Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-30

49, 11 - John Henry is run
ming the bases in
something around four seconds.
And this is only the beginning. What
IS going to happen is. cataclysmic.
George Mcbride will be retired from
shortstop to make way for new find
who has been batting 40 and fielding
800 in the Boy Scouts League near .Osh-
kosh. Michigan, =
Also. Milan is liable to lose his place
in the outfieId,
For the winter league is nov in full
swing. In Washington some 40 900 ardent
fans have once more Joined together for
the purpose Of reconstructing the Amer
lean and National Leagues and generally
improving the national game. That is
why Clark Griffith goes around these
days, with the hunted look of a man
who expects TO lose his pocketboo,S.
How old the winter league is nobody
knows. Apparently it originated in the
days of old Pop Arson. In the country it
has its clubhouse in the old corner store
In the small town the Elks' Club or the
fire engine house IS the place where the
boys get together and perform operations
minor leagues. In the big cities of the
major circuits the home of the club, is In
bowling alleys. billiard halls; sporting
goods stores-any place where one fan
may meet another and tell him what he
could do with the team il it wasn't for
the fact that he is tied up in the ash
wagon business.
Many and strange are the tales OF the
winter league. II you don't believe it
ask any sporting editor. Next to meet
ing another fan and arguing out statistics
with him there Is nothing that the con-
nrmed winter Lacquer regards with such
JOY as an opportunity to write piece
TO the sporting editor of his favorite
paper-or call on him spersonally-and
give him few helpful hints.
There IS a paper whose sporting editor
used to be good man in his day. but
he's short-winded now When this man
Sees one IF the '.bugs"-that Is what the
winter Lacquer is usually called-coming
In his direction he Immediately resigns
his job for the moment and turns 1t over
to an assistant who, is weak on statistics
and argument, but tremendously strong
as to voice and muscle The winter
Lacquer gets as far as the bull-yoiced
He lifts up bis voice In conversation and
speaks like this:
Il know that Shanks cant bat. / know
that Boehling would be better pitcher
IL, he would only get more control. I
know that Walter Johnson hasn't got
curve ball. Now. what do you want?'
The winter lacquer gasps. He feels him
self slipping. 1t is too much like being
hustled :
Il wanted to suggest" he falters. And
there he ends.
young man who has been playing ball
down where the cotton blossoms grow!
All right. Put 1t In writing and I'll send
it to him.
Thus the roaring assistant supplements
the sentence. Sometimes he is a little
way or but not often. Nine times out
of ten he hits the nail on the head and
the winter Lacquer obediently writes out
+. long note in which he points out the
particular points OF the marvellous buSher
he has discovered
This is perhaps the most effective
scheme in town The other papers admit
having more trouble in handling the
windy winter Lacquer. But the system
has its drawback 1t is rough on Griffith,
who has to answer the correspondence.
Now all this doesn't indicate that the
winter league Is vatuelcsS thing. for ii
isn't II Is obvious fact that 10000
or .o.Gyt men who have been following
inc gam. from the bleachers and grand
inner long are bound to de-
velop ideas which will be of benefit. The
.is.s,-e i.say small, but the good is
tl.sre nevertheless.
Indeed. many good lunch has come
from the old coal tire where sat the
members of the winter league. Some
years ago there was gap In Washing
tons infield caused b. the loss of that
premier third baseman, Bill Coughlin
There were many suggestions from scouts
as to the man who was to fill the place
But the first tip that resulted In the
selection of permanent third baseman
came from one Of the members of the
winter league.
Base ball players themselves fail to
understand or explain the psychology
which enables man to continually dis
cuss base ball when he isn't watching
it and most players would undoubtedly
utter a peep of indignation If they We're
informed that the winter league fur
nished as much stimulation and enjoy
.nent as the game itself. But this is a
fact. The Land OF Some Day. as one
famous sporting writer called it, is the
land In which every fan lives
From now until the days when the
team comes forth TO light practice
Washington will have a championship
team. Even in the old days when Tom
LOTUS used to take the Senators by the
hand and lead them gently down until
they reached the cellar. Washington al
ways used TO have championship team
lin the winter league
Officially the winter league opens for
business the first Of December. During
the feryid not TO say fiabbergasting
months OF foot ball even the most
Tabid base bau fan will devote a lot
Of his time to- grabbing the paper and
counting up the total loss or killed and
wounded. 1t gives him something Of a
statistical job, and no respec table base
ballite would be caught dead without
q glowing list or statistics on him.
But when the las; moan has died away
ON the foot ball field and the last col
,arbone has been set. the base ball fan
arises. stretches a couple of times. gets
out his reliable old list of figures and
goes forth In search of company. Like
the coming OF winter itself, the or
ganization of the tanners league Is
imperceptible in its inception.