The Washington times., 1915-02-15
Uncle Nick AItrock Hikes to An.
napo|is, Towing Harper and
Bentley Along for Their
Daily Workouts.
Manager Griffith Tonight Ad.
dresses Potomac Leaguers
on Favorite Subject at Big
Masonic Hall Banquet.
BY LOUIS A. DOUGHER.

BY LOUIS A. DOUGHER.
The first squad of Griffmen, three
IN number, have gone into training
for the coming campaign. Uncle
Nick Altrock, comedian and coach
extraordinary, today left. for An
napolis with Harry Harper, the
Hackensack hurler, and Jack Bent
ley, the Sandy Spring phenom, where
they will remain until February %.
On that day they will join the rest
Of the battery candidates here and
depart for Charlottesville, Va.
Gall ready here" grinned Harper,
when he showed up at Griff's office.
"Same here" murmured the BASH
full Bentley.
"Let's Co." said Uncle Nick.
And they went.
While in Annapolis Harper and Bent
ley will work out with the candidates
for the Navy nine. Altrock is coach Of
the Navy twirlers. just as he was last
spring, and he has obtained permission
to have Harper and Bentley with him
greatly by this early jump.
Harper has been taking excellent care
of himself since last October and has
put on little weight something that
may come in handy when he begins
training. The youngsters left whip Is
loose and supple, and Altrock predicts
great future Cor him.
Bentley has spent the winter on his
farm in sandy Spring. and looks big
as house. He has added an inch to
his stature. and Is almost as big as
Walter johnson. Bentley's fine work
last season leads one to predict many
good things for 1915. but the Old Fox
refuses to make any such predictions.
''1f those two kids will listen to what
Altrock tells them, they may be among
the best pitchers in the league" was
all Griff would admit.
Manager Griffith will. tonight, be
principal guest of honor at the big
smoker of the Potomac amateur base
ball league, at Masonic Hall. Anacostia.
When the cigars come around the Old
Fox will hand the gathering his now
famous speech, entitled. How to Win a
Pennant," but one who longs to do it.
To be serious. Grff will tell those anna
teurs lust how much he thinks of anna
teur players. pointing to the large as
sortment of cX-amateurs he has corral
ed for his own ball club.
The fate of the International League.
just now sorely tried by the Feds, will
be decided today at the annual meeting
In New York. President Ed Barrow in
sists that his league will not suspend
operations. even if unable to place a
club in the Bronx. Furthermore. he
says that eight clubs will be retained.
Greasy" Ncale. the West Virginia
Wesleyan athletic star. has been let out
by the Cleveland American Association
team to Dayton. in the Central League.
AS Spider last year Ncale hit for .229
In eighteen games. though he had led
the Canadian League the season before.
This is the player who brought about
the quitting of the Wesleyan basketball
team at Georgetown few weeks ago
when the referee disqualified him. .tp-
parently, it is impossible to become a
professional at Wesleyan.
Joe Birmingham has dropped a couple
of his rockies. Omar Benn, a pitcher.
goes to Jack knights a; a. OUTFIT, and
Jack Tedrow. also pitcher, goes to
Dayton.
Nap Lajoie does not relish the insinu-
alton that he is slow on the bases.
81 know | am not as fast a player as
] used to be-" says Larry, but no one
expects a man who has been at IT as
long as have to show the same speed
he did fifteen years ago. But. at that.
there are worse base runners than Nap
Laioie. All you fellows say Terry Tur-
ner is fast don't YOU? Well. Terry
stole only three more bases than | did
last year. Joe Jackson is streak get
ting down to first base. but Joe stole
only eight more bases than ! did. and
ne got on fifty or sixty more times than
l did"
Between nifty and sixty ball players
will be passengers on the steamer
Apache. sailing from New York on the
26th They will be members Of the
Dodgers. Phillies. and Mackmen. In the
party will be 350-pound Emory Titman
the far-famed spring mascot of the
Mackmen.
Jimmy Gilmore, head of the Feds. is
on his way to New York to complete
the transfer of the Kansas City club
tO--somewhere else.