Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-07

Spring training in a base ball camp
can hardly be said to have really start
ed until spiked shoes have been donned-
The business of initiating this cere-
monia1 at Camp Griff was carried out
yesterday and things now are on the
boom. New life has been put into the
men, and they no longer lag around the
house when the call for morning prac-
tice is given.
1t seemed for a time that Nick Ait
rock and his men would be cheated out
of the field practice this morning on
account of light drizzle. This soon
blew over. however. and by 10 O'CLOCK
the squad was out working on the low
/ err field. 4 warm wind aided the work
out and the men were kept on their
toes all the time.
The usual routine was gone through.
First. a good warming-up by tossing
the ball around was INDUCED in by
all and then Altrock called for bat
ting practice.
Morgan. Milan, Barber and Charity
were allowed to slam the offerings or
most of the recruit pitchers about the
lot. These four are rapidly getting
their batting eyes in shape and seem
to be able to swat the leather for long.
clean drives. Turner Barber showed
rare form at the plate this morning
The Young outerGardener stands up
we'll and uses Il short. wicked swing.
Morgan's eye was keen in the morn
ing work out. The second sacker re-
fused to hit at the bad ones and made
the pitchers send them over to his
liking before he would touch them. He
was likewise polling them out far and
clean. Nick Altrock allowed the pitch
ers to send them over wee bit faster
in the box. and the big Pennsylvania
looked good pitching to batters.
Joe Boehling and Sam Rice, who
were kept in the outfield yesterday,
got chance to hurl TO the batters
this morning. Altrock and Martin kept
the work going at a lively clip. refus-
ing to allow the work to drag in the
least.
of the camp has begun. Altrock an
nounced as much to the men In the
gym before going out. The veteran
said the men had been given flve days
in which to timber up their muscles in
preparation for the harder work. and
that he confident they were in
shape to warrant faster pace. II also
is evident that from now on the work
will be quickened rapidly. and when
Manager Griffith arrives the latter part
of the week the men should be going
great.
The time of the practice also has been
heightened. the men remaining out al
most two hours this morning. They
are taking to the work like ducks to
water. The quartet of batters are cir
cling the bases at fair speed, and the
pitchers are winding up in the box.
mt IL a ~ Loo
of not being let in on the batting prac-
tee. and Altrock allowed them to take
their turn. While none of them is like
ly to lead the league with the willow
they seemed to be able to rap out the
soft ones their fellow slabmen were
sending up to the plate.
Following this lengthy batting prac-
tice. the scrap iron inf1eld was again
put in action. and Jack Ryan kept it
moving. The veteran catcher raped
out the pill at a lively clip. and the
hops given the infield caused some
trouble. Milan at third and Altrock at
first pulled off some fast fielding when
the bunting started. Ray Morgan at
base and over most of right field by
Ryan's attempts to get a hit through
his position.
The Baltimore boy showed by the
mornings work that he has got himself
into fairly good shape, and that to take
second base away from him will re
uuire something beyond ordinary field
: ing. The way he is hitting the bal
| looks encouraging.
After this infield work, the player:
! engaged in a little bunting and field
| ing With three batters laying then
down to the rest of the bunch. lo
/ of fast work was engaged in. There
I of side-line fielding that pitchers &C
quire, and the training is good for thu
box work, too.
There is every present indication tina
| the Nationals will engage in their frs
| ga ne with Jack Ryan's Virginians to-
| morrow afternoon. The Lambeth Field
diamond will be ready. and nothing but
the weather will break up the battle
Martin announced that the game would
OF course. be short hardly more thar
| five innings. Altrock said he would
| give all Of the new pitchers chance
/ The probable lineup to be used b.
| the Nationals will be Altrock at first
| Morgan at second. Barber at short and
Milan at third. Charity will receive
| and the rest of the bunch, the pitchers
will alternate in the box and outfield
| The Virginia pitchers have been doing
work right along and will give the Ma
tionals' batters some good practice.
The muskrat trapping is not the joke
some of the camp boys thought. jim
Shaw and Jack Bentley went to the
| traps set yesterday afternoon. directly
after breakfast this morning, and Jack
| found three extraordinarily large ami
| mails in three of his traps. They
I brought them back to camp and 'Hoss'
| Milan skinned and cleaned them. Mi.
| Ian is an expert at this end of the
game. The camp is contemplating max.
! ing a pair of gloves for Manager Grit
/ fifth.
! 1t was happy bunch of ball players
| that trotted out to Lambeth Field yes
terday afternoon for the first real
| workout of the training season. Toss
| ing the pill around on a wooden rum
| ming track, though out in the open, is
! far from getting out on an honest to-
goodness ball field and prancing about
| The men were getting stove up a bit
| In the legs from the constant work on
| the floor and boards. and the change to
/ terra firma certainly felt good. Nick
AItrock led his bunch down on the low :
err field below the regular diamond
! This is a sheltered lot. where the wind
doesn't bother the players. The da-
mond is entirely covered with grass,
, but has been rolled sufficiently to do
away with bad hops. The ground was
dry and firm and the players were sure
of a safe footing.
The practice started with the men
warming up by the usual tossing about.
Jack Ryan had, Jack Bentley and
George Dumont in the box at the start,