The Washington herald., 1916-12-06
GRIFFMEN Will PLAY
Two NATIONAL CLUBS
But Few Exhibition Games to Be Listed
by Old Fox Next Season.
By JOHN A. DUGAN.

The Nationals will play but few ex-
hbbition games at the Florida Avenue
Park next spring, II rumors afioat In
Philadelphia and New York can be taken
for anything. Billy Weart, the smartest
of the Quaker City baseball writers,
claims that the Nationals will play but
two National League clubs in exhibition
games this spring. these being Phtladel-
phia and Brooklyn.
OF course the annual games with
Georgetown and Catholic University will
not be overlooked. Griffith has planned
to do quite a lot Of transforming this
spring with the Cincinnati Reds. The
Nationals will train at Augusta, Ga,
and will pick up the Cincinnati club en-
of the big points through the South and
finishing by staging a couple games in
Redland.
II the Reds and Washington decide to
barnstorm with each other, it will make
at least six major league clubs that will
arrange such a schedule, the others be-
ing Detroit and the Giants and New York
Americans and the Boston Braves.
Cliff Blankenship, a former catcher of
the Nationals, who is known in the base
ball world as the ''discoverer" Of Walter
Johnson and other major league cele-
braties. may be appointed as scout Of
the Detroit Tigers.
Hughey Jennings, the peppery manager
of the Jungleers, is greatly in favor OF
Blankenship and he will no doubt close
out arrangements with President Navsn
today.
II the American Association at its
meeting Friday at Indianapolis acts fa-
vorably on the proposed plan to shorten
its 1917 schedule to 112 games and play an
interleague series with the International
League, the plan probably will be ac-
cepted by the International Leaguers
when they hold their annual session here
next Monday.
President Ed G. Barrow of the Interna-
tionaI, has called his club owners into
executive session the first part of the
week. three days later than the American
Association meeting for several reasons.
First of all, he is desirous of getting a
line on what the A. A. club owners want
to do with the proposed interleague series
plan, and in the second place he wants
his club owners on the ground for the
National League meeting to give them a
chance to make deals for players.
Club owners in the International
League who have studied the new sched-
ule plan are expected to support it. Most
Of them believe that such res of
games would greatly revive IL It in
4 IL
the belief here that the plan has more
than an even chance of going through.
Joe Villa, OF the New York Evening
Sun. offers the following: Picking All
America teams, by the way. is an evil
that should be curbed. perhaps by the
football rules committee. Some of the
selections are both unfair and absurd
The rules committee, therefore might put
h,v
pointing ofncial Judges in various parts
OF the country whose selections would be
hnal. Onhand, the appointment of such
competent students of gridiron form as
Walter Camp. Parke Davis, Frank Cava-
naugh. Walter Eckersall, and A, A. StagC
would clear the atmosphere. Official Sc
lections by such experts would be ac-
cepted as eminently fair by football fans
who. by this time, are wise to the worth
less hodgepodge which is fed to them by
persons whose knowledge of gridiron tao
tics is limited.
Frank Gilhooley. the outfielder of the
Yankees. who had his leg broken in
Washington last season, recently consult
ed doctor in Cleveland and was fold
that the member was again o. K, and
that he would suffer no difficulties next
season. Gilhooley's presence in the out
Held, II he plays up to his last years
lorm' VIII be great aid to Bill Dono-
van Gilhooley batted around 20 In the
games he played for the Yanks in 1916,
Eddie Plank insists that rare use of
the curve ball has been the greatest fac
tor in prolonging his career as a pitcher.
Plank claims that during his entire ca
reer he has thrown four fast balls to one
curve. Constant use of the curve tends
to sap the strength of the salary whip,
according to Eddie.
Manager Jack Dunn, of the Baltimore
club, enjoys the distinction of being one
of the greatest developers Of pitching
stars in the minors. Within three years
Dunn has given to the American League
a quartet Of pitching stars in Ruth and
Shore, of Boston; Russell, of New York,
and Danforth. Of Chicago. Ruth and
Shore have in that short length of time
tasted Of worlds honors. Shore was
twice declared in on the big event.
When an athlete starts to slip he hits
the chutes in rapid fashion. Jack Dali
ton. with Brooklyn In 1914, was regarded
as one Of the best titters in the National
League. He finished fourth, batting .31s
in 18 games. In 1915 Dalton. like many
other big leaguers, jumped to the Fed
erals For Buffalo he batted .29L Last
season when the Tigers needed an out
fielder badly, Hughey Jennings gave Dali
ton chance, but soon let him out be-
cause he was helpless before the Ameri-