Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-11
BY J. ED GRILLo.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
! ATLANTA. March 1.-THE first oppor-
tunity to get a line OH several of the
youngsters in McAleers camp will be
| furnished by the game with the Georgia
| Tech team which is scheduled for this
| afternoon. McAleer will put mixture of
veterans. youngsters and experiments in
the field against the local collegians, and,
while it is not expected that even this
| combination will be up against a tough
proposition. the Washington manager
hopes to get an idea or two about sew
eral of his youngsters. 1t will he the
| first game that has been played since
the team went into training here. and
there is always lot of difference watch
ing a player in game and in practice.
For his infield McAleer has chosen Leli-
welt at first, Cunningham at second. Nc
Bride at short and Bunting at third In
the outfield will be found Milan. Corbin
and Miller. while Gray and Bussey, two
pitchers who have shown the best form.
will do the pitching. '.Gabby' Street
will be behind the bat. Swain. Alnsmith
and one of the old infielders will be kept
on the bench for utility purposes.
McAleer will not be guided SO much
by what the players accomplish in an
artistic way in sizing up. his youngsters
in this game as by the knowledge they
display and the manner in which they
handle themselves This is particularly
true Of the two young outdelders to be
used. This pair has shown better form
than any Of it's rivals in practice. and
McAleer is anxious to see them in action
under fire.
Another week of such weather as the
Nationals have encountered here and
there will hardly be a man in the squad
who is not in prime condition. The local
grounds are situated in q hollow. and for
this reason they are an ideal spot for
training work. With every day heat of
the sun increases, and the two or three
hours work that the players have been
able to put in every day is already telling
in the way they handle themselves. There
are. of course. several sore arms and few
kinky limbs, but on the whole every man
is in a fair condition, and a few more
workouts will have them ready to cut
provement is being shown by the pitch
ers. who are beginning to put speed on
to the ball and mixing up their deliveries.
McAleer is not giving his men any stren-
weights. Cunningham and Gessler. He
figures to go slowly during the first week
and then gradually increase the work.
1t has always been contended that il
Walter johnson ever mastered a slow
ball he would be next to impossible to
hit johnson used a change of pace
every now and then last year, but not as
muchsas he should have done. But he is
to make speciality OF this most decep-
tive style of pitching this year.
He is constantly practicing the slow
ball and he is perfecting It, With his
terrific speed, the batters are absolutely
at his mercy when hitting q slow ball.
er on great strain He must swing
quickly in order to meet the bali. sand
when johnson sends a slow hoater to-
ward the plate with the same motion as
he does his fastest bali he takes the bat
ter of his stride. and the result is either
a measly grounder or a little pop-up. Not
only is this change of pace most effective.
but 1t is great rest for a pitchers arm,
there being absolutely no strain to pitch
ing the slow ones.
johnson. by the way. has not yet signed
his contract He had long conference
with Manager McAleer this morning.
from which both came smiling, but adj
hitting they had not come together. Nc.
business proposition he has ever been
asked to tackle. There is no serious
breach between the pair. johnson has
made demands which McAleer considers
cheap as he can. but he finds he is up
against a tough proposition. for the big
pitcher has arguments to present and
does not show any signs of weakening.
mere Is no uOEOt tndt tne CluD ana the
pitcher will eventually come together. but
it is most likely that it will be at his
terms.
Milan is another one who has not sign
ed, but there is not going to be much
trouble about him. Clyde believes that he
Is worth more than he is getting, and as
McAleer appreciates his value to the team
it will take just one short talk to arrange
matters. So far as Gessler, the other
member of the team who has not yet
affixed his signature, is concerned, there is
no chance for him to win an argument.
He has been asked to stand cut, and
McAleer proposes to stand by his original
proposition.
1t has always been supposed that about
the only things that had to be developed
by batting practice were the eye and the
strike, but Capt. Mcbride is not of this
opinion. He believes that the hands are
more important than either This is his
contentious:
The first thing that tires when you
have not had a bat in your hand for
months is your hands. You cannot take a
good grip of the bat, and after all that
is most important in batting. For the
first ten days in the spring your hands
are tender and sore from doing something
they are not accustomed to. and the re-
suit is that YOU do not swing as you
and then YOU hit I'm your stride. 1t is a
fact that for the first two weeks of
a training trip every players hands sting
whenever he hits the ball. and not until
they have become hardened to the work
docs this leave them
1t is but natural that the recommends