Evening journal., 1914-02-16
BALL TEAMS
OFF FOR The
EARLY WORK
Big League Pitchers First tO
Warm Up In the Southern
Training Camps

All trails are leading to the
Southland training camps these davs.
and 1t will not be long before the
crash OF the bat against the wbistlins
norsehlde viii resound throughout the
land; not long before America once
again becomes afflicted with its sum-
mer ailment-baseballlt
or course, snow flakes still fit
hither and thither in certain portions
of this country. And springtime
isn't so closely upon US that we're
warranted in rushing right off to the
neighboring pawnshop with our over
coats. But to quote Bill Shakes
peare, Mister Browning, o. Henry, or
whoever it was that said it, "the
backbone of winter has been busted"
And when a backbone is busted the
owner Of the backbone usually doesn't
linger very long.
Already the vanguard of the biz
league pitchers are encamped in Hot
Springs and other purifying sections
Of the U. S. A. The other hurlers
will join them in a few days, and in
about two weeks or so practically all
the regular and recruit major leaguers
will be far south Of the Mason and
Dixon line, shrieking because Of the
agony that comes during the first few
days in training camps from strained
muscles and the cookery that one
meets-and must embrace-in the
small town southern hotels.
Two solid months still must be
snatched from the calendar before the
regular season opens-two months be-
fore "Play ball' echoes and re-echoes
through the now silent baseball stad-
iums. But in the interim one can
feast on training camp news, which
in way, satiates even the most raw
enous appetite Of the baseball hungry
multitude.
Most of the big league teams go
south this year with a greater galaxy
Of recruits than ever before. Many Of
the rockies have been press-agented
by their minor league owners as
second Ty Cobbs, second Christy
Afathewsons, second Honus Wagners.
etc. There's nothing new in such
method of advertising; it's an Old
old story. But somehow the big
league magnates this year are really
expecting something from the re-
cruit crop-really expecting TO har-
vest few stars, a few real ball play
ers that can take their places among
the regulars and stand the gan.
The St Louis Browns have on their
roster just now the largest collection
of rockies in captivity. Something
like 30 young athletes gathered from
the bushes. The majority of them
landed in the Browns net labeled as
wonders. Branch Hickey, the
Brown manager, frankly admits he
has a job mapped out for him in the
culling of these recruits.
From all hear of these young
sters," declared Rickey, they have
sufficient calibre to crowd out every
one of my regulars. Woldnt that be
great II 1t was true? But I'm not
looking for any fortune like that; I'll
be perfectly satisfied if even five of
that army Of Kids show up well
enough to keep"
Here are the different training
camps Of the big leaguers:
NATIONAL LEAGUE.
New York-Marlin, Texas.
PhiIadelphia-Wi Wilmington, N. C.
Chicago-Tampa, Fla.
Pittsburgh-Dawson Springs or
West Baden.
Boston-Macon, Ga.
st. Louis-St. Augustine, Fla
Brooklyn-Augusta, Ga.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Jacksonville, Ella.
Clevelsnd-New Orleans.
Boston-Hot Springs, Ark.
st. Louis-St. Petersburg, Fla.
charlottesville, Va.
Chicago-Paso Robes, Cal.
New York-Houston, Texas