Evening star., 1917-02-20
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.


Manager Griffith has no intention o.
cutting his squad to eighteen mei
should war between the United States
and Germany develop. even though sew
eral of the National League masnates
have announced they would be 1orcee
to take such action in the event o.
hostilities.
According to Griffith, the Nationa
Leasuers are anxious to cut the size
of their teams anyhow, and have trieo
to get the American League TO enter
into an agreement to reduce the fosteiS
all along the line.
The National League owners hsure
that with a lower limit in force in tine
American League they could grap OH
some of the highly touted young s'ea . :
we have picked up and deVeiopeu a. a
considerable expense, Wiz Wi,h3un fs1I for any
such a scheme however. If war shouio
come. the American League owners
probably would reduce their SQUADS
further thar they y otherM,se farmins out % the
young talent. The roster HINT WIN
not be reduced
with the departure, of the Cubs tnis
evening from Chicago for their Camp
al Pasadena, Cal, the open season lor
major league training trips is lnaueu-
rated. Some thirty players are on
the list Manager Mitchell drew up ioI
the journey, and of this number all but
two are said to have signed contracts
for 1917. delegation OF CUP rootess
is to accompany the. players ana oiIi M.
ciaIs, a special train being proVidea ny
P;tcber ShaWkey of the New York
Americans already is at Macon da..
getting into condition on the goli iinKs
while awaiting the arrival OF the ao-
vance guard of the Yankees. que tneps re
next Sunday. BY that time many OF
the big league players will be in tram
ing, and before the end of the month
scores of the athletes either Will De IN
their camps or on their way tneIe
March Is, at the latest, should see all
the players of the entire sixteen major
league clubs hard at work getting IN
physical condition to Withstand the
rigors of the championship season.
The Nationals, at Augusta, ana the
Yankees, at Macon, are the only two
American League teams which Will
train in Georgia this year; put the
Pittsburgh Pirates will go to Columbus.
The Boston Red SoX will sojourn at
Hot Springs, Ark, where they will
clash with their opponents of the world
series last fall-the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Connie Mack will take his Athletics to
Jacksonville. Fla, and the Cleveland
Indians will go to New. Orleans. but
the three other clubs win do their pre-
lirninary work in. Texas the Chicago
White Sox at Mineral Wells, the De-
troit Tigers at Waxahachie and the ST
Louis Browns at Palestine.
Two of the National League clubs.
New York and St Louis, also will train
in Texas. the Giants at Marlin and the
Cardinals at San Antonio. The Bos-
Moran's Phillies to st. Petersburg,
while the Cincinnati Reds will do their
limbering up at Shreveport, La
When Griffith and Jack Dunn made
the swap which gave the Nationals
title to Sam Crane it was with the un-
derstanding that each was to run his
chances of obtaining the services OF
the players involved. 1t now appears
Dunn is likely to be the loser, as Jack
Bentley. the southpaw pitcher. has re-
fused to report to the Orioles. Bentley
says he will give up base ball and stick
to his farm at Sandy Spring, Nd.
sWaIter Johnson's young son is re-
ported to be seriously i'll at the home
Of his parents. in Coffeyville. Kan, and
unless the youngster rapidly improves
the big pitcher may not come to Wash
ington for the inauguration, as he had
intended.
Manager Griffith has refused permis-
sion to Bert Gallia to be excused from
tfaining with the first squad in order
TO be in Washington for the inaugura-
tion. Gallia wrote his boss he intended
10 come on from Texas within Ia few
days to get together with Griff on his
contract, and mentioned in the missive
that he would like to stay here to see
the big parade March 5.
An Indication of the high regard for
the playing ability Of George Mcbride
entertained by base ball writers around
the circuit is found in the comment of
H. P. Edwards of the Cleveland Plain
Dealer regarding the scheduled sup
planting at short of Mcbride by Sam
Crane. Edwards says:
George Mcbride is another player
who has indulged in some timely bat
ting against the Indians. He also has
beaten the tribe on several occasions
by his recourse to brainy plays at criti-
cal moments. Consequently, no Cleve-
land fan will express any sorrow If Nc
Bride is relegated to bench duty.'
President Ebbets Of the champion
Brooklyns of the National League pro-
poses to do up the patriotism-and-pre-
psredness stunt in good style. He has
announced that when the Dodgers ap-
pear on the field this spring each player
will sport an American flag on his left
arm. Since the Brook1yns are going to
engage in military drill. the flag will
mean something, and will not be merely
grandstand play to elicit applause.
That Chic Gandi1 Is by no means as
SureQ OF a regular perrin at nrSt base
for Cleveland this year is apparent
from what Owner Dunn had to say upon
his return to the sixth city from the
league meeting at New York. Dunn
impaired the information that more
than one club in the league had made
tentative offers for Louis Guisto, the
Pacific Coast League first eacker, add
ing:
but am not separating myself
from a player who cost me $4,000 less
than year ago, for IL half of what
they say about him is true he is likely
10 be playing first base for the Indians
regularly this season.
II might say" Dunn declared, re-
garding the New York confab, that no
real deals were suggested to me- When
another magnate asks you to give UP
Morton. Chapman or ONeill. and offers
YOU practically nothing in return, you
know he is not serious and does not
wish to trade. That was the position
l found myself in down east. 1 am
open 10 get certain players. but the
deals must be reasonable"
1t is the consensus of opinion among
the American League managers that
the New York Yankees are going to
furnish lot of trouble for the other
seven teams in the circuit. Manager
Donovan, himself, is satd to harbor the
notion that the Yanks will win the flag
with something to spare IL they are
not visited with the series of misfor-
tunes which played havoc with the
outfit in 1916. Rowland, Jennings and
Barry naturally do not concede this