The Washington herald., 1913-03-23
ALTROCk Chief
feature OF DAY
Directs Teammates from the
Coaching Box While
Mounted on a Mule.
NATIONALS WIN, 8 TO l
Victorious Over Virginia in Miserable
Exhibition johnson and
Dent Pitch,
NATIONALS WIN, 8 TO l
Special to The Washington Herald.

special to 1he w ashington Herald
Charlottesville. Va, March 22.-As a
side show to the initiation exercises of
the Phi Delta Phi Greek Letter So
ciety on Lambeth Field this afternoon.
the Nationals defeated the University
of Virginia baseball nine in the fourth
game of the series, s to l.
For a practice matci, the game was
a huge joke. Coach Ryan stuck in a
couple of kid pitchers, who tossed up
dinky curves, and the Climbers after
scoring six runs in the first three innings
tried to knock the ball out of the lot
with the result that pop flies and nice
bounding rollers retired them almost
as fast as they came up during the
closing rounds. The eight runs credited
TO the professionals were hardly the
result of heavy bomba rdment, as the
collegians. suffering from either stage
fright or an off day, contributed twelve
errors. Nearly everybody on the team
took turns at muffing fly balls or trying
to see how far from the bases they
could peg.
As side show the game served its
purpose but from a baseball standpoint
it was about the poorest exhibition
mortal man ever Sazed upon. In order
that the baseball loving public of the
National Capital may gain a correct
perhaps be just as well TO describe
briefly what the Phi Delta Phis did
while the combat was in progress.
Nick Takes Part.
Clad in bright red-colored flowing robes.
a dozen or more of the law school fra
tcrnty crowd. on mules and horseback,
led the procession. followed by tally-ho
of the brothers. all clad in this same out
landiSh raiment- The candidates to be
initiated brought up the rear on foot.
They were dressed as Mexican bullisEt-
ers, and the poor boobs were compelled
to make speeches to the crowd, dance the
turkey tTot, and crow like roosters. They
quickly adopted Nick Altrock, and the
comedian joined in the fun. Nick him
self was a bigger show than the whole
gang of college nuts"
The real scream of the afternoon was
when Altrock dashed madly after one Of
tho mules and. mounting the animal, rod"
out 10 the coachsr's box yelling encour-
aging words to the batters while astrlde
the jackass.
Imagine trying to score or witness a
game under such conditions. II was
hundred times worse than a three-rinS
circus.
The contes; itself can be dismissed in d
few words. Walter johnson was in the
lnX for the Nationals. working five in
~. j. finger. pitched the remaining four.
johnson allowed but two hits, and moth
ing that even resembled a safe swat was
cernered IF tine delivery of Dent. But
Tor a bad throw by Eddie Foster the
Nirginians would have been held score
Jess. Anderson. a husky rieht-hander.
was pitted against Johnson, and Gallo
way, a slender youth. also a right-hand-
cr. worked against Dent. Neither one OF
the Virginia pitchers had thing, not
even an excuse. and the professionals
were afforded little or no practice by 60
ing against them.
Score Three in First.
Two errors. 4 base on balls together
with three-bagGer by Frank Laporte
and Shanks' single. gave the Nationals
three runs in the opening round. Two
more errors. a steal. and walk. linked
with a saCrince fly, added another tally
in the second. and Laportes double.
Shanks' single. a wild pitch. and the
mum of a fv by I.andes boosted the pro-
{, ssionals' total TO six when the third
inrirc closed. In the seventh two moIe
markers showed up, both runs the direct
result OF Virginia miscues.
Walter johnson. using nothing but A
straight ball moved the collecians down
in order for the first three innings, strik-
iu. out -four but in the next round a
Wild hcave by Foster of Phillips crounder
and clean singles 10y Nen and Landes
averted \ shut-out for the VirGnians.
While Eddie Dent was on the mound
only one man reached first base Dent.
a lso working under orders, did not throw
any curves.