Evening star., 1908-01-24
Practice Grounds Already in
Fine Condition.
WILL WELCOME OUR CLUB
Locals to Play New York, st. Louis
and Minneapolis.
TONY SMITH BOILER-MAKING
Racing at New orleans-Sullivan
and Burns Draw-Dates for
Benning Meeting.
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch 10 The Star
GALVESTON. Tex. January 2+.-Whle
We ave having touch of winter in this
far south section of Dixieland, il has been
hanging on between the SOS and Cos for
the last couple OF weeks, with dashes Of
rain now and then-this presages balmy
weather for the days when Joe Cantillon
and his 1908 herd of Nationals will gam
bol on the green diamond at Athletic
Park. The grounds are now practically in
readiness for their coming. Groundkeeper
Mac, the energetic one-armed negro who
swears by Chief Joe. has had force OF
men at work for two weeks resoddinG the
infield and rolling the outer gardens. and
both sections are as smooth as sheets OF
glass. These drops of winter rain Will
have good effect on hurrying the growth
of herbage and help to further harden the
ground. The grass all over the new field
cropped UP pretty well last summer and
fall. and with the new growth now COM
ing up will aid in making the entire field
about perfect. There was little repairing
10 be done to the stands in spite of the
heavy blow We had last fall. but further
improvements have been made to the club
house that will add to the comfort of Can
tillons men if he decides TO have them
*
Speaking of the Seaside Hotel-the new
caravansary where the boys will hold
out this year-they will find it a place
of many convenience and comfort and
more to their liking than the fremont.
downtown, where they were quartered last
spring. The Seaside is a big four-story
place at the foot of fremont street. on
the beach and within a stones throw Of
the sea wall and the bath houses. 1t is
across the street from our white city
a a}f-
IL is exactly ten blocks from the ball
park. with brick-paved streets all the
VIZ over, and exactly a mile from Tre-
mont and Market streets. the heart of
the city.
Plenty of Room.
The whole second floor Of the Seaside
has been reserved for the Nationals
enough TO give every player a room to
himself. with bathrooms galore-with a
private dining room for the players. Chief
Joe will have the privilege of regulating
the daily bills of fare to suit his own
tastes and judgment. The hotel is so
close to the beach the boys will not have
10 dig up 25 cents a shot for tickets at
the bath houses every time they want
ID take a plunge in the surf-and most
OF them used to spend half of their wax
ing time out there last spring-for they
can bring bathing suits along or buy
=. them here for 81 and don them in their
rooms whenever they please and skip
gayly down to the surf at any old hour
OF the day or night they see fit.
Another good thing about this move
out TO the beach is that it Will keep
the boys out of the pool and billiard
rooms and away from the horde of
with invitations to liquor ur'' and
come out and have a good time. I'll
say for the boys. and truthfuIly, too.
that Cantillon had little or no trouble
with them that way on the former
visit. for the crowd was well-be-
haved. decent lot OF fellows. II they
did not capture the American League
flag or finish higher up it was not be-
cause they did not try to condition
themselves here.
Like Oysters and Fish
There are two items that will always
be features on the Nationals bill OF
fare at the seaside unless I'm badly
mistaken-fsh and oysters. The bay
and gulf around us furnish our tables
with the finest and most toothsome
samples OF the f1nny tribe known to
man, and the big, fat oysters We grow
out in our bay make the Baltimore
breed look like the weakened English
kind in comparison. Charlie Hickman
fine fellow and a great favorite here.
because he used to slam tie ball
mile over the Garten Verein across
from the ball park--can tell you all
about Galveston fish and oysters. That's
about all he ate while here.
There will be plenty OF hair-raising
exhibition games here this spring
four with that New York crowd guided
by angelic "Muggsy" McGraw. and the
same number with Napoleon" McClos-
keys st. Louis Cardinals. The Ma
tionals are to be here four Saturdays
and Sundays. and the games will be
ssndwiched IN between. All four Of
the McGraw crowd will be played in
Galveston without Cantillon's men GO
ing away. With McCloskey's scarlet-
legged crew one team of the Nationals
will play here. while another will cross
bats with Macs second combination
in Houston. only fifty miles away.
To Play Brother Mikes Team.
Between times on weeks days. Brother
Joe's team will measure strength with
Brother Mikes team. as Minneapolis is
10 come down here TO put on finishing
touches in training when the National
are about half through their work Con-
sequently the fanatics OF the National
capital can look for a box score almost
every day from the time Cantillon's men
hit the island until they start back north
over our causeway There NAV be an
occasional weekday game with the Sand
crabs, too. II the latter report as early
AS is expected, which is 10 be about
March Is.
With the Nationals. the MilIers and the
Sandcrabs all limberng up at the same
time in the latter part OF March 1t ought
to be a strenuous base ball life here
Shortstop Tony Smith returned from
Washington as soon the season ended
and has spent the interim In working in
d boiler foundry. He doesn't know ex-
actly where he stands. but he expects
70 be transferred TO either Minneapolis
- Des Moines. He certainly regrets
leaving Washington-not so much his
failure TO make good in major company
as To part with Cantillon and the delights
Of the National capital. lie never tires
Of throwing verbal bouquets at Chief
Joe. and he thinks the base ball fanatics
there are the most patient and good ma
lurcd he ever worked for