Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-25
BASE BALL.
The Spring Rush for the
South.
Where The Big League Team: Will
Soon Go.
To Get into Trim for Next Summers
Battles on the Diamond.

Southern California, the difference i'm
the weather conditions in the Middle
South, and those at Washington would
not justify the expense and trouble of
training outside the Capital City. Too
frequently it has occurred-last year in
particular-that the clubs came out of
the warm climate of the South and en-
countered chilly weather at the North,
which completely effaced all the good
results gained by the preliminary train
Ing. If the weather in Washington is
favorable for training the players will
readily become acclimated to the
atmosphere in which they will play
their early championship games.
The Washington team will probably
net begin training until after the
middle Of March. At this time most of
the other clubs will return and play a
series of games with teams i'm the
rival leagues. Connie Mack and his
| band of Athletes will go to Spartans-
burg, S. c., while Hugh Duffy has
selected Savannah as the training
ground for the Phillies. Both teams
will return home about April / to play
series of games for the championship
of Philadelphia. The New York
| Americans, under Manager Clark
Griffith, will assemble in Washington
on March and go to Atlanta for pre-
| liminary practice, to be followed by
| trip through cities of the Southern
League, including several days stay at
New Orleans. Then they will come
North, playing game in Baltimore
ard arriving in New York the first
week III April to play several exhibit
ton games before the opening cham
pionship game with Boston on April H.
The New York Nationals, under
manager McGraw will probably go
by boat to Charleston, thence to
Birmingham, where they will not tarry
long, but will make an extended tuor
of the Southern cities. visiting New
Orleans, where there is much interest
In the players of the big league teams
McGraw's men, like the Americans,
will arrive home in time for some ex-
Mbition games at the Polo grounds
prior to the opening of the champion
ship race. Both Boston teams will go
to Georgia., the champion Americans
to Macon. and the Nationals to
Thomassille.. Four teams will get
ready on Texas soil. The Cincinnatis
are booked for Dallas, the Clevelands
for SaHs Antonio, the Chicago
Americans for Marlin, and the st.
Louis Browns for COrsicana. HanlOn
will take the Erooklyns to Columbia, s.
c., as usual. james A. Hart has COM
pletcd Arrangements for the Chicago
Nationals, under Frank Selee. to groom
for the fray at Los Angeles. This will
be the most extended and expensive
trip taken by any of the major league
!, teams. but the Chicago club always
, does business in this way The cham
pion Pittsburgs will train at Hot
Springs. Ark. popular resort with
ball players in winter. They will be
, unsH.r the direction of Manager Fred
, Cl&rkc. The st. Louis Nationals. with
hid Nichols at the helm, will probably
; Timber up at Little Rock or in that
!. neighbornood. The Detroits will go to
n Shreveport. La.
II these southern towns are properlv
, managed, few teams can come home
! without getting considerable money. A
Sunday III New Orleans. for instance.
!, Yields perhaps $1,000 or $4,000 for the
g, visiting club. an amount that comes
!, near paying the bulk of the training ex-
q penses. I'm picking out places to train.
. tn" managers of the big teams must
, consider hotel accommodations, rail-
roads, climate, and the chances of find
! ms enough local players to All out an
i. opposing team. Some of the clubs take
a twenty-five men South. and they pay
: at the rate OF $3.50 a day board for each
OF them. The transportation is expen-
: sive. and in case of rain it is simply a
dead loss to the men who put up the
money. But that is one of the chances
taken when they invest in professional
baseball. Southern trips generally
denote prosperity. and from the ar
ranSements already made it would
seem that both of the big leagues ex-
pect to enjoy record-breaking season
. of success.
Cy Seymour says the Cincinnati
Commercial Tribune. has for weeks
been searching every vacant lot on the
hill for second-grOwth ash wagon
tongues. The other day he found an
old negro with three of them and pur-
chased them. Cy took his newly ac-
CURED treasures to his home on the
back platform of a street car. dream
ing Of the base hit producers that ne
would have turned out of them. He
got into arguments with the conductor
and back platform passengers, who
objected to having the timber poked
into their faces and rested on their
feet, but Cy got home all right. Neigh
bors may have thought Cy had been
out gathering kindling wood as he
staggered into the house. for CIV was
heavily laden. .,
Next morning bright and early Cy
wcnded his way to the wOodturner's
shop loaded down with his three wagon
tongues and bat to be used as a pat
, tern. Out of breath but still joyful Cy
! reached his destination. explained his
!, GRAND to the woodturner and soon the
, chisel was spinning around and the
shavings began to fly.
] why, this isn't ash. it's oak"
] groaned the woodturner. as he threw
the first wagon tongue to the floor.
Cy took a long breath. The next
,, tongue was put in. position and the
. chisel again applied. With a bang the