Evening star., 1917-02-26
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

the Nationals Dal1 park 10 tIle HhsoiiiS
Masters Association on Saturday, June
%. for the annual game between the
Grotto and the Shrine. for the benefit
of the Masonic Home. Robert H
Young, past master of Harmony
Lodge. originator of the contest. and
John C. Hodges. president of the Mas
ters' Association. this morn. : had an
extended conference with Manager
Griffith at the latter's office, at which
details for the use of American League
Park were arranged. The Nationals
play at Boston June %.
The meeting of the Shrine and Grotto
mines will be the fourth which mas
taken place between Masonic teams
for the benefit of the charitable or
ganization maintained by the local 1u-
rSdiC iCtion.
The first was played three years ago
when Past Master Young of Harmony
conceived the idea of playing such
contest and through their master the
Harmony Lodge members challenged a IL
the other lodges of the District to or
ganiZe a team to meet nine picked
from its membership Harmony lost.
The next year the Templates played the
Outlanders. the former being picked
from lodges making their home in the
temple and the latter from the other
lodges in the District The Templates
proved too strong for their rivals Last
year the contest was staged between
the Shrine and Grotto. the two play
grounds of Masonry, and it is probable
it will continue to be played between
these two organizations. The game
is the most popular of such ahairs IN
this region and each year more than
/ O 600 persons attend. So much atten-
ton has been given the contest that
those in charge expect the seating ca
pacity of the park this year to be taxed
to its utmost.
May % will be Griffith day" in
bloomington, Ill. The citizens of that
town have been anxious for some time
to arrange such an affair. but in preFl-
Gus years the American League sched-
ule has been so fixed that the Nationals
could not appear there. This season.
| though, the club has an off day, when 1t
! jumps from Chicago to St LOUIS, ana
an exhibition game will be played with
| the Bloomington team, which holdS a
| franchise in the Three ! League. Grif-
| fifth while born in Missouri, was
| brought up In Bloomington and played
| his first base ball there as member
| of the Bloomington Reds. Great prepa-
rations are being made by the resi-
dents of the Illinois city to make the
! day a splendid testimonial of their ap-
probation of Manager Grifiith's accom-
plishments in the base ball world.
Ray Morgan came over here today
| for a short visit to Griffith. The object
| of his trip was not divulged directly.
| but it is understood that he desires a
SLIGHT increase over the figure named by
| Griffith in his contract.
| Today at three widely separated
| points in the United States, but all un-
| der ballny skies, the players of as many
major league ball teams will buckle
down tothe task of getting the kinks
out of their limbs in preparation for
l l. tl,a lal-
! is out the athletes of several other
teams will have started work.
! OF the three teams mentioned the Chi
cago Nationals were the first to reach
their camp at Pasadena, Cal. A squad
of about twenty of the Giants reached
Marlin. Tex, yesterday and the first
| of the Yankee players arrived at Macon
Ca, early today. At the latter camp
which is not far from Augusta, whittier
the battery candidates OF the Nation
ais proceed Wednesday. the weather Is
i reported to be ideal and preliminary
work is expected to begin at once
Within about ten days some 500 major
! league players and aspirants for po-
| sitions will be hard at work getting
into condition for the seasons grind
which opens April IL.
Nothing has been heard from Ray
| Caldwell, the bad boy of the Yankees
who failed 20 report to the cluo IN New
York Saturday for the start SOUTH and
1T is believed that unless the telegraph
er pitcher speedily puts in his appearance
and shows disposition to toe the chalk
mark his career as major league bal
player will be abruptly. Caldwell is
bound to the Yanks by a contract call
ing for $4,000 for this season. and just
why he should teopardize his chances
of collecting this sum is hard to under
stand.
| THE New York National League club
last night announced it had received the
signed contract of Dave Robertson the
only player who up to that time had
failed to accept terms. He will leave
for Marlin next Friday.
It is believed that quite q number OF
major league players may be dropped
into the minor league ranks this year as
q result OF refusal to sign their con-
tracts on the ground that as members
of the players fraternity they were for
bidden to do 80 Others who held out
because of dissatisfaction with the
to be given the choice Of taking jot
in bush league or remaining idle. The
magnates have declared that those men
who still are holding out after the train
owners are determined to go through
with their plans for reducing expenses
and these players will get no chance to
sign at any figure. reduced or otherwise
Connie Mack is credited with having
unwittingly been the cause of Presi-
dent Harry FraZee, the new owner OF
the Boston Americans appointing Jack
Barry manager in place of Bill Carri-
gan When FraZee first met Mack he
had every hope that Carrigan was go
ing to return to Boston as manager
But Frazee wanted to get a more init
mate line some of his players ant
he asked Mack to tell him what hi
knew about them.
Mack went through the list witt
Frazee, so the story goes, giving hi:
opinion on the ability of the differen