Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-18
BILL ZIMMERMAN TELLS
OF HIS PORTO RICO TRIP
Tiger Outfielder Thinks Island
Fine Training Camp But;
for Distance.
STRONG FOR GAME
Ponce High School Boys Have
Fast Team in Field just '5I
Now. w


to make baseball more popular, Billy
Zimmerman, the Tigers crack left
fielder. and the ''P. O. NJ was IN
Porto Rico with Dave DriscolrssIn-
vaders, known as the All-American
team. Bill and his bunch did tner
best to show the natives how the
game is played in the United states.
and Judging by their success every
season the game has strong foot
hold there. Bill tells some of his ex-
periences and views in the following
story.
East outfieIder and Star Baserunner@es
Newark BasebaI CInb-l
COLUMBUS, Ga, March 1s.-Iifs
training trip as a pleasure picnic for
a bunch of healthy athletes vii
have nothing to worry about but j
few stiff muscles. the first couple
days out, and the rest of the time is
spent-in the fans estimation--fn
getting a healthy coat of tan. doing
the movies and dining on swell food
at high-cIass hotels. The ball pIay-
er's idea does not jfbe at all with
the outsiders viewpoint after the
ball player has been out for a. few
years on spring training Jaunts
through Southern towns that have
made but little progress since the
war, and in hotels that are not what
they are cracked up to be.
For the past two seasons have
been so fortunate as TO train With
Dave DriscolPs bunch of barnstorn-
ers at Porto Rico. and If that Httls
island We're mot so far removed frefr
Uncle Sans shores, | should surely
say 1t was the most ideal training
camp in the world. 1t requires from
five to six days to go by boat fEon1
New York to Porto Rico. and co4se-
quently too much time would be
wasted in travelling. The ball play
ers would get stiff muscles while
they were coming back on boat and
would have to start in training
again. While we were in Porto Rico
we had very little rain. Whenever a
shower comes up the rain dries up
quickly and very few times would q
team lose day on account of bad
weather.
The game in Porto Rico is still.
very young, but the natives are maxi
ing rapid progress, as Is shown BY
the record made against the ALI
American team this winter. The
home teams won five out of twelve
games as compared to the one vic7s.
tory tney secured out OF lIiiIhStHs
games last year. They are still lack,
ing in team work. but from coming
in contact with American teams they
are learning by observation and
picking up the finer points very
quickly. The Ponce High School
team has an American coach and
they are without doubt the best
| team on the island at the present
| time.
II had several talks with some OF
the boys on this team, and they are in
4 hopes of arranging schedule OF
games, sometime in the near future,
/ with high school teams in the vicinity
| of New York and New Jersey. II
! they do come over / believe they will,
give a very good account of them
| Selves and without detracting from
the standard played around our home
town, I believe they would win
majority of their games. While not
large in stature. the boys make up
| for their physical shortcomings by
| fieetness of foot and exceptionally
strong and accurate arms. They are
| fairly good hitters and clever and faBt
| fielders. Their pitchers are as far ad1
vaneed as the average high schools
staff. having good curves, control and
| speed.
Natives Like Game.
"rhe natives like the game and we.
drew twenty-five hundred at Ponces
| which Is very good, all things con-
/ sidered There was no danger OF the
American players getting wise to
| their signals as they did all OF theip,
coaching in Spanish, while the An1eri-
cans at at a disadvantage, because.
the high school boys can talk both
English and Spanish. ~
"The English they speak Is very
precise and more perfect than we use
| at home. One particular case, | think q
| i TOOL n nj n
an eleven-year old youngster who had
been tagging on my trail and one day
| | happened to have some candy With
me. | had been feeding him quite
rapidly and when / asked him to have
some more, he looked at me and re-
Piled. weighing every word and emf
phasizing every syllable: -
II do not want II now, as / have
not dissolved the piece which | have
| In my mouth sH1ess
Can you imagine a youngster ine
Newark saying that? His answers
would probably be. "Shure Gimme it,
III eat it when the hunk in my mout
melts.'' fteG
Tigers Should he Better Than Ever.tfo
A few words about our champs
our team will be the same as last
YEARS with few exceptions. With O
| little strengthening which everyone
| knows we need, our Tigers Will be
| in the field ready TO repeat. All ZIG
boys from last years team appear
| to be in great condition and should.
| be faster than ever this coming sea
! son. Harry Smith, has also punch
of Youngsters who will bear watch
! ing, as they handle themselves we'll
There is some talk of Bill Collins
Joining us in few days and If this
rumor is true it will add more speed
to the fast-going Tigers.
Harry Smith says he will try BiH
out at first base if Bill comes to the
! Newark club IL such is the case IT
means that there will not be a slow
man in the Newark teams point OF
attack Bill has shown his worth at
the first station on more than one oe-"'
casion during the past two years. Hess
NAV not be as heavy a hitter as SWa-
| Gina. but he is more aggressive ana
q. better run getter R
Feds Hurt Chances of Teams. ss.sa
"The Federal leaguers' activftfG
among some of the lnternational
! I league clubs have hurt some OF the
teams chances for the pennant NJ
opinion is that Baltimore will give ne
a hard fight for the flag" ~
nUJnnV