The Washington times., 1912-03-07

the painful stage and the rockies have
need of all the backbone in their, make
of animal spirits and pep" they have
become just sore, tired athletes. striving
to keep up with the procession. And
Manager Griffith is right there with
tlnue the wild rush about the gym and
around the track, knocking speedy
drives at them md giving them teasing
bunts to further pull and stretch their
sorely worked muscles and tendOns. The
romance of the preliminary training has
vanished now. 1t is just plain hard
work and the boys realize it.
Four hours OF such strenuous endeav-
orS was the program yesterday and con-
tinued today, four hours of leaping and
jumping and tossing and falling and
running and stopping and catching and
pitching and batting. There isn't lad In
the collection without sore spot and
these sore spots make most of their
| bodies leOpard-like.
Griff In Charge.
Griffith, in uniform, is actively in
charge of the exercises in Fayerweather
gymnasium. Yesterday he kept hitting
| hard ones right back at the string of
rockies until they were ready to cry
quits. With the pitchers done, the trio
Of active young baCkstOps and the two
| intielders came in for their extra ef-
forts. These five were kept al 1t half an
hour longer and then wound up with
little basketball practice. When Gritf
called it off, all five were about done.
Ray Morgan, one Of the brightest
spirits in Griffith Hall, was so tired
last night that he fell asleep in Tay-
lors barber chair, which Dixie Walk
Cr had dragged into the assembly room.
While he dozed there, Joe Engel care
fully covered him with towel and
was about to give the Baltimo' wonder
haircut when he awoke. 1t was just
in time to save his life. Then he
promptly went upstairs to bed. 1t was
his first quiet evening since the camp
was formed: Usually he is the ring
leader in all the alleged singing that
goes on in Griffith Hall.
All the pitchers were worked out for
| an hour each, stress being laid on their
motion in getting the ball away. Such
| coaching they have never had before,
almost every one of them being faulty
in his delivery. Griffith means to teach
| his twirlers all the mechanics of their
position, hoping thus to bring out their
nativ" ability and improve 1t, so far
| as he is able. IGngcl, Allen, Musser,
| and Akers are following instructions
| to the letter, and the improvement in
their work is marked.
Gets His First Chance.
Cunningham got his first chance at
bat yesterday, being ordered to bunt
to the pitchers. This Is expected to
| improve Bilrs batting lamps so that
| opposing fingers. The Schenectady
youth was a bit rusty and was kept
jumping out of the way of bean balls, "
but he managed to keep his pitchers
! pretty busy.
This is great practice for the bat
ting eye" said Cunningham, after the
work was done for the day. BY the
time we get outside, we should be
able to see them pretty well. This
| is Just what | need"
Dixie Walkers extra weight is slow
| to come off, but Mike Martin is con-
! fdent that he will remove 1t before
that he will have the Alabama Beauty
| ready to take his turn on the mound
when the bell rings. He is rubbing
| Dixie theoretically every day in the
has to run a mile twice day and
as soon as the outdoor work begins
this distance will be increased.
II never started a training season
year. saysy Griffith. Usually l spend
! the off-season outdoors, hunting and
running around the country with heavy
boots on. Last winter, though, / sat
on chair IN the office every day and
feel the effects
Walter johnson tells me that he
needs only two weeks to condition him
| self" says Griffith, "and so when he
| as little as he wants. | want him right
| when the bell rings, for I'm counting
on the big fellow to win lot of games
right at the opening of the campaign. -
Bill Cunningham, the chunky second
baseman, is downright in earnest about
! preparing himself for the season. BY
doing light work all winter he has re-
! ported In perfect shape, and he says
that week or two outdoors should put
| him where he was In the fall of 1910,
when he was the terror of the opposing
Fingers at the Colse of the season.
"CDtt0n" johnson, the recruit from
! Nandalia, ILL.,, has wOne the letter
writing championship of the camp. BY
! actual count he can write five letters
IN an hour and can average four sheets
Of paper to the letter. He spends a
couple Of hours a day sending letters
home to his friends, in Illinois. Tom