Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-15

1t costs them nothing to get in there.
Two blocks east of the hotel a private
club has a fishing pier that extends $50
yards out in the gulf. and all the boys
have been extended the courtesies. There
is good sport to be had with the hook
and line. and the chef at the hotel Is
always ready to fix up in tempting style
any messes the boys may bring in.
Downtown Amusements.
There is excellent vaudeville day or
night at the Colonial, to which the boys
have entry, with a score of moving pic
ture shows scattered along Market street.
Business Manager Jacobson, soon after
his arrival hunted up Manager Weis of
the local theater, who is an old acquaint-
ance and fixed it up for the boys to
attend whenever a show comes along.
Last Sunday evening they had boxes for
THE Man on the Box" and Tuesday
evening witnessed 1.-The Lion and the
Mouse" in body. Some of the young
sters. who are viewing salt water for the
first time in their lives, find the bay
panorama of interesting sights. They
can see there great ocean carriers capa-
BILE Of taking cargoes of $4,000 bales Of
cotton as a load to the big fleet of fish
ing vessels that bring back from the
Campeachy banks on the lower gulf from
2O.OOO to 10000 pounds of redsnapper in
each cargo. while the daily coming and
going of the Southern Pacific and NAL
lory liners are regular events. SailbOats
and power launches are to be had cheaply
for excursions on the bay.
Sprinting on Boulevard.
Besides the work at the ball park the
Nationals take good deal of exercise on
the long boulevard that skirts the beach
front. When the grade-raising canal is
filled in, it will extend from the begin
ming of the sea wall on the bay front
clear to Fort Crockett on the western
outskirts of the city. distance Of nearly
five miles. Just now the boulevard be-
gins block east of the hotel and goes
west for mile and a half. 1t is parallel
to and alongside the sea wall, is forty
feet wide and is paved with vitrified
brick. 1t is a perfect road for pedestrian
work and the Nationals use 1t even in the
hottest hours of the day, as the pleasant
breeze blowing in from the sea tempers
the heated rays of the sun. Early morning
trots along it are a favorite recreation.
The beach fire engine house is across the
way from the hotel, and several times
of late there have been false alarms turn
ed In from the west beach. This always
happened when the boys were around the
hotel and there was always wild
the wake Of the engine. A long walk that
has been test to the strength of the
most able-bodied is to walk the top of the
seawall out to the east end, then back to
Fort Crockett on the west with the re-
turn to the hotel. This is virtually a
round trip Of ten miles on the concrete
walk and one trial Is sufficient.
Team Is Much Different.
That argument of The Star that the
Nationals are 25 per cent stronger than
they were last year. is more than a
guess-it is pretty near an actual fact.
The writer is no presumptuous minor
league critic whose little experience has
been gained In the confines of bush"
league. He has had twenty years expert
ence compiling base ball literature in
minor and major leagues. has been the
aged teams from the bench with some
success. Therefore he is conceited
enough to think that he can size up ball
players with a fair degree of soundness.
The Nationals Of 1908 are as much differ
ent from the Nationals of 1907 as daylight
is from dark. Cantillon had to take hold
last year with team made up to some
extent of old-timers, who were either on
the edge of minor league oblivion or had
worn out their welcome at the capital,
while others had no other interest in life
than their semi-monthly pay checks. There
were several boneheads on the team, too,
that no managers on earth could do any
thing with. Men like Hughes Smith,
Il dlheIiDcTR, Fdlttu, w AlClZer ana
Ganley, who were of real value and tried
to earn their salaries were retained, while
the others went adrift. Then Cantillon
had to scour the minor leagues for the
best talent procurable. and it looks as If
his earnest efforts have been rewarded
with success. The base ball fanatics of
the National capital are not apt to be
shocked to death by their team winning
the American League pennant, but they
will not be made disgruntled by stupid.
cI0 vynP hnr tc
fighting spirit in the new outfit, and when
this new outfit loses a game, which may
often happen, its opponents will know
they have had to fight hard for a victory
in batting and fielding than their imme-
diate predecessors; there will be more
speed on the bases and the batterymen
are sure to stack up fine and strong The
Nationals have hidden a long farewell to
the cellar championship-mark the pre-
diction.
Cantillon's Methods.
Unlike managers who win pennants only
when the theromometer is ranging around
the zero mark. Cantillon's methods are
quite simple. He treats his players like
men and not like children. He doesn't
sit up around the hotel to see that the
but rousts them out early, and nothing
but a broken arm or leg can excuse a
player from practice work. Joe's an old
player himself-and a fine second base
man. slugger and umpire-baiter he was
too-and can still show them all the old
tricks He is the first man in uniform
and the last to take 1t of. He is out in
the middle Of the diamond coaching
pitchers. batters and fielders. and his voice
is constantly raised on high. suggesting
pleading and demanding that this or that
player do one thing or another in some
particular fashion. Then he directs from
the coaching lines or does a turn behind
the catcher for a spell. He takes it for
granted that the men are not 'boneheads''
and are as ready to listen to suggestions
from the players as he Is to make them
himself. His temper is a bit peppery at
times. but he isn't abusive. If he has
any reprimand for a player he does 1t in
a way that leaves no soreness of feel
ing. "Cantillon will work all hades out
of u.s., says one of the regulars. but
there is nothing too good for a man who
tries to do right by him.
Another Good Southpaw.
1t begins to look as If the long-sought
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