The Washington herald., 1914-03-09
Selman May Battle
Ryan at Ardm0re Club
Mathewson Says Giants Have Great Array
Of Young Pitchers Now at Marlin Springs
Peerless Finger Tells Inter-
esting Stories Of Training
Camp Life.
BRADLEY TELLS ONE
n, cHnIsrY MArHEwsos.

ny CHRIsTY MATHEwsON.
Back in Marlin and at the same
old grind with the recruits. Never
have / gone to a spring training
camp feeling more fit to begin the
work of preparation for the cham
pionsliip season. My winter in Cal
ifornia has done me a great amount
of good, believe, and / expect to
spend all my future winters in the
California sunshine as long as l
am engaged in baseball.
Although. at this writing. I have been
In the camp only a few days. II looks
as II Dick" Kinsella, who IL In charge
until McGraw arrives. had dug up lot
OF likely looking recruits for Mac" TO
select from this spring. The pitchers are
the rangiest collection of youngsters I
ever saw In camp and full Of ambition.
Kinsella Is so proud of them that he
puts on a uniform himself and warns
them up because he is short On catchers.
and. anyway, he likes to see them work
at close range Ever since I arrived. he
has been whispering condolences in my
ear Of the great future of the various
boys.
KinseIIa Confident.
wait till Mac gets his eye on that
collection of pitching talent, and he'll
think 1t is a better sight than any he has
seen on his trip around the world" re-
marked Dick in a burst of confidence,
and he is not usually very enthusiastic
over his trophies. Here. you," this last
to some overly ambitious youngster try
ing to curve the bali at this early stage,
Don't you put any hooks on II until
your arm has been worked out more.
Stick to the straight ones until I tell you
different"
Our old friend Louis Drucke is In camp
and looking better than ever. He says
the old back Is all right again now and
that he has been working for several
weeks in Texas. He declares his arm Is
in fine shape. and that he expects to 60
as well as he did in his best days with
the Giants. It will be recalled that Louis
received an injury to his back while rid
ing in the subway. 1t was this accident
which put him out of baseball. Drucke
showed as much promise before this acci-
dent as any young pitcher ever to come
in. and I look for him to bolster up the
staff.
4 Noisy Recruit.
The recruits here in Marlin are an
obstreperous bunch of youngsters and
they are tearing into the menu In a man.
ner that Is alarming. / have seen many
recruit come to a disastrous end in this
way. They will all be tanned down;
however. when AcGraw and the regulars
get here. Livery bushcr must have his
fling in the spring. or. at least, most
o. them mus. One young chap in par
ticular Is riding for an awful fall. He Is
very noisy and as fresh as paint.
Look out. or I'll cut you." he yells
every time he slides for a base.
The aggressive spirit Is all right but
there is such a thing as carrying it too
far. This young fellow reminds me of
a recruit about whom "Bfr' Bradley,
the old American League star. tells a
story. 1t seems that the youngster was
being tried ut on an American League
team late one season, and was making
a lot of noise. He came into Bradley
one day with his spikes showing. and Il
took some nifty foot work on the part
of the nimble "Bill" to avoid being cut.
AS matter Of fact, the boys spikes tore
the veterans uniform. 1t riled BILL" as
it would any osher big Lacquer. to have
& youngster behave that way.
I'm get you for that" replied Brad
ley. as he repaired his uniform.
"Bnl" watched his chance, and when
he got on the bases ne went into the
recruit and cut him all right, as "Bflr'
knew how to do II.
81 told you I'd get you," declared
Bill"
The boy Strengthened up.
You didn't get me-" he answered. and
he finished the game.
YounRster Crippled.
Bradley thought no more Of the Incl
dent until a year later. He noticed the
youngster had dropped out OF the league
right afterward, but imagined that he
had gone the way of many another re-
cruit who had been unable to make good.
Late the following season, Bradley re-
ceived a note scribbled on an old piece
of raper.
Come to the front row of the left
field bIeachers,'' It said.
Something made "Bilr' go, although II
was an unusual thing for a ball PLAYER
to do. as We get many requests of this
kind during a season to which We usually
pay no attention unless we are acquaint-
ed with the writer. Bradley found q
youth down and out. with a pair of
him.
Know who I am?' asked the boy.
NO." replied Bill"
Remember the busher you said you'd
get? Well. you did all right. I haven't
been able to walk on that leg since !
took of my uniform after the game that
day. I'm that fellow
"Bill'' gave the boy a hundred dollars.
I'm sorry" he has said since. That
busher was certainly game to finish the
contest with that cut in his leg. Maybe
he would not have been caught with the
affection of the bone II he had had 1t
treated Immediately, hut he wanted IN
show his spunk"
Copyright, 1914. By the Wheeler Syndicate. Incl
Declaring that his hair was falling out.
Ray Morgan lost no time seeking a
barber for a billiard ball hair cut. Ray