Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-13

course, inexperienced. but he has a lot of
natural ability and is rapidly develop
ing into natural hitter In the morning
game yesterday, for instance he was to
the bat three times, and made two triples
and a single. a record of which almost
any batter might be proud. When Acosta
| first Joined the team his only object at
the plate appeared to be to discomfort
the pitcher By low crouch. which made
| it hard to pitch to him. but also handi-
capped him when he had to hit. Crit
f1th Strengthened the little fellow up
yesterday, and the way he hit the ball
was caution.
| Calvo. of course, is much older and
stronger and perhaps better fitted for
| trial, but Acosta Is right behind him.
| That Calyo is alert was demonstrated in
the morning game. He had swung at
wide one handed up by Sullivan, which
! took him off his balance. Sullivan made
a quick return of the ball. intending to
catch Calvo mapping, but he could not be
| fooled; and. meeting the bali fairly with
out being In position, he sent a triple to
deep right center.
| There need be no worry about the
strength of Grifith's pitching staff this
| year. There will be no weak spots in it,
err than 1t was at any time last year. To
begin with, Cashion and Engel have de-
veloped remarkably il their work here
can be taken as q criterion. for the rea-
\ son JnaL OOtn appear TO nave COuIFOl ana
are working in a more finished manner
| than they did last season. Then, too. this
boy Gallia is proving q surprise. and will
have to be reckoned with. while out of
| that batch of youngsters Grif is sure to
find g. man or two who will make good.
Both Bickers and Barton are going to
| make pitchers after they get a year or
SO experience in the minors. while Drohan
and Dent look ready for this company
now. Neither Of these fellows is being
VlY cd int a. nrnd
to take their time during the training
| season, because both had a hard cam-
paign, and Griffith wants them to have
every chance to make good.
! 1t is more than likely that when the
two weeks hence the entire squad
now in training here will be on hand.
Griffith Is not likely to do any more
wedding out until after the players get
back home. He can. of course. not carry
the entire squad he now has. but the
chances are that great many of them
will be retained.
| For while. lat least, he will be busy
placing his players. 1t is easy enough to
| get rid Of all of them, for players are
always in demand. but he wants to use
some Judgment about where they are to
| go. so that they can have the benefit of
| some good advice and instructions while
| they are developing What Griffith is GO
league managers first and then ship his
youngsters about accordingly, so that
they will be properly developed.
Joe Engel should be Of much more
value to the team this year than he was
last. He pitched four innings yesterday
| and showed perfect control, not walking
man, and seldom having himself in
! hole. He allowed but one clean hi,
! in that time. the other one charged
1 a n n In i'm a afph
at top speed for two innings. and then
| Griffith called a halt. putting the ban on
his curve ball. vet Virginia could not hit
him with results.
I. Games of one character or another
will be played every day now. When
Virginia is not scheduled the vets and
colts will mix It up. There Is no form OF
as the actual playing of the game. and,
realizing this fact, Griffith proposes to
keep them at it. To begin with. the play
ers get real batting practice. in these
games, for 1t is but natural for the
pitchers to put something on the ball
when they have real opposition. Then.
too, the games hold the players interest
ed. and that counts for much. 1t makes
play out OF work and does much 10 break
up tiresome grind. There IS. of course,
a lot of real rivalry between the regulars
and colts. To date the colts have the
better Of the argument. They have won
of the Yannigans and he keeps plenty of
life in his players. He insists that his
team will not lose game this spring.
but he bars the games in which Walter
Johnson may pitch.
It is doubtful IL Virginia will have as
strong a ball team this spring as it had
last. The team has suffered much by rea-
son of the graduation of some of it's
best players, and 1t takes time to whip
the new men into line. Coach Ryan
seems to have a good nucleus. but he
must patch up numerous holes before he
can expect TO cut much of a figure in the
coming college campaign.
Ball players differ in many respects.
There are some who do their best hitting
early in the spring. and others who do
not get their eyes on the bal: until the
season is well under way. Eddie Foster
is one of the latter element and his hit
ting in the exhibition games here SO
far has been decidedly weak, but no
worse than it was last spring. On what
Foster showed during the training games
last spring ne should never have been
retained. Fortunately for Griffith he
had been appraised OF the fact that
.Fatima' was a slow beginner, and he
patiently waited for him to get started
This he did almost as soon as the season
opened, and proved himself one OF the
most valuable men on the team through
the entire season. Fosters case shows
that many a ball player who comes UP
I