Evening star., 1913-11-28
GAND|L TO TRAIN
At WEST BADEN
Nationals Crack First Base
man Anxious to Get in
Shape Early.
HITTING OFFSETS WEAK
PITCHING OF MACKMEN
World Tourist Party Is Encounter
ing Rough Weather ON
Journey.
BY ]. ED GRILLo.

Chick Gandil is one of Griffith's play
! ers who intend to spend a week or ten
days at West Baden Springs, Ind, be-
fore going into training at Charlottes-
Vile this spring. He expects to leave
| for West Baden in February.
| The Indiana resort is very popular
among ball players in the spring of the
| year. Both the Cubs and Pirates of the
| National League always start their
! spring training there, and Gandil fig
ures that it will make it possible for
| him to get flying start in the sprin 6
| by spending a week or so taking the
| water cure.
Il always have more or less of a hard
time getting myself in shape in the
| spring." said Gandil, "and 1 believe
that by going to West Baden for a
week or so before l go into training |
will fit myself for the hard work and
| be at my best when the season opens.
| 1t was three or four weeks after the
season opened last spring before l got
to going properly, and it Will be or
benefit to the team to have me- ready
right from the outset next spring.
1t was the batting Of Baker, Collins &
Co., and not the pitching of Bender,
Plank and ShaWkey, ETC., that won the
bunting for the Athletics last season. This
was shown by the official American
League pitching records Chicago, Cleve-
land and Washington had more effective
pitching than the Athletics but Mack S
demon swatsmiths carried the team along
despite the inconsistent work of the
hurlers.
Bender is the only Mack pitcher ranked
among the ten leading in Ban Johnson's
list and he ranks eighth. Washington
has two among the leaders, Johnson rank
ing first and Boehling sixth Chicago has
three i'll Cicotte, Russell and Scott who
ranked second, third and fourth, respect
lively. Four of the Maps had places among
the leading ten-Mitchell ranking fifth.
Steen seventh, Falkenberg ninth and
Gregg tenth.
The rank of these pitchers is based on
the number of runs earned off them per
game. Shawkey ranks fourteenth and
Plank twentieth The Athletics led the
league in hitting. which made it possible
for the Mack pitchers TO travel along
without much worry.
According to a wireless from Gus Axel-
SON. sporting editor of the Chicago Rec
ord-Herald, who is making the trip with
the world tourists, the party has en-
countered such rough weather since sail
able to go on deck. 1t is said to be
the toughest weather that the ship has
encountered in its career, and the players,
few of whom are accustomed 10 sea
voyages, are having a rather strenuous
time Of il.
Connie Mack s pitching staff is expected
to be q rather uncertain proposition next
season. Ii seems to be the general opin-
ion that both Bender and Plank, the only
veterans on the team, will show the
effects of the hard work they We're forced
to do last season, and it is not likely
that any of the youngsters will do as
well as last season il they find that they
cannot rely on Bender and Plank to come
to their relief. But it has been demon
strated that SO great hitting team as
the Mackmen can make the race in
teresting even without having the assist
ancc of high-class pitching. Ordinary
twiriers can win games for a team which
can score batch of runs every day.