Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-11
Thursday March II, 1909.
Baseball Performances.

Throughout the length and breadth
of the land the newspaper fans are now
reading with absorbing interest the
stories from the southern cities and
towns where the big league teams are
Iimbering up and getting into training
for the 1909 battle for championship
honors on the diamond. This is the
season OF the year when every nine IN
the league wins the championship and
the supporters of each aggregation are
bubbling with buoyant enthusiasm.
The idea of these southern training
trips is something relatively new in
only the teams in the big leagues but
even those Of minor organizations go
down into the sunshine and warmth
Of Dixie while the northern diamonds
are still beneath their winter coverings
of snow and ice. 1t is estimated by
one sporting writer that these training
trips to the South cost the baseball
managers fully 100000. but it is all a
part Of the great national game and
money is a small consideration whore
remnants are concerned.
Several of the big league teams are
training in Texas and the one to make
the longest trip is the Chicago Ameri-
can club which is at Los Angeles.
Others are in Arkansas and some are
in Georgia and Alabama. These spring
training trips mean much to the south
ern cities and towns which are made
the scene Of operations. not only be-
cause it brings them a tidy sum of
money but because it makes them
famous throughout the land. The
many newspaper writer's who accom-
panv the various teams frequently
write themselves out on the subject of
baseball and send north feature stories
about the cities. These southern trips
are by no means picnics for the play
ers. The weeks spent in early practice
are season of trying out and thinning
out the new payers and rounding the
aggregation into shape for the strenu-
Gus work of the summer Frederic }.
Haskin. writing in the New Yo"k
Globe, thus describes the work Of the
training camp.
The training on these trips is by no
means easy. In fact, it is an extremely
painful operation at first, and becomes
exceedingly monotonous toward the
last. For the first week the arms and
legs of most of the men are so sore
that they can scarcely move Wlthoat
pain. They are assiduously massaged
by the rubbers. and have to take pre-
cautions against catching cold. Aft'r
the soreness has departed the grind
begins In the morning the manager
stands in the centre of the diamond
while the pitchers take turns III lobbin%
the ball over the plate. The batters
come up in order. hit the ball. ana
hustle to first, although there are no
feeders to throw them out. As eacn
man hits. the fellow on first goes I"
second as If he were playing the MT
and-run game. IN this way he IL
batted around the circuit.
"A few days later lielders Will occupy
the usual positions and the manager
viii coach his men on his own partl-
cular system of inside work. and eX-
rlaiu his systam OF signals. The hit
and-r run game. the squeeze play,
and other combinations will be worked
to the point of weariness and the
young player is taught that every move
bv either side means something III
which he has a part. AtterWaro
there are games between the men most
likely to be on the regular team ana
the remainder of the squad. ThaSc
games are played for blood. All OF 'he
tricks are used. and the manager keeps
m a running fire of instructions. sun
later other clubs are met in practlce
games. so that real work continues
until the league season opens.