Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-15
working HARD, BUT
IN GOOD SPIRITS.
How the Nationals Put in Their.
Time at GaIveSton-Much
Stronger Than the
1907 Team.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
GALvEsTON, Tex, March 14-Cantil
Ion and his band of Nationals will soon
start on their slow and long trip north
ward that ends at Boston, where the
American league championship opens
April IA. This unhurried journey will
gradually wosk the boys back into shape
to stand any cool weather which may still
be lingering it the lap of spring in bleak
New England The route will be along
the same lineS as last year. though Can
tillon will be unable to announce the def
mite dates for Il, day or two yet. After
leaving Houston Jon the night of March
90 the Nationals Twill play Waco Fort
Worth, Dallas and Wichita in the order
named, with two days at Kansas City
Saturday and Sunday. st. Joe may fol-
low next. with stops at Indianapolis, Co
lumbus. Louisville, Cincinnati and Buff
falo. closing there on 1.-THE 18th. and then
making the jump to BeantoWn. Ihes esq,
hjbition battles on the road are mighty
useful. as they give Cantillon chance
to get a personal line on any good men
that may crop up. Milan is a Soou eA-
ample Joe saw him only In one game
at wichita last spring, but his Work was
good enough to be remembered.
There is not a dissenting voice In the
Nationals camp as to the value OF the
new sacrifice rule eliminating a time at
bat for a man who brings In runner
from third on long fly to the outfeld.
Consensus of opinion is that ii should
have been put in operation long ago. II
is believed the new rule will greatly bene-
fit Jerry Freeman. who seldom strlKes
out but has the knack of lifting high ones
to the far gardens, if he doesn't get
hit, when runners are roosting at the
three-quarters station Discussing the
new rule the other day Otis Clymer
sprung another good proposition.
why don't the rule makers, said me-
instruct the scorers. when they fix up
their summaries, to insert a section under
Runs batted in the names OF batters
who score runners on hits, errors ana
fyouts? What's the matter, too, with one
of Runners advanced, where runner
moves up base on an error after the
sacrificed period has passed?' That led
to a new trend of discussion, and ely
mer's ideas were generally commenced.
1T looks to me-" broke in Bob Ganley,
that 1t wouldn't hurt the rule sharps to
overhaul the scoring work generally and
make some hard and fast regulation as
to what should go into the summary.
Some official judges of play give every
thing that happens in a game, While
others are too lazy or incompetent to give
anything but the mere details. | believe
they should all be given alike and nothing
left to the imagination. One of the best
things in a summary should be the hits
by innings as well as the runs, for IT
shows how the game is batted out. All
scorers should be compelled to put that
feature in their scores"
Where the Pitchers Reared.
ION this scoring proposition" edged in
Pickering, cit seems to me that the names
of batsmen who worry pitchers for passes
to first ought to be given, as we'll as the
fellows who nearly have their beans
knocked off or their Stats denied in by
some Of these MISUNDERSTANDING
rance twirlers who haven't even bowling
acquaintance with the home plate.'
Isn't 1t bad enough for you slapstick-
ers." reared Tom Hughes, Ito show us
I'D on the field without making 1t worse
by getting your names in print by doing
To this opinion all the other deceivers
agreed with equally vociferous acclaim
There's another feature generally over
looked" broke in a correspondent. that
] think is of vital interest to the sum-
mary. If the batterymen are to be dis
credited for wild pitches and passed balls.
as we'll as their base complimentaries
why not under the subheads of Fun
bles,' Wild Throws Muffed Fly Balls
Dropped Thrown Balls and Missed
Grounders, give the names of the Offend
ers?''
A sally of derisive snorts greeted this
suggestion.
Isn't it bad enough for us to be pen
allied in the last column grunted one
infielder.
Their Quarters Delightful.
Nothing could suit the boys better than
their quarters. The hotel is located on
fremont street less than 100 yards from
the sea wall. with the double track of
the beach car line. on the south side and
the deep grade-raising canal on the north.
Through the latter pass the great deep
sea dredges. which have nearly finished
the immense piece Of engineering work
that Galveston has SO successfully under
taken. These vessels make seven trips
through the day and night, never resting
except on Sunday, and they are constantly
whistling for the bridge, which is along
side the hotel The boys sleep soundly
however. that the steady footing disturbs
them not In the least. Up on the fourth
floor. where they can catch every passing
breeze from the south and east-and these
breezes are mild gales at this time of the
year-the players have their quarters,
with no outsiders to bother them. Each
man has comfortably furnished room
to himself and a mosquito bar to his bed
but fortunately for them the StegOmyia
fasciata bird Is pleasingly conspicuous by
his absence so far, SO the bars have yet
to be pulled down. The nights are SO
pleasantly cool that comforts and blan-
kets are not amiss to snuggle under. They
have a private dining room to themselves
on the ground floor. and the food Is of
the best and plentiful. Fresh fish and
oysters. right out of the bay are to be
had at every meal. and the boys do scan
dalous work with both.
Freeman a Clever Pianist.
Besides their own private dining room
the boys have parlor to themselves,
wherein fine piano is part OF the fur
nishings While three or four OF the
boys are clever in lingering the worries,
Jerry Freeman is the near-Paderewski of
the crowd. He can play anything from
ragtime TO the overture from William
TELL and do ii we'll. AS in all ball
teams. there are plenty of vocalists or
would-be vocalists. and they make the
air resound with melody (more or less)
when they can persuade big Jerry to
do the accompaniment act. However
they are all too tired after supper to
keep ii up. so the other guests in the
house are not disturbed. There are about
100 of the latter. who are here for the
winter from all sections of the north and
east. and they find the players an agree
able addition to the company.
There are so many pleasures and COM
forts around the new quarters on the
beach that the players seldom stray
down town, though it is pleasant walk
of only a mile. The lighthouses are close
at hand for their any hour of the
day or night. and If they care to while
kill