The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-04-21
onaIs Are Tempted TO Jump Boeng Mound Today
Federal Scouts Try
70 Sign Griiffff 5 Men
Pitcher and In6elder Are APP.
preached, but Flatly Re
fuse Tempting Offers.
BY WILLIAM FEET.

BY WILLIAM PEET.
New York, April 9.-Although rain
caused the New York management to
postpone the second game Of the series
against the Nationals here this after
noon. there was plenty Of excitement in
camp.
Federal League agents are tampering
with Griff's ball players, offering fancy
salaries and big money to jump.
II was learned this afternoon that a
representative of the Federal League
talked to a couple of the Washington
stars, an infielder and pitcher. and
that both players turned down cold the
proposition to jump their contracts.
Whether this continual bounding OF
American League ball players by Federal
League agents will be kept up all sum-
mer is a matter of conjecture, yet il
would appear as.if the third league was
determined to add more strength and will
stop at nothing in order to obtain what
they want.
Griff's players who were approached by
Federal League agents refused to discuss
the matter. other than to say that they
were satisfied with their present berths
and had no desire to change
Had today's game been played Carl
Cashion would have been nominated to
oppose Frank Chances club. The big
q
6ered rosin this morning, which he would
have deposited in his hip pocket and used
as often as occasion required.
For the contest tomorrow, providing
one is played, and weather predictions
are far from favorable, the Old Fox has
shifted his pitching plans. He stated to-
night that Joe Boehling would adorn the
Polo Grounds hillock.
Until within an hour of the time set
for today's game it looked as if the
combat might be staged. Several show
ers wet the streets, but the sun tried
valiantly to break through the clouds.
Manager Frank Chance, himself. was the
man to call things of, and it is well that
he did, for about o'clock it rained cats
and dogs, with no sign of let-up until
about shutdown.
Manager Griffith laid down the law TO
his young men during the customary
meeting in his rooms shortly after break
fast O
The ban has again been placed on
cigarette smoking, wkHe card playing will
not be allowed except for an hour or so
after dinner at night
Griffith has always been bitterly OPP
posed to cigarette smoking, and is more
determined than ever to stamp out the
habit. common to several of his players.
The Old Fox says bridge whist and
other card games are Il right in modera-
ton, but charges that the men have
been going it a bit too strong and has
called a halt.
Jerry Akers the pitcher tried out by
the Nationals two years ago, and sent
TO the International League, was a caller
at the hotel this morning. Akers is
with tine Rochester club, which opens the
Lac Ii
tomorrow. Il have taken good care of
myself the past winter and am going to
try and show the boys that I can come
back after being out of the game a year"
Akers told the writer
Johnny Priest, the former Washington
sand-lot star and Walter Pipp, the big
first sacker with Catholic University last
spring. are also members of the Roches-
ter aggregation.
Pipp has been south with Jennings De-
troit Tigers all spring and by many was
figured as the logical man for the initial
sack job for the Jungaleers. but evil
IDENTIFY he needs just a little more ex-
perience before coming underneath the
big tent.
Johnny Priest is playing right field for
Rochester Until today he had never met
Walter Johnson. although living in Wash
..l all his life, and watching Johnson
.iEcu for several years. Danny Moeller
f-'E- uced the pair.
TN. Manager Grifith will make no
gE.s protest about the unusual height
81. pitching mound on the Polo
-' Is, and will accept defeat like a
-n.t sport II the New Yorks manage
20 clip one over, the Old Fox states
S...p.---sicaIly that the present box is two
feet high, while the rule specifically
states that a pitchers box must not be
more than fifteen inches higher than the
base lines.
well-known New Yorker, who hap
pens to be a warm personal friends of
Connie Mack, the taciturn leader of the I
Philadelphia Athletics, told the writer
this evening that when the Quaker City
club was here last week Mack made the !
statement that one club he feared more
than any other in the American League !
was Grifith's Washington bunch.
They're going to be dangerous all sea-
son, whether any of Griff's young pitch !
ers come around or not was Mack's
statement
Professional gamblers in Gotham, and
New York is full of them, are already
taking the short end of many wagers
that the Washington club in the Ameri-
can League and the Pittsburgh Pirates
In the National will win the champion
ship or their respective circuits this sea-
son and clash in the next worlds series.
nTTrTnD-