Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-15
By ]. ED GRILLo.

There is no occasion for alarm be-
cause the Nationals are scheduled to
play the world champion Athletics six
games out Of the first nine. There is
no way to avoid these clashes with
Mack's champions and the sooner the
games are played the better. 1t does
seem to be an advantage to tackle the
champions early in the campaign, when
they are not at their best, than later,
when they are going at their best. Should
history repeat itself and the Athlet1cs
tionals would stand an excellent chance
of winning a majority of these SIX
games Last spring, it Will be remem-
bered, the Athletics were slow to get go
ing and as Mack believes in letting MS
players get into condition gradually they
are not apt to be on edge when the Ma
tionals tackle them in April.
Weather conditions may be such that
the schedule will suffer by not having
Boston and New York open in, Phila-
delphia. where there is better chance
for an early spring than on the other
end of the eastern circuit. But this
weather is q gamble at that time Of the
year, so that no schedule could be ar
RANGED to avoid cold snaps or rain.
The schedule gives this city its base
ball in three long stretches. There are
only a few games here in April. out
plenty in May, for from the first day OF
uous playing. nineteen games In row.
The second stretch begins June "A and
ends July %. during which period TWEEN
ty-seven games are scheduled. The hnai
stretch is from August Ii to September
3, and calls for twenty games.
BY the sale Of Doc Gessler the veteran
element on the local team Is reduced TO
minimum, Schaefer and Hughes being
the only players left who have served
in fhn n.
fifth may not find player among his
batch of youngsters who will prove as
valuable to the team as was Gessier.
and yet there is no doubt that there Will
players with the veterans off the pay
roll, for it places Griffith In a position
where he will have to use them One
great fault with the former system hare
has been to carry lot OF old players
who could be used the minute one Of the
youngsters had slump. with the result
that the young fellow became discourage
, and proved useless. Now 1t Will be dif-
| ferent. Griffith has burned the bridges
behind him; he Is forced ,5 to- to pay ms ms
ter chance to make good. Players OF the
Gessler. Conroy, E berfeld type are not
landing their teams in the first divisions
of major league races. They have oeen
| valuable men in their time, but that
| time has passed, and there can be moth
! ing but praise for the man who realized
this fact and adopted ways and means
| to build UP young ball team.
If Walter johnson is at his best this
! spring he may be asked to work the hrst
game of each of the first three series the
/ Nationals play. He Is sure to pitch the
opener in Philadelphia. and then: with
| three days rest. could come back for the
first game in New York and be ready TO
pitch the opening game o. the season on
the local grounds against the worlds
champions Griffith proposes to WORK
johnson with considerable regularity next
season, just as soon as he is fit to go the
route, and. barring illness, he Is sure to
be ready early, for he is to have a COM
paratively easy time Of it during the
! training period, as he is not to pitch more
than a game or two before the season
| opens.
/ 1t is the general opinion that johnson
has received a severe setback every
spring by reason Of being compelled to
do too much work during the training
period. and Griffith proposes to let him
ton before he will use him. The brunt of
the early work will fall on the shoulders
| OF the youngsters. for 1t is during the
training and exhibition season that Grit
fifth hopes to get a line on them.
Just how utterly impossible 1t is to
make advantageous deals nowadays ID
shown by the demands Of rival clubs foy
| players like Henry and Mcbride
neither of whom Griffith would think OF
material. For man who has been out
OF the league for several years and Is not
! supposed to be familiar with the members
| OF his own team GFiflith Is showing splen-
did judgment in holding on to some play
has not made q move which has not met
| with the approval Of patrons OF the game
] here. He has held together his nucleus