The Washington herald., 1911-07-23
Brand Men, Park
Ready for Team
All Is in Readiness for Nationals at Florida Ave
nue. Ball Yard When Club Faces Detroit
Tuesday-Other Gossip
By WILLIAM PEET.

shouts batter up at National Park,
District fans will be quartered in one of
the prettiest baseball grounds in the
country.
A remarkable transformation has taken
place while the club has been on the
road, and while every minor detail will
not be completed, the grand stand and
two immense concrete bleachers will seat
the patrons out Of reach of the SUM-
The double-decker grand stand yesterday
lacked only a few finishing touches, and
the contractors state that all will be In
readiness by Tuesday.
The diamond has been shifted and re-
sodded. It was feared that the long
drought would handicap matters and
hold back the newly-laid sod, but Fri
days rain came as a life-saver, and the
players will have no cause to complain.
The rapidity with which the grounds
were prepared for the opening game was
considered quite an achievement, but
within the past ten days so much work
has been done on the stands and on the
playing field that it is now assured the
whole modern plant will be thoroughly
completed.
Around the upper section of the grand
stand is a line of boxes, and rising tier
after tier are the reserved seats, which
are expected to become the most popular
of the whole plant. In the center section
OF the upper deck is a special reservation
for the newspaper men, The old club
house in deep center field has been re-
moved. and but little work remains on
| the dressing room, which is being built
| under the grand stand. These rooms are
modelled after the ones in shibe Park,
Philadelphia, and are modern in every
detail
The players will have three times as
| much space as in the old house, with
much better light and five showers in
place OF the two which were formerly
used A new heating plant has been in
stalled, with special provision for hot
water and also coils of pipe on which the
men may speedily dry their uniforms.
Through an underground passage the
home players may go direct from the
bench to their dressing rooms without
I mingling with the spectators. Next to
the players rooms is a room for the
umpires, with a shower bath and other
modern improvements
| The diamond has been shifted to its
permanent place, and has been drawn
considerably nearer the stand. The grass
has been placed inside the base lines and
the work OF resoddng the whole outfield
| is we'll under way. By a new system OF
drainage It is expected that the field can
be dried out in short order, as there is
grade away from the diamond, and con-
tinued to the foul lines, where there are
catch basins which will carry the water
to the sewers. Barring the fences and
entrance, everything at National Park is
new, and the fans have a most pleasant
surprise in store for them Tuesday.
| By dropping yesterdays game to the
Browns the locals cannot possibly hope
for an even break and will return home
after another disastrous whirl around
the circuit with only three or possibly
four victories as against nine or ten
defeats
The Detroit Tigers show here for
three-game series starting Tuesday; then
come the remainder of the Western clubs
with a quaUet of spats each, followed
by New York for three games. making In
all eighteen scheduled games on the home
sward. with double-headers, In all proba-
bility. against ST. Louis and Chicago. 1t
will be remembered that the last time
these clubs were here rain caused the
postponement of one game out of the Sc
ries from the pair.
On July e6. Doc Gessler will be pre-
sented, by one of the local baseball
writers, with $50 check for hitting the
Bull sign. Doc connected for the circuit
punch on the Boston grounds July 4.
driving the ball distance of $50 feet.
Although st. Louis scribes try to tell
us that the tail-end Browns look to be
a stronger club than the Nationals, they
have got to show us. Can st. Louis
boast of players of such caliber as Nc
Bride, Elberfeld, Schaefer, Milan, and
Walter Johnson?
Not this year, any way.
A dispatch from Detroit last night read
as follows: The Tigers leave next Mon
day afternoon for Washington, where
they start their second invasion OF the
East on Tuesday. They play three games
In Washington and move from there to
Philadelphia, where they open with the
world champions on Friday.
Five games will be played in Phila-
Il
delphia From that city the Tigers move
to Boston and they will play five more
games there. They cpd up In New York
and play quintet OF games In that city.
A double header is scheduled in Phila-
delphia, another in Boston. and still an,
other in New York.
On their first Eastern trip the Tigers
played but three games In Philadelphia
and the same number in Boston and New
York. In each of these cities one game
was postponed by rain.
Bobby Carruthers. famous As . pitcher
for the 81. Louis baseball club, Of the
old American Association. when II won
four successive worlds championships.
and who later pitched In the National
League. is In hospital at Peoria, Ill,
reported to b IN : dying condition Car