Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-31
GR|FF FEELS SURE
HIS TEAM IS READY
Wishes Season Would Open
Next Monday. and Is Con-
fident of Good Start.
MCBRIDE EXPECTS TO BE
IN GAME IN FEW DAYS
Johnson. Boehling, Shaw and Engel
to Appear in the Cincin-
natl Games.
BY J. ED GRILLO.

| According to Manager Griffith his team
! has reached that stage of its training
where he would be willing to have the
! season open next Monday. I'VE are
about ready to play up to our standard
| ana the only man we miss is Mcbride
and he will be all right in few days.
My pitchers are ready and the rest of
the team is in almost perfect condition.
! When it gets several more days of bat
/ ting practice it will be at its best. Here
after mos; Of our work will consist of
i batting and fielding practice. There is no
| more strenuous training work before us.
/ We are in good physical condition and
/ VIII put in the remainder of our time
! before the season opens at comparativ
| light practice.
Il am we'll satisfied with the progress
We have made this spring and l am con-
ildent that when we open the season we
| Will be as well fortified as any of our
! rivals.
| The entire squad was In action for a
couple of hours this morning Most of
| the pitchers worked out and the entire
| team took batting practice in addition to
/ playing game between the Vets and
! Colts.
! The report that George Mcbride was in
a serious condition and may have to I'M
dergo an operation before a cure can be
Nationals captain this morning Il am
! improving steadily and may he IN the
game within a few days. Mcbride said.
| nave no intention of having an opera
ton performed, because none is neces-
SarN. ] may don uniform this after
noon and give my arm A workout SO as
to have it ready when ! get back in the
game which l don't think will be more
than a few days off. In a pinch I could
play now. but ] believe that complete
rest for few days longer will make me
more fit. and for this reason | shall not
get back to zeal work until ! am salts
| he'd that my groin will stand the strain"
Manager Griffith has cut down Walter
.lohnsons work Johnson is hard
worker at all times and Griff figures that
he ought to be about ten pounds heavier
than he is for the purpose of giving him
all his strength. Hence he has stopped
, johnson from working as hard as he did
up to this time. Johnson is slated to
pitch his next game against Cincinnati in
the latter city Sunday. Boehlins and
Shaw are slated to work there SATURDAY.
and Johnson and Engel Sunday. The
team leaves here Friday evening at 6:1O
| for the Ohio metropolis where, if the
I weather Is good, two immense crowds
are expected Cincinnati fans are not
only interested IN Griffith. but they have
| never seen Johnson or any of the other
| local stars in action.
pitching against Brooklyn in the game
this afternoon. Ayres will start and go
for four or five innings and Williams
VIII finish. Both of them are in good
form and they will likely furnish the
best pitching the Brooklyn PLAYERS have
| faced this spring. Ragon. one of the
Dodgers stand-bys, is slated to go part
of the route against the Nationals The
game is to be called at o'clock.
ba
the event any of the regular outfieiders
fail to come up to the mark Merito
Acosta will get into the lineup. The lit
tie Cuban is showing such splendid form
in practice that Manager Griffith is con-
Tnced he can hold his own and be of
service TO the team when the season
opens. Acosta has developed into a
mighty strong hitter, and if it We're not
for the fact that his health has been a
bit off this spring as the result of an
attack of malaria he might be showed
into the game when the season opens
Though Acosta is mere boy, he has
shown so much ability in every depart
ment of the game that it appears to be
the general opinion Of those who are in
position to judge that the time is not
far off when he will be a really great
| ball player.
! 1t will be well worth while to watch
/ Dick Williams i'll action against Brook
! lyn this afternoon. This youngster has
/ all the ear marks of being a sensational
performer and it is believed that he has
| gained enough experience this spring to
| show him to better advantage Will
! iams gave very good account of him
| self the last time out and he is eX-
| pected to be even better
I The Newark team. winners OF the In
| ternatonal League pennant last season,
| will be the attraction at the ball mark
| tomorrow. Among the Newark players
! is former local favorite. Wyatt Lee
| who in the days of Jimmy Manning was
one of the pitching stars of the league
| He and Case Patten were the mainstays
| is still a pitcher of considerable class
| and for several years has pitched gilt
| edged ball for Newark. Lee, by the
| way. is a Washington boy. He and four
| other members of the team arrived here
yesterday
| The sort of batting practice the Ma
| tionals are getting these days Is sure
| to put them on edge. Every pitcher
| who faces them during the morning
work puts all he has on the ball
| The pitching is not confined to fast balls
! but the pitchers mix up everything they
have at their command. and pitch ac-
cordinS to instructions from their catch
crs. In this way the battcrs are facing
pitching of the kind that they will be
up against when the regular season
opens and Il is figured that by reason of
the good pitching used in the practice
here their eyes will be well trained for
the real struggle.