Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
GRlFF HAS PUT UP
HIS PRUNING KNIFE
on occasions that he was in the gam,
with his timely wallops.


win MS timely wallops.
Notwithstanding the fact that all the
teams in the American League seem to
nave improved. it appears to be the con-
sensus of opinion that the real fight for
the pennant will be between three clubs
Boston, Washington and Philadelphia.
mere IS not going to be much choice be-
tween the last two named SO far ass odds
are concerned. The Athletics are sure to
nave strong following. based on the
fact that the Red Sox did not come up
TO expectations in the worlds series not
Wlthstanding the fact that they won a
majority of the games from the Giants.
washington will be considered one of the
contenderS, but so far as the other teams
are concerned it will be case of write
your own ticket. At that the chances are
that the race will be closer than last
year. FOR it seems fair to assume that
st. Louis. Chicago and New York will be
more formidable than they WERE
The one advantage that Griffith's team
will have lies in the fact that the NAV
ers VIII work with better understand
too. many of them have benefited by the
experience of last season and this should
make the team stronger, even though
not single change is made in the line
up. There We're few instances last sea-
son when there was any fault to be found
with the system of play in vogue on the
local team. Stupid plays were decidedly
scarce, and when the team was beaten
1T was mostly due to its shortening in
one department or another which failed
for the instant
Nothing helps a player more than to
have its players accustomed to one an
other.
though he will have lot more ball
players under his care during the coming
training season than last spring, Griffith s
task or making selections will not be
near as difficult. Last spring he was not
familiar with the ability of any of his
players, barring one or two. and IT was
necessary for him to look them all over
This year he will be relieved from a lot
OF this. He knows what most of his play
ers can do. and he will be able to give
almost his entire attention to the young
SterS.
Griffith contends that too MANY Young
ball players ushered back to the
minors without trial every spring. He
blames this condition on the fact that the
manager mas too much to do to give these
recruits attention For this reason he has
suggested that the clubs of the American
League have their recruits report some
where In the far south in February and
form an eight-club league in which all
the teams are made up of new material
, A series of games between these teams
would give the managers quite n good
lie on the ability of their youngsters.
In less than month several of the
major league teams will be vending their
way south to start training. McGraw, as
usual, will be the first to take his young
sters to Texas. starting February Is. A
week later Cleveland and some of the
other clubs will get busy, and early in
March all of them will have started train
ing. Condition of the players has much
to do with the start a team gets in a
,, race. and a good start is nearly half the
battle. McGraw owes his last pennant to
tage over their rivals in the matter of
condition during the early weeks of the
campaign when they took SO great lead
I'm the race that they were never headed.
Weather and system count for much DUR
Ing the training season. Care must be
taken not to rush the players in their
work. and yet they must be worked
enough to have them ready in something
less than q month.