Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-03
MAKE CHANGE IN
TRAINING PLANS
War Forces Major to Alter Schemes
cf Former Seasons In Trips to
South and West.
SOLDIERS TO SEE TEAMS PLAY
No Minor League Club 10 Take Long
Trip-Big Fellows Cut Number
of Pre-. Season Games.

Chicago, Jan. Baseball will not
be the free and easy pastime of for
mer years in the south next spring or
on the we'll beaten paths leading from
the training camps north. Advance in
formation on training trip schedules
of the major league teams indicates
that there will be less games played
this spring than In the last 20 years.
On account of war conditions sew
eral towns and cities have found 1t
impossible to card games with the
major leaguers and besides there will
be fewer chances for contests on &C
count of the lack of time. Every team
in the country will devote less time
to training next spring than in years
gone by and this will mean fewer ex-
hibitions both in the territory where
they will train and on the way back
As the squads also will be smaller.
several teams will travel as a unit in
stead of splitting up in two teams
The Cubs will have only one team on
the road. Other teams will follow suit
The Sox will not have any more games
than last year; few were played then
The majority of the teams will set
aside certain dates for military camps
making these visits family affair, or
else meet some OF the soldier mines
Some of the camps in the north have
quested that the majors stop OFF al
cantonments for a game or two be-
fore the season is formally opened
This undoubtedly will be done. Most
Of the military centers will by that
!, Al nf them
and as these are rich in both profess
sional and amateur talent, there is nc
good reason why the majors should
not get as good or better practice than
down south.
No minor league will send teams
south this year and thus there will be
little crowdiIg In those towns which
have had more than their share OF
baseball in the past. Some big cities
like Denver, will not be represented
in professional baseball next year
which undoubtedly will rebound tC
the benefit of the major league barn
stormers.
What baseball authorities have fail
ed to do in the past the war has &C
compliAhed by leaving scores Of towns
a no mans land 1t has been recog-
nized for some time that the south
especially, has had too much of the
NATIONAL game and that rest would
do it good. AS this has now become
compulsory, the chances are that after
the big game 'over there has been
called there will be such a reaction
that the sport will be benefited from
coast to coast
War viii Benefit Game.
On account of the present condi-
tions scores if not hundreds of towns
throughout the country will be with
out baseball next season. The fans
however, will not be all dead when
peace comes, and the enforced cessa-
ton IS most likely to make the game
more popular when ii is resumed than
il has been for a decade This I'M
doubtedly will also apply to the ma
jors. President Comiskey of the White
Sox is one magnate who thinks that
ii will Jim Dunn of Cleveland is an
other.
What effect the short training sea
son and the few exhibition games will
have on the major league teams is
probiematical. Very few of the teams
will exceed so days in the camps and
on the way back This will make il
compulsory for men who have in the
past required almost two extra weeks
to get into condition to get busy
Some of the athletes may go south on
their own hook a week or two before
the regular start. The pitchers, es-
pecially. will be urged to do so. II
they fail to get into trim they will be
urged to take some of Uncle Sans
elixir in the trenches