Evening star., 1914-02-06
ALL SAVE GROOM
IN LOCAL FOLD
Pitcher Only Player Griffith
Has Been Unable to
Line Up.
CICOTTE TO GO TO SOX
CAMP WITHOUT SIGNING
Del Gamer Turns Down $4,000
Federal Offer to Remain
With Detroit Tigers.
BY ]. ED GRILLo.

Bob Groom now is the only member
Of the Nationals who is out of the con
| tract fola. While the signed agree
ments Of Milan and Moeller have not
been received at local base ball head
| quarters, there are wires on file from
these players wherein they agree to
sign. Milan will do SO at Charlottes-
vile when lie reports, while Moeller,
who is to be here the latter part of
the month. will affiX his signature dur
ing his stay III the city.
Nothing has been heard from Groom,
| but Griffith is satisfied that it is not
Bobs intention to join the Federals.
He will probably communicate with
| Griffith before long and may come to
| Charlottesville after the team arrives
there for a personal conference.
Merito Acosta's contract duly signed
and accompanied by letter in which
he expresses the hope that he will make
the team. reached Griffith this morn
ing. The Cuban's agreement is ex-
pected to be the last to be received
| through the mail.
/ Though Acosta is but seventeen years
old, he stands d chance to make a reg
ular position i'll the outteld. None of
the youngsters has more ability than
/ he. and if he has improved. as his work
during the past winter would Indicate
he stands a chance to displace one of
the regulars. He is undoubtedly the
Youngest player being carried by any
| major league team. and he may be the
! youngest regular before the season is
very old.
| Eddie Cicotte. VINO next to Walter
Johnson had the best record in the Amer
! ican League last season, Will leave his
| home IN Detroit for the White SoX train
| ing camp at I'aso Robles. Cal. within the
next few DAYS without signing his con-
tract. Cicotte has been hoidout ever
since the Chicago club submitted a con-
tact to him The contract was submitted
| by Secretary Grabiner. and, as the latter
/ had authority to make any changes
| in the figures. Cicotte will wait until he
| sees Callahan and Comiskey before sign
| ing. He has turned down Federal League
! offers because he feels satisfied that the
I club will treat him fairly.
Davy Jones may go with the F'ederals.
/ Doc Gessler has had a talk with Davy,
and he has been handed a contract,
1 which, however. he has returned to the
i Pittsburgh Feds. demanding that several
changes be made. the most important of
which is intended to guarantee him his
salary. Detroit let Jones 20 to the To-
4 ledo club of the American Association
/ last tall. but he has not been satisfied
there. and is anxious to go to the Fed
! erals. providing he can get a contract
which Will assure him of getting a Ger
tain amount of salary for the next two
| years
| 1t develops that Ray Collins is not the
only Boston hold out Yerkes and Clyde
Engel, too. have failed to come to terms,
| though none of them intimates that he
proposes to go over to the F'cderals in
she event that the club does not accede
! to his demands.
! Ensel by the way. is spending a few
days with Bill Carrigan at his nome in
Maine, and it is believed that an under
standing will be reached before report
| ing tire rolls around
/ Del Gamer is telling Detroit folks
that he was offered $4,000 by the Fed
eral League to sign Il three-year
! tract. which he Spurned. Apprecia ting
the treatment he had received from Jen-
nings and Navin while with the Detroit
club. he has signed for much less with
the Tigers. Gainer has been OF little
help To the Detroit team during the few
years he has been member. Injuries
have Kept him out OF the game much OF
the time, and ii is questionable whether
he VIII ever be able to hold his own.
/ II did not display good Judgment on the
part of the f'ederals to make a PROPOSE
tion of this sort to Gamer, for he might
/ have accepted it.
i The Federal League may send all ennis
4 sary to Europe to make the trip home
4 with the oX-Giants tourists in the hope
| of signing several OF the PLAYERS who
have made the worlds trip. With per
| haps the exception of Schaefer. whom
Griffith cabled terms, none of the other
players have been communicated with in
! reference to their contracts and the
Feds figure that there is Il chance to cor
raj one two of them This. however, is
not likely. The players who were taken
on this trip undoubtedly have rea asons to
feel obligated TO Coniskey and McC;raw
and they are not apt to jump organized
base ball. The chances are that the Feds
are merely looking for some more adver-
tising.