The Washington herald., 1915-12-26
Midget In6elder, Now Over
Weight, Will Play Handball
to Get Into Shape.
OTHER SPORT COMMENT
Walter Johnson Also a TriAe Heavy.
Due to Simple Efe-Watch
the Browns.
BY WILLIAM PEET.

By WILLIAM PEET.
In about eight weeks the Nationals
will start preparing for the season in the
training camp selected by Manager Grit
nth. and when that time comes there
will be found one young athlete. whom
We happen to know, will be in good
shape physically.
Foster. the midget infielder who. strange
to relate, is the only regular on Grif-
fith's club who is claiming Washington
as his home this winter.
Foster has been resting up at Trainer
Mike Martins Cherrydale chateau-feed-
ing the chickens and helping do the
chores. Since October Foster has gain
ed probably ten pounds in weight and
never looked better in his life.
Il expect to start playing handball
soon, in order to timber up my muscles
and get rid of the soreness before the
time to start the spring training grind"
II was glad to be able to take on
believe me, / shall start the season in
good condition. said Foster.
Walter johnson is also doing about the
same stunts this winter, only on a bigger
scale, for Walter owns a large farm and
considerable adjacent territory in Cofey-
Vile, Kans., and in a letter to a friend
taken on little weight, but that will
easily come off before the 1916 curtain is
yanked up.
Change of ownership in the st. Louis
American League club is welcome one
TO President Ban johnson and possibly
some of the managers. for Owner Bob
Hedges, Of the Browns, Is not popular
among the magnates, although personally
he is a fine chap. good talker and
knows considerable baseball
Hedges is one of the few in the Ameri-
can League who owns outright his ball
park, stands and grounds.
With Phil Ball and Otto Steifel at the
head of the St. Louis Americans and
Fielder Jones the manager. that team is
one which will bear a whole lot Of watch
ing netx year, for Jones is q shrewd,
crafty pilot, and with considerable base
ball talent from which to pick team,
the Browns may cause q whole lot OF
trouble.
the Mound City will turn out crowds
that will tax the capacity of the park.
The American League club In st. Louis
Is popular with the fans. and II Jones
can produce a one-two-three aggregation
there will be lot OF money made by the
new club owners, incidentally the other |
American League teams will profit hand
somely.
Manager Griffith plans to visit Char |
lottesville after the first of the year to
look over conditions and see II arrange
ments cannot be made for proper lodsinG
quarters for his official baseball family
next March.
Failure to obtain just what he wants
in the matter Of training facilities means
that the Washington club will spring
train in some other city or hamlet
Trainer Mike Martin. who looked over
the ground a few days ago. reported that
the fraternity house in Charlottesviile,
which for the past three years had been
retained and used for Headquarters, was
not available next March. and that there
was nothing else which appealed to him-
Grirf may solve the problem
1t looks as il the Olympic games would
have to be passed up for the coming
wear Not since 1896 have the revived
Olympiads been missed, and once they
were held in between times, to open the
Athens stadium. But 1916 bids fair to
he devoid of the worlds greatest athletic
struggle The biggest thing in this line
which will be held this coming year will
be the A A. L. meet at Newark. That
they will be a fit substitution for the
bigger competition there Is no doubt
for the American teams have swept the
boards at every Olympiad-as they will
again at Newark. If by chance the
Olympiad is held in 19l6-there is not the
slightest doubt but that the Yankee ath
letes will again be the winners. due to
the fact that athletics of all sorts are
at a practical standstill in Europe. 1t
is possible that the games may be
switched to America before the summer
rolls around.
lin, pan feacb Hans
ncr how to stand at the plate the new
manager of the Pirates should be a whale
of success.
When it comes to putting over big stuff
Joe Villa. of New York. is one sport writer
who seldom gets left.
While the storm king reigned supreme
in Manhattan Isle james Gaffney, Bar
ney Dreyfuss. Garry Hermann and ].
X. Tcner of the National League held an
all-night conference with Harry Sinclair
George Ward and Jim Gilmore of the
Feds. Peace was declared and the story
was tipped of exclusively to Joe Vila, or
eaniZed basebalrs principal booster in
New York. Joe was strong enough to put
the yarn over I'm the home edition of an
afternoon paper. Joe's rivals showed the
story to the National League magnates
then in session at the Waldorf. Tener
and Hermann denied that it was true,
and the press associations carried the
denial officially. Later President Tener is $
sued an official statement confirming the
fact that the conference had taken place
and preliminary plans for peace adopted.
All the baseball writers on Gotham's
twilight sheets spent the remainder of the {
week rapping Tener and Jim Gilmore.
who denied the story. Joe Villas boss
him with big bonus and told ]
him to spend one month in Havana at
the papers expense.
Annfher CiY.dav pooa