The Washington herald., 1918-04-15
President Wilson to Open
Ball Season Here Today
Grif's Nationals Will Battle
New York Yankees in
Big Inaugural.
BY JOHN A. DUGAN.


Even with the blight of Americas
greatest war on the country baseball
fires its first gun today. Four Amer
lean League teams this afternoon will
inaugurate this wartime campaign,
while all others. including the National
League clubs. will get into action to-
morrow.
Clark Grifith's Nationals are among
the early starters. They open
the championship race at the Florida
avenue stadium with the New York
/ Yankees while the Boston Red SoX
take on Connie Mack's down-trodden
Athletics in the opening game in the
Hub City.
President Woodrow Wilson may dis
card all official business this afternoon
and be on hand to do the national
pastime the honors OF tossing out the
first ball in the National Capital City.
Diplomats, Cabinet officers. Senators,
Congressman, along with government
employees and representatives in the
rank and file OF the army and navy.
will forget for few minutes that the
bigger game over there should draw
all of our attention by welcoming back
once more the king of American
sports.
The grounds at the Florida Avenue
Stadium are in the best of condition.
due to the earnest efforts of Jim
O'Day, the veteran groundkeeper OF
the Washington club. Although the
weather man wished in everything
from snow down to a lasting rain on
local fandom during the past week,
Jim O'Day was equal to the occasion.
as he put his crew to work at the
overtime game on the finishing
touches yesterday afternoon.
The game will be called at 4 o'clock.
The gates will open at 2 o'clock with
Pistorio's Band rendering selections
during the two hours of watchful
waiting. Billy Evans. the dean OF the
American League umpires, has drawn
the assignment to work in this con-
test Although Billy arrived here last
night he could not say just who would
be his running mate in handling the
game.
On the eve of entering this sub
mythical war race the Old Fox was
not in a humor to say a great deal
last night, but he steadied down to
these few remarks:
Il am perfectly satified that my
squad is in as good a shape as any
team that / have ever started into a
major league pennant race. 1 am moi
predicting any great expectations from
the club as everyone realizes that the
taking OF Sammy Rice away from us
has hit us a great jolt, but I believe
the Nationals this season have the
Z best pitching stan in the league.
This along with the fight which
the team has shown in its exhibit
tion games makes it a prominen,
| factor in the big race which is now
only starting.
A great many things can happen
between now and the curtain fall
which may change the entire league
upside down. as we know Uncle
Sam needs athletic warriors and
even if he should call on me for
the best 1 have I am ready to sac.
rifice the same.
When l gave one over I knew that
the average will be the same and
am willing to do my little Bit
right now. would rather not make
any predictions for my own club
or the others as the situation al
/ present in baseball is a puzzling
one.
Just before hoping aboard the
train for his journey here today
Miller Huggins. the manager of the
Yankees. had the following to say
| My last word before starting
the season Is that l have the ut.
most hope in my men. There
is spirit manifest among the mer
that is bound to make for success
Every man is working. co-operatins
all the time for the welfare of the
team. If We get the kind of pitch.
ing hope we do, welI be in the
race throughout. Just remember
that
And Huggins is founding his as.
sertions on something more tangi.
BILE than mere hopes and aspira.
tions. The Yanks bombarded the
pitchers of the Braves in the
Southern games as they had never
been lambasted before. Barrag,
after barrage of Yankee wallops
swept them in nearly every con.
test, and Stallings himself declared
when the teams parted company
the other day that the Yanks looked
to him like the best batting ag.
gregation in baseball today. There
fore, it is on the extraordinary bat
ting force Of his team that Hug
gins is depending next autumn.