Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-01
GROOM MAY CHANGE
MIND AND PLAY HERE
(Continued from First Paxe.)


here until the rest Of the players leave
for Charlottesville Thursday.
None Of the players who have had ex:
perience in the game and saw Jack
Bentley in action last fall have the
slightest doubt that he will make win
ming pitcher. The young left-hander !.
already making good impression a.
Charlottesville, and the chances are thai
by the time the season opens he VIII have
shown enough to warrant his being used
regularly by Grifnth at least during the
early games Of the schedule.
To have Bentley develop into a winning
pitcher would greatly increase the Ma
tionals chances. Two left-handers OF the
Boehling type would do wonders for the
team. johnson, Of course, can be relied
upon to show as well as ever. and there
IL a good chance Of two or more Of the
other youngsters making good.
A pitching staff of the strength that
this combination would make would come
pretty near to carrying any team
through the campaign and landing it on
top.
Realizing the importance Of having a
lot Of good pitchers, Griffith has not
only given instructions to Coaches Ryan
and Altrock to do all they can for the
youngsters they have in charge, but he
proposes to take charge of the entire
staff as soon as he takes hold at the
camp. That much depends on the man
ner in which young pitchers are instruct
ed during their start Ia the game, OF
course, stands to reason, and Grlmtn
will see to 1t that no mistakes are
made.
Notwithstanding the fact that both
Schang of the Athletics and Schalk OF
the White Sox have been given great
praise for the work they did for their
respective teams last season. Gr1mth mas
the best catching staff In the league IN
former pair will probably do the bulk
of the catching. though IL Bonesetter
Reese has succeeded in mending Will
liams' arm he will be in the game mucn
more often than he was last season, and
he too. can deliver. The injury TO VIII
game most Of the time during the last
campaign. he being principally used as
pinch hitter.
While here are those who believe that
Herman Schaefer holds his job solely
because of his ability to entertain win
comedy, the fact should not be over
looked that Germany Is not only caps -.
Bile utility man and pinch hitter, but ne
is Of great value to the manager OF tne
team as a coacher. Schaefer should De
a better attraction next season than ever
before. He has obtained more prom
nence and advertising out Of the world
trip than any other individual on IT,
Nv this time next week the Nationals
viii be in full swing in their training
work. By Thursday night the enuIe
squad will have reported at the camp
and the chances are that the we4ens.
will be such that work can be done on
Lambeth Field. From then on until the
900, r.t,,rns here late in March enough
work will be done to have every man on
the team fit to stand the strain OF
series Of hard games. and these viii come
with the National League CLUBS ~nIcn
are scheduled to be played on on the nu loSa
weather conditions. the team ought to
be At to start the season In its best form.
q state of affairs that Grtmth Is hoping
for, for he figures that his team will
have a big advantage II 1t gets OF well
and gains a lead on its rivals.
The Federal League for some reason
or another is keeping secret the list OF
Is to be distributed among the eight
clubs. The chances are that the dis
tribution OF the payers has caused some
Iifeeling which will have to be smoothed
over before the public can be given the
facts. It stands to reason that those
ciubs which have been particularly active
In the matter OF corrallins players will
want to have their services and will
object to turning such players over to
teams which have not gone TO the ex.
pense of getting them. There are Of
o DH to make the eight teams strong
nd there is no doubt that just about
two of the teams will 50 far outclass
the others that the race will not be very
Interesting after 1t is few monhs old.