The Washington times., 1912-04-24
Manager Griffith Will Take
No Chances With Second
Baseman.
SERIOUS DROP IN
THE ATTENDANCE
Fans Have Turned in Large Num-
bers to the National
League Clubs.
BY SENATOR"

BOSTON. Mass, April 2I-Jack
Knight, the crack infielder playing Gee
ond base with the Nationals. is COM
planning of a sore arm, and on that
account was kept on the bench yester-
dow during the blizzard. Manager Grlf-
nth feared to risk him on the battle
line under such conditions Unless the
temperature moderates knight may no.
appear in any Of the games here.
"Knight is suffering from his arm,
saws Manager Griffith, "and shall
take no chances with him. I went him
10 be In shape for that long stay at
home. In :he meantime Bill Cunning
ham seems able to care for himself at
second
The Nationals. like all visiting clubs
may suffer this season from a heavy
falling off in attendance at games in
the Fenwav Park, the new home of the
Boston Red SoX. Though Jimmy Nc
Aleer has done his best to give the
HUI an up-to-date ball park. with all
modern facilities, the fans refuse TO
take to the project. They decline to
pay the stlff tariff demanded for the
seats.
There is distinct movement toward
the National League here. The new
owners, John NJ. Ward and Jim Gaff-
ney, have done the right thing by the
fans of Boston and their park has not
seen such crowds in years as have at
tended the games of the Braves here.
The former American League rooters
are turning from their heroes under
McAleer to those under Johnny Ward.
Fans Are Grieved.
Those who paid so cents to see ball
rr1n. in hn ala
park must now sit in right field to sec
. the games for that money. They are
grieved at the change. When the sea-
son opened here no notice was pub
.lished of the change in the prices and
4 many fans found themselves out in the
garden when they expected to be be-
hind first or third A howl was heard
and letters have been pouring into the
Newspaper offices ever since. The fans
are demanding the old prices and there
Eare breakers ahead of McAleer, Nc
Roy and Company
4 The American League park here is in
several ways complete failure. 1t is
I a spacious single decker AFFAIR with the
so cent seats, long popular feature
1 here, beginning well into the gardens.
: The car service to the park is wretched,
necessitating half mile walk through
: fields or along rough walks to the
gates. The cheaper seats are nearest
tariff have a days exercise in reaching
their seats. A long subterranean pas
sage leads from the gates to the bet
ter seats and this has not made a hit
with the fans. Furthermore. there is
mo covering for the boxes or the best
: seats in the stands.
!. Boston's provincialism is coming to
! the fore with a grand rush. Demands s
are being made for free score cards
and cheaper seats in the stand. in keep
Ing with past performances of the
m nrf
Aleer Is doing the best he can to pla-
= cate the enemies rising up on all sides.
However, the fans are kicking like a
lot OF wild men against the conditions
that President Ban Johnson will be
drawn into the controversy before 1t Is
ended.
Favored Younger League.
Boston, for years a National League
stronghold, became ardently American
Leagueish when the new organization
invaded the East. Cheaper baseball was
promised and given. In the last few
years, however, the trend has been up
ward in prices, and far from upward in
caliber of playing AS result the
fans ate swinging over to Johnny Ward
and mis- Braves of the National League
Ban Johnson has been in active COM
| munication with McAleer on the, situa-
i ton which is far from satisfactory.
Jesse Burkett. accompanied by his
Worcester players, sat in the stand yes
terday and watched the performance Of
Groom and Griffiths climbers. He ex-
pressed himself as satisfied with the
calling off of his New England League
game in such weather. He also ex-
claimed rapturously over the good show
ing of Shipley; the Washington boy
Z with his outfit predicting bright fu-
Z ture for him.
: Scout Mike Kahoe will take a look
at a number OF players in this section
: this summer. Several tips have come
to the ears of Manager Griffith con-
corning New England leaguers, but the
weather has been wretched in this Sec