Harris Pulling All Wires To Make Good Spring Vow: Recent Player Deals May Keep Senators From Finishing Last, Daily Racing Form, 1952-05-17

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Harris Pulling All Wires ToMakeGood Spring Vow Recent Player Deals May Keep Senators From Finishing Last NEW YORK, N. Y.t May 16 UP.— Bucky Harris is pulling all wires to make good a spring vow that his Washington Senators wont wind up last in the American League this year. The amiable skipper of the Senators has made more player changes than any manager in the majors and got his club away winging on a tremendous start. So far, he is a demon dealer, rivalling Branch Rickey in his heyday. Facing an almost hopeless task this spring, Harris shrugged grimly, "Im too old now to start running a last place club for the first time." He never has brought home a club in the cellar. Down through . the years, Bucks teams have hit every slot from first to seventh, but never eighth. When Harris assembled his "Raggedy Anns" for spring training, most observers agreed poor old Bucky never had a better chance of finishing last, particularly since Bill Veeck was rebuilding the St. Louis Browns. Then Bucky signed old Bobo Newsom for a fifth terms as a Senator pitcher as if to concede the picture was hopeless. Only the spring before, Harris virtually chased Newsom out of camp for breaking off a curve ball that broke a finger of catcher Mickey Grasso. Since then Harris has unloaded 17 players from his spring roster, including rookies up for trials and such veterans as Cass Michaels, Irv Noren, Mickey Harris, Sam Mele, Tommy Upton and Gene Verble. Among those added were ex-Yankees Spec Shea, Jackie Jensen and Archie Wilson, who responded immediately with potent effect in the new surroundings. Shea won his first two starts as a Senator and apparently is happy under the • ■ manager who bossed him as a sparkling Yankee rookie in 1947. Jensen proved almost impossible to get out, pounding the ball as he never had done for the Yankees. The club sadly lacks overall punch and has been worked oyer by left-handed pitching, but with a brigade of Cubans and ex-Yankees heading the pitching, the Senators proved no patsy in the early going. Harris has trouble understanding the conversation of Cubans like Con Marrero and Julio Mareno. But victories on the pitching mound are the same in any language. : i , I . . i i i "


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1952051701/drf1952051701_2_8
Local Identifier: drf1952051701_2_8
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800