo SATC gt o 2-plece S reed ferryle; B 1004es snd tD: Ubher cap. & a; o 2503818 OCLe: reel. -1b. o 50-ysrd pennell 36-1 linen line. o 3 sslt water ‘hooks. . o 2 three-ounce sinkers. $7.50 Monta " iece split ba! One'v_\l:?mg reel seat, and tip, Bubber Oceon City's gzo re City Reel o50-vard free H .‘5 epool. ST drag Teel: o BLOO $13.50 to $15 Davis Cup, Gold Star; Autograph, Super Top-Flite, Rackets. ‘® Some Silk Strung! ® Some Lamb’s Gut Strung! o All Fresh Stock! ‘Butt Cap- inner, Harry C. Lee’s Dread- naught Driver and Tournament Tennis s7.ss start of yesterday's series finale with the Giants. As the umpire turned to walk back to his position behind third, Gonzales leaned forward on the bench and waved the towel as a flag of truce. That failed, however, to prevent two arguments during the game. Still angry over Barr'’s ruling, Dizzy Dean raced onto the fleld in the eighth inning to argue what he thought was Umpire Dolly Stark’s failure to call a balk on Fred Fitz- simmons. A few minutes later, a swarm of Cardinals swrounded Stark, when he called Mickey Owen out on strikes to end the inning with three men stranded on the bases. ‘The Cards lost both arguments for the simple reason that Stark refused to argue. City, made. fre¢ test gue Ciwc\,s:b 50 Kennedy 6'I"r::t'lld‘ Box a3 95 Wright & Ditson, Pennsylvania & Dunlop TENNIS BALLS 3 for 899 Tennis Press___39¢ Bancroft's Headquarters for Nationally Known Sporting Goods Where All portsmen Meet. Feller Idle Rest Of Eastern Trip By the Associated Press. MANAG!R STEVE O'NEILL an- nounced today that Bob Fel- ler, the Cleveland Indians’ youth- ful strikeout king, would not do further pitching on the club's cur- rent Eastern trip which ends May 27. . . O'Neill's announcement came after Feller reported his “Million- dollar” right arm felt weak and that some trace of soreness re- mained. The Iowa youth has made only one appearance since he suffered the injury in his first American League start of the season, at Cleveland April 24. Against the Boston Red Sox Tuesday in a re- lief role he walked a batter on five o St ‘3 2 licked the tar out of the Boston Red Sox, 16-5, while the A's dropped a 3-2 decision to the Tigers, which gave the Tribe the pace by a percentage margin. Hottest of all right now are the re- viving Nationals of Washington—and their sudden form reversal is just as explainable as the rest of the league’s ways. Although their pitching still is in a sorry state, the Nats are starting to hit, and on this strength alone have won their last four straight to climk from eighth to fifth. Thornton Lee found out the Yanks still are his “cousins.” The White 8ox southpaw became the first finger of the year to whip the hitless world champions twice by muffling them (8ée TRIBE, Page C-3.) BASE BALL /3%, Washington vs. Cleveland AMERICAN LEAGUE PARK ‘Tomorrow—Cleveland—3:00 Genuine Leather i TENNIS SHORTS Whites, Nl[vh ® Washingten's Largest OFFICIAL Boy Scout Outfitters $3.50 BASEBALL SHOES 3-Piece Soles! Genui $3.50 Baseball GLOVES $ 1 95 @ Buddy Lewis ® Ben Chapman @ Left and Right Handed Gloves @ Visit Our NEW CAMERA DEPT.! METRO. 6444 . . . IERECR