Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-04
.GR|FF'S PITCHERS
GO SOUTH FIRST
TwirIers to Start Training
Week or So Before Regu-
lars Report.
LOCAL PLAYING FIELD
HAS BEEN IMPROVED
Youngster Who Beats Howard
ShankS Out of Job Will Have
to Be Real Star.
BY J. ED GRILLO,

An early start by the pitchers for the
training camp at Charlottesville is plan
ned by Manager Griffith. All the Ma
tionals' twirlers. and perhaps several ofthe
young fielders, will be asked to report
here March 1 and start for the training
camp. Griff wants his pitchers to have
about a weeks start on the rest OF his
players, so that they will be able to Of
fer something worth while in the batting
practice. and, incidentally, he wants an
early chance to look over his youngsters.
pitchers need more time to get ready
than do the other players" said he this
morning, land for that reason 1 want all
my pitchers to be in training about a week
before the others report. We will have
a regular routine for them. They will
take good workout one day and then
rest their arms the next, putting in the
time chasing flies to get themselves in
condition. This was successful system
last spring. and, in fact, is the only way
to get pitchers ready. The chances are
that we will encounter better weather at
Charlottesville this spring than we did
last. We were indoors for more than a
week then, and / understand an earlier
spring is promised. But regardless of
what the weather will be there is
chance to work out in the gymnasium
there. and we are sure to be ready when
the season opens.
Griff is particularly anxious to have
Cashion in good FORM He figures that
IL the big fellow gets control of the
ball he will prove one of the leagues
most effective twirlers. Griff gave Cash
ion a half dozen new balls when he
started for his home at Hunterville. N.
c., with instructions to practice little
every day for control and incidentally
for a movement to first base, which
Cashion has been doing ever since he
left here. 1t is figured that by spring
Cashion will be a much improved pitcher
and will prove a capable running mate
for Johnson and Groom.
The playing field on the local grounds
has been considerably improved since
the season closed. Ground Keeper FitZ-
gerald has raised the home plate fourteen
inches and sloped the infield SO that it
will drain rapidly. The outfield has been
improved with a layer of top soil. which
has been we'll seeded with grass seed, so
that the outf1eld will be smooth and level
by the time the season opens. The rails
ing of the home plate and the soil which
the inf1eld gets thereby will not only aid
the drainage, but 1t will have a good
effect on the batting, which was ham
pered last year by the fact that the
pitchers box was much higher than the
plate.
While Griffith admits that he hopes to
get one hard-hitting outfelder out of the
several youngsters he will try out for
those positions this spring, he is extreme
ly doubtful if he will be able to find
player capable of taking Howard Shanks
place in left field. Grin believes that
Shanks is today the best left fielder in
the American League. His fielding was
of great help to the team, and Griff be-
lieves that his hitting will improve. He
is sure to hit lot better next season, ;"
said Grif. He picks out good balls and
takes a nice slap at them. but he was In
hard luck last season and by reason Of
having sure enough base hits, caught or
stopped cut his batting average down no
less than 80 or 60 points. which If they
were added would have given him quite an
average. The youngsters will have to
hustle and show something to beat
Shanks out of his job. Of that 1 am con-
vinced."
Tom Hughes. who surprised his ira
ducers by his good work on the slab last
season. Is apt to have a much better sea-
son in 1913. Hughes is to be handled
with more care than he was. Griffith
realizes that the veteran cannot be over
worked and show his best form. and if
his other pitchers are fit to take their
regular turns. Hughes will be used only
after about four days rest. Hughes
best work last season was against the
the league, which found him most trou-
blesome. He beat Chicago every game
he worked against it, and he was also
very effective against Cleveland and
Detroit. Griff figures on using him
mostly against these teams Hughes
| pitched brilliantly last season during the
| period that Walter Johnson was under
the weather. but he was used three times
| in FIVE days then, and he naturally gave
| way under the strain and lost his form.