Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-02
NATIONALS HOPING
FOR BETTER BREAK
Return of the Local Ball Team
After a Months Trip Over
the Entire Circuit.

Numerous sturdy. sunburned ball play
ers walked into the Dewey last night
near the midnight hour and were quickly
surrounded by their friends. They were
the Nationals. home after months trip
over the eastern and western circuits
Most of the boys are living at the Dewey.
and as 1t was known that they would ar
rive last night a crowd was on hand
to welcome them. There was nothing or
the wornout. down-in-the- mouth look
about the players. Every one walked
into the lobby with his head up and a
cheerful smile on his face, and for the
ensuing five minutes they were kept busy
shaking hands.
Capt. Bob Ganley. as game fellow as
ever walked to the home plate. was as
clipper as ever and maintained that the
Nationals would yet be heard from. He
said:
Everything that one could possibly
think of broke against us on the trip.
One day we would get 1t from the UNI
the result of single error or the want
of base hit.
Il don't mind these things as a rule. as
1t is part Of base ball. but when l see
by the jumps and also make twice as
many errors and don't hit little bit.
but win out. it certainly brings one
around to the belief that luck is a great
big factor in the national game.
Every one of the boys is in good health
and has lived in the hope that matters
will break better for us at home. That
belief has kept everybody up to the
mark. If bad luck continues here in
Washington 1 am looking for several
| suicides
Cantillon Not Discouraged.
Manager Cantillon didn't want to talk
much about the trip.
when We left home" he said, Il
thought I was making a conservative
claim when 1 said the Nationals would
| win thirteen games. but 1 never counted
| on such streak Of beastly luck as we
had. 1 still believe l have a very good
ball team. and 1t will take a great deal
worse playing than the kids have done
| on the road to make me change my mind.
"All 1 ask is that the fans stand by
the boys for this long siege at home.
We can play winning ball just as we'll as
| good ball. and we are going to do 1t
Give the boys some encouragement and
! let them know that the fans haven t
lost faith in them. and We will yet give
a good account of ourselves"
Griffith Denies Reports.
Ex-Manager Clark Griffith joined Man
ager Cantillon in Philadelphia and came
on to Washington with the latter. "Grif''
is in excellent health, and when accosted
| this morning by a Star reporter laughed
| at the idea that he is a nervous wreck.
Il came to the conclusion that couldn',
make the New Yorks win, and decided tC
get out. The injury to Elberfeld un-
doubtedly threw me out Of my job, as We
| were going very well at the time Ganley
spiked the kid l never felt better in
my life. but l want something easier thar
engineering major league. team. You
| must have luck to be successful man
ager in the big leagues these days, some
! thing that l haven't had since being In
New York l think when Elberfeld gets
back at short the New Yorks will.be 60
ing all right again and that they will YET
cut figure in the pennant race
1t was intimated to Griffith that per
haps he was down here to make a deal
for one of the local pitchers or to buy
stock in the Washington club. but he de-
MED all this. "Grif' will probably get a
Southern League club. perhaps with Can
| tillon as partner. and then take things
easy winning pennants down south.
Manager Cantil,on and the players were
out early at the park this morning, blu,
| no practice was INDUCED in, as the boys
needed all the rest coming to them be
fore going into the d6uble-header this
afternoon.