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Show Senator Catcher Provides Griffith Weighty Problem By- Associated Press Clark Griffith, the silver-haired owner of the Washington Nationals, Na-tionals, has several weighty problems on his mind. The weightiest, without a doubt, is Catcher Frank Hogan, sometimes called "Shanty," though "Shanty" no longer describes the gigantic back-stoDDer. back-stoDDer. "Big Bam" would be more like it. Last fall, after Hogan had gone to Washington's rescue late in the season, after Cliff Bolton had "bolted," Griff let the huge catcher know that there was no complaint on his work at the plate and behind be-hind It But the little (or perhaps one should say big) question of Hogan's weight was something else again. Griff made It plain that he did not care to have a 263 pounder hanging around Washington. Now, If Hogan was really serious about holding down a job In the big leagues, he should be willing to melt off a few pounds about 40, to be exact In other words, Griff promised Hogan that his job would be waiting for him in the spring provided he showed up for training scaling no more than 229. Griffith was not unreasonable. He was willing to cooperate with the catcher to the extent of sending him to Hot Sprinks, Ark, for a couple of weeks before the team assembled. Hogan agreed to "play ball" with Griffith. Soft On Hurler So it was no wonder that the Silver Sil-ver Fox was keenly disappointed when he received a note from his problem child to the effect that he had been training bard all winter and succeeded in trlmmlns his weight down some 20 pounds. He let Hogan know of his disappointment disappoint-ment and In no uncertain terms let Shanty, or Big Barn, If you prefer, know that he would have no 248-pounder 248-pounder banging around his ball park. It must be 225 pounds, or no go. The Nationals' hurling staff is watching the weight war that is being waged with keen Interest They made no bones about admitting admit-ting last fall that Hogan, as a catcher, catch-er, was much to be preferred over Cliff Bolton. It was like hitting the broad side of a barn when pitching to Hogan. And for all his tonnage Hogan was an active worker behind the plate. He swung a mean willow, too. His big bat broke up several games for the Nationals last fall. In the 19 games be toiled, Hogan batted .323. Tough On Umpire The A. L umpires applaud Griffith's Grif-fith's efforts to whittle down Hogan's bulk. Working behind Hogan was like working in the dark to most of the umpires. When his big hulk loomed up before them it completely obliterated the course of the pitch. The best an ump could do under the circumstances was to guess and pray that the batter would not squawk too vehemently. Hogan grew too big to work for the Giants and the Braves and was with Albany when Griff gave him another chance. It Is likely to be his last opportunity, for In the major leagues, as elsewhere, nobody loves a fat man. |