Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-26
BY ]. ED GRILLO.


Special Dispatch 10 The Star.
/, CHARLOTTESVILLE Va March 20
After playing final game with Virginia
| this afternoon Clark Griffiths ball team
! viii start for home where for the next
| two weeks or so it will engage in eEhibi-
| ton games with National League and
. college teams
! The three weeks spent here have been
most beneficial notwithstanding the fact
| that the weather mas not always been
| favorable, and it can be truthfully said
| that the team will report at home un-
doubtedly in as good condition as any
major league team which has gone to
| the extreme south to do its spring train
| ing. 1t stands to reason, however, that
| the players are not yet on edge.
! They have reached that point of their
conditioning where they are rounding
, into THEN best form, and this Will
J be reached by medium of the exhibition
games which it has scheduled before the
! season opens. The chances are, how
| ever. that none of it's rivals is in as
good form as are the Nationals. Griffith
has four and perhaps five pitchers who
are ready to go the route. while the rest
| of the players are almost good now
as they will ever be. needing only a suf-
fcent amount of batting practice to mt
them for the fray.
Griffith arranged the game with Vir
ginia late yesterday afternoon when he
decided to take the Southern train
which leaves here at 40 in the even
ing for Washington. There is but one
chance for this plan to be upset. that
is if he should be informed early in
the afternoon that the train is late.
in which event the game may be call
ed off and the players sent to Wash
ington on train which leaves here
at 81 His reason for not taking this
train is that he does not want his
PLAYERS to be idle whole afternoon
while the weather is favorable. The
change of camps will therefore not
necessitate losing day. for after play
ing here today the team will be on
hand TO tackle Georgetown Wednesday.
This game is to be called at $3.50.
Joe Engel took his preparatory work
out for the Georgetown game yester-
day. The youngsters arm seems to
have entirely recovered from the lame
ness which bothered him for several
days and he will be in good form when
he tackles the cOllegians. 1t Will be
Engers first appearance in game for
the Nationals and his work will he
watched with interest. Engel has all
the ear-marks of making great pitch
err He is "A mere boy, however, and
needs seasoning and should be a much
improved twirler by next spring, even
though he is used only occasionally
during the regular season.
Alien. Musser, Guy Johnson and most
likely Boehling are the pitchers to be
farmed out by Griffith All of these
youngsters need more seasoning and care
is to be taken to place them where they
will be mostly benefited.
Akers looks to be sure to start the sea-
Coy with and il iS not likely
that Buck Becker will be missing. Beck
err has developed a. curve ball and II mas
been asserted by other players that il he
ever got a good curve he would be
winning pitcher. Griffith has made no
definite decision in Beclker's case, but
the chances favor him, especially if he
should show good form in some of the
exhibition games he will be asked to
pitch. Scheer is another player VINO needs
seasoning. There is no doubt about his
ability but he has many rough edges. and
needs another year or so In the minors.
Shanks' future has not been decided.
He can field and throw as fast, and
stands up well at the plate and yet yes
terday was the first time he got a base
hit and then he doubled But he has
all the earmarks of a hitter and now
that he has started he may be able to
convince Griffith that 1T would be mis-
take to. send him back TO the minors
Washington fans are not going TO
have a chance to see Eddie Gagnier in
action-at least not this year. The for
mer Lincoln shortstop has been notified
by Griffith to report at Indianapolis at
once. He will leave here with the
train for the Hoosier capital No player
in the squad since its stay here has
played a better game of ball than Gag