Evening star., 1909-03-14
DO TRAINING TRIPS
PAY THE MAGNATES
Preliminary Work Gets Every
body in Shape for Open
ing Game.
By Umpire Billy Evans.

who make the annual spring visit to
Dixie?
This ruch-mooted question has been
discussed from every angle for years by
fans and club owners. Strong argu-
nen,s have been advanced by both sides.
Several club owners have tried the plan
of training In the north with very poor
success. and on several occasions after
peek or two of bad weather have shifted
with AL haste to some camp in the south
The very fact that the teams continue 10
20 south is the best proof in the world
that the men behind the guns regard the
sprIng training trip a profitable IN
yestment, both artistically and financially
No doubt to the average fan X seems
quite an item of expense for club 10
send thirty or forty men south for SIX
weeks to get in shape for the coming sea-
son at the expense of the club. Ihe
plavers always travel on the best trains
stay at the best hotels and get every at
tention possible. Each spring every ma
1or league club must spend 5000 on the
preliminary work. g.,
Sometimes the weather conditions IN
the south are not any too favorable. ana
other times the various clubs run INTO an
kinds of tough luck on their way north
Exhibition games that had been arranged
for during the winter must be postponea
on account OF weather or ground conol
tlons, and many chances are lost 10 get
back some OF the money spent
When training trips were hrst inausu-
rated years ago the coming OF MAJOR
league club to the south was an event OF
much Importance. The arriVal OF l,e u,S
league stars was anxiously awaited. ana
during their stay they were very Hluch
Of the whole show. The exhibition games
would always draw big crowds. and o1ten
quite little money would be maze IN lhis
wav The coming of the stars is no long
or matter OF so much Importance In
Dixie; II is regarded as rather common
place affair and no longer do the Teams
draw such big crowds
While In few respects the pilgrimages
TO the south may not attract as much
attention as in former days. in other ways
II is of far more Importance.
OF late years the game has been max
ing such rapid strides in every way the
fans and scribes at home are paving lots
more attention to the doings In the spring
training camps. 1t is In TINS one respect
that the club reapS big revenue on Its
investment.
Practically every major league team
that goes south nowadays takes anywhere
from four to six correspondents. as wen
as several photographers. to pencil and
picture the doings Of the different teams
while in the south.
After a long winter in which the fans
have lived on Views and near-views or
what would happen during the approach
ing season they welcome some real news
about the players and the prospects as
seen from the field of battle. Base ball
is one sport that lives the year around
The club owners realize this and are
always alert to any measure that VIII
help perpetuate the game
For five or six weeks prior to the open
ing of the season the fans devour with
hot iC cd To
them by the staff correspondents. The
opinions of the writer's on all subjects
are considered. and many heated argu-
ment is caused by some OF the stuff sent
from the south.
1t is also a time when the fans may
read about the bush league phenorns
During the training trip each year every
club appears to have several who are
bound TO set the league on fire. Some
times they make good and live up to
even the strongest advance notices, but
generally they are put out before they
even get a chance to start any conf1agra-
ton in the majors.
The scribes realize that the fans IN their
home town are familiar with all the good
and bad qualities of the veterans, and
they always select the youngsters as mt
subjects for stories of all kinds. Some
OF them are real truth, others are nearer
fiction.
The height. the weight. the pecularities
that might be OF interest is dished up for
the fans consideration. For four or five
weeks the new recruit has the spotlight
continually played on him. Often it's the
only chance he will ever get, or at least
get for a time. II he Is sent back TO
the minors. which is often the case, he
usually has hard time breaking into
fast company again. If he is kept it's
usually for duty on the bench, and it's
mighty hard to show ability or break
into print when all you have to do is
sit around. look wise and try to be use
full.
This preliminary dope that Is handed
out before the season opens gets every
body in prime shape for the first game.
Naturally all the stuff they have read
about the youngsters makes the fans
anxious to look them over. Sometimes
they are disappointed. while every now
and then youngster shows up far bet
ter than any one expected.
Just at present the Cleveland fans are
AL anxious to look over the new Maps
and pass Judgment. So many nice things
have been said about all the new recruits
. Easterly and Sitton in particular, that
the Cleveland fans are beginning to be-
lieve that they have something pretty
classy in the raw this year.
Chicago fans have been getting great
reports from the coast about new
southpaw Suter. ST. Louis fans are en-
thusing over Louie Evans of the Cardi-
nails and Catcher Smith. new Brownie,
Boston fans are hearing all kinds OF nice
things about some Of Taylor's new re
cruits and Cincinnati fans are anxiously
awaiting the homecoming of Griffith S
new stars. It's the same way in every
city, the fans are certain that with the
new talent they are sure to be in the
running.
No kind of money would buy such
valuable advertising. II 1t was paid for
matter the fans would soon pass 1t up
with glance. instead of perusing two
or three columns each day. Instead the
opinions expressed are the opinions of
men paid by the press TO give their read
ers the best line of dope possible. men
who are IN no way connected with the
club.
Often too much boosting Injuries a
player, but or the whole the boost policy
has the knock system skinned off the
board for successful results. ITS during
the southern trips that newfanRled
curves are discovered, that new stars are
announced, that fairy tales are told
about what different players have done
and intend to do, but nevertheless the
fans and the players like 1t and il will
ever be thus.
The Cleveland team this year IS try
ing new stunt. No exhibition games
will be played on the way north. the
team coming direct to the scene OF the
first game from the southern training
camp. Its results will be watched with
interest.
The spring trip idea is spreading Al
ready a number of American Associa-
tion and Eastern League teams go south
ana III Few years the plan will likely be
used By all the teams.