The Washington times., 1914-03-10
Money and at Least Two Play
ers Have Been Lost Through
the Invaders.
OUTLAWS WANTED OTHERS
GandiI and Shanks Were Ap-
preached With Opportunity
to Get Big Money.
Bv THOMAS KIRBY.

UNIVERSITY, va,
spite efforts to belittle the tederai
League. that organization has already
robbed Washington of a veteran pitch
q. a catcher, and has cost the Ma
ttonals $500 in real money. Groom has
gone, so has Frank Owens, for whom
Minneapolis was paid $3.50. and Frank
Isp.r = ~ hopaed to the outlaws.
while the Kansas City club still owes
washington $1,000 on the price for
which he was bought.
But there have been deVeopments
here since the Nationals assembled that
indicate that the Feds had determined
upon q regular campaign to riddle the
Griffmen AS was reported in these
columns the other day. mysterious
visitor from Chicago Wis ted BoehEnS
home In Richmond a number Of times
while the southpaw was on a hunting
trip.
Since then Federal talk has been
poured into Gandil and Shanks. While
at West Baden one much interested in
the outlaw movement brought the sub
ject up to Gandl, but all chance of
doing any bus ness with the first base
man was stopped when Gandil coo-y re-
marked that he was under contract
with the Nationals for three years.
They wrote to Howard Shanks. the
Pennsylvania petro-eum producer, dur
ing the winter, but II only t6ok the
Monacan one letter to put an end TO
any aspirations they had for his serv-
ices. Shanks tod them he was per-
fectiy satisfied W tn the way Griffith
Washington, and the Feds were losing
time in trying to get him Pittsburgh
was the club after Shanks.
while all this yeIping is going on
about the weather we have been hav-
ing here, the conditions We have eX-
perienced here may turn out to be
blessings in disguise" remarked Griffith
today.
.NTbe spring has been hard one all
over the country. and if il continues SO
you will find that we will be in whole
lot better shape TO stand the Northern
climate in April than some Of the clubs
that have gone to Florida. Texas Louis
lana Arkansas. and other Southern
States
I'VE open in Boston. you know. and
IL the weather is normal on April II
IL will be about the same as we have
been having here, barring, of course,
the snow.
Il would liked to have had warm
weather and gotten more out-of-doors
work. but 1 am not squealing for /
think everything will yet turn out
right" is the optimistic view taken by
the manager Of rather discouraging
condition.
The Nationals did real work yester-
day Afternoon and the players were so
willing that their boss allowed them
to keep at it longer than would ordi-
narily have been allowed.
The only handicap was a wind from
the west, but even this served to keep
everyone on the hop. Every regular
had a dozen or more cracks at the fast
and slow ones served by Doc Ayers
and Johnny Mumford. No one seemed
timtd about hitting 1t hard and most or
the time the second string outfelders-
Allen, Martin. and Spencer-were ke-t
prancing after the ball, which was driv-
en- To every angle by the men who are
expected to again hold down the seven
regular positions for the Griffs.
Positively no curving was allowed, 50
il was Impossible to get any line on the
form of The men while the diamond is
not yet sufficiently smooth to gauge the
condition Of the players from defcn- !
sive standpoint.
Throughout the fast work Griffith |
kept q sharp eve on the newcomers but. !
Of course. was unable 70 size up the !
men except in 4 general way. How !
ever, the manager saw "nOUgh 10 sat |
isfy him that couple of the men will !
not do ard their board. so far the !
Washington club is concerned. will be |
saved as soon as th"y can be shipped. |
Joe Gedeon once more showed his Vcr- |
satiIity = rlaye-. A. lne regular |
CatcherS were needed on I&GEJ. road to |
work with the pitchers, in n sheltered !
place it was necessary t. get q vUluu- J
teer hackstop for the near-gar:l" in tn" |
stadium. As soon As he hard what !
vas needed the p"Dpcrv Californian put !
on mask, protector, and shinguards.
Considering his laCN If practice
Sedeon made a good job Of il Now hc
has filled in at every place but the
pitcher box. and. If IN" opportunity
presents itself. he may b. seen working
on the mound
Clyde Milan intends 10 take matters
easy Until his ankle has r"ga.Eed its
strength and has sworn never again to
play basketball. lie still has sli2ht /
limp. but Mike Martin still insists there
will be no lasting effect srUm the injury.
It's pretty tough when YOU have to
almost frerz. to death to G"t 4 "rack
At 't. but il feels pretty goUd ct that,
was the comment Of Chick 'iandil 80 he
started baek to the ~ Innasium "n a
jog.
Each spring since he has been in base
hall. '1aHd'l has suffered from that
'JUpey feeling, and has never been able
:" catch his speed until syu-tIm. in I
May. Re ,onsulted a number ,tf doctors.
but was never abb to get action. TINS
time H. decided t. be his own medical
adviser. and h" I IS that th,. ten days
he spent at NeS' .deu did him more
good tran any & system Of condi-
tiuning.
This huge body IT moves fast looks
tC be Trimed. and m" fact that he is .
ovcranNiOus for woT1 is taken as an in
dicatIon Of the general excellence Of his
physical condition.
II may be surprising. but i; is nevertheless
a fact, that The Nat Onals not lrw or
have they ever. trained at Charlottesville !
The Gri.iIncn live and DO their work IT Uni
versity. Va. which is distinct settc!nen.
from the municipality OF Charlottess lille.
The station is at Charlottesville, but the
postoffce where The athletes receive tIcir
mail, the house where they live. and the field 1
on which they practice all outside OF the
limits of the place which the board Of |
aldermen Of Charlottesville hold sway
Victor MUnoz. Cuban scr be. who has made !
himself particularly popular with the Uows-
paper men OF this country, is expected here
today He wired Griffith yesterday. saying
he in ends to remain about here about a week |
to take look at the material at the COM
mand OF the director Of the Nationals.
Billy Allen will leave week from today |
for Los Angeles. having become the property
OF that club during the winter, but being
forced to report here under the rules Of base
ball which required that he be given a
trial. At the last moment Aliens VIII. OBJ /
jected 10 going to the coast. and the riaye" |
appealed 30 Griffith. I,''t Il r"as 10 i"+a, as