Norwich bulletin., 1916-11-09
ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW
SPRING TRAINING
 CAMP CHANGES
Major Clubs to Stage Contests or Way North Instead of Playing Mi


 Radical, changes in spring training will mark the major league prepara- tions for the 1917 campaigns. So much benefit was experienced from inter- league exhibition games in the South Q land last spring that new policy just naturally originated of itself. By a strange coincidence the two teams Giants and Yanl1ees-hit on the idea simultaneously. The apparent wisdom of the scheme has appealed to other managers, so that it would not be at all surprising if the new practice be- came general at once.
 The Giant managem ent stole some of its rivals thunder by announcing it's training plans first The Giants will go to Marlin, Tex, about the usual tin1e-March l.. It is expected that within a month McGraw will have his club ready for real hostility. Mean while the Detroit Tigers, under Hughie Jennings, will be drilling at WaXaha- chic. Tex. The two forces will join about April at Dallas, Tex, for the first of series of exhibition games arranged along a route that will carry the clubs in company back to Kansas City.
 A similar arrangement has been ef- fected between the Boston Braves, who train at Miami. Fla, and the New York Yankees. whose spring camp is located at Macon. Ga. By the time George Stallings' clan is ready to move north junction will be made with Bill Donoyan's -hopefuls. The team will tour ctile most thickly pop ulated centres of the south and the best cities of the Atlantic seaboard on the way north.
 Now comes word from Philadelphia that Connie Mack was trying to ar range with the champion Brooklyns for a similar transforming junket These two teams instituted athletic relations last spring in a series of five games. The 'tail-enders of the Amer ican League ,,5oegan to show major league promise toward the end of last season. It would not be at all sur priSns if Connie Mack came up with a, club next spring capable of giving the best run for it's money.
 There are any number of virtues tc recommend the new training systems adopted .by the New York clubs and no drawbacks discernible at this dis tance Most important is the expected benefit toward the perfection of play for the championship seasons. It is a well known fact that major league players cannot look seriously upon the games booked with minor league opposition in the springtime.
 For one thing. down in the sticks players are not so well prepared as their big major brothers before the real fights start About the time the elect are leaving the south the bush CTS report for pr" ctice. Consequently the little felloW.i @.c in no shape phy- sicaIly to furnish ev-n the competition of which they would be caD7ble at the end of the season. Naturaly too, the minor teams are at their very worst for all the best of the year before have graduated to some faster com pany Even games between the first and second aggregations of the same club get better results than the So- called exhibitions with brush talent.
 There Is another consideration, too and a big one. for it involves the f. nancial side of the proposition. Re- peated visits of major league teams tc the south have taught the inhabitants not to expect much from the majol clubs opposed to weaker foes. No- body quicker than cne bug gets onto the fact that major league players re- gard these contests as jokes, and jokes they naturally are bound to be.
 There was a time when the soutf was enthusiastic enough. Then the training trips sometimes showed some thing of profit. Within the last five years major league clubs have beer lucky indeed to make frub stake out of the entire spring tour. In fact lately 1t has cost every major league team owner an average of $5,000 tC get ready each spring.
 That minor league citizens are in. terested in major league baseball be. tween major league clubs in major league earnest was proven clearly il Texas last year. The Giants and Tig. CTS played five games in the Lone Star state. Those five games got Nc. Graw and Jennings both back homo with a profit to show instead of tht customary deficit.
 Irrespective of the immediate f1nan cial end, this new system can scarce. ly prove anything but economical. Fol years the promoters have regarded spring training trips as part of a neo' essary expense, like rent. taxes, etc Whatever revenues came from sprinG games were regarded as so much vel vet: they were entirely unexpected The main idea was to get the club il proper physical condition for an ad vantageous start in the pennant race for the difference between a good ana a bad start in the regular campaign always has been the difference be tween financial success and f1nancia failure for the year.