Evening star., 1918-01-04
AUGUSTA OR TAMPA
WILL GET NATIONALS
Manager Griffith to Consider
Offers From Georgia and
Florida Towns.
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

A conference Manager Grifnth e1
poets to hold today with busines
man Of Augusta may decide the que
tion Of whether the Nationals will r'
turn to the Georgia town for spring
training this year. The manager has
/ received telegram from the man in
question, who was commissioned by
Griffith to learn just what conditions
are in Augusta, appristng him of the
/ fact that arrangements for training
4 there probably can be made. and
notifying him that he viii be in Wash
tfngton today to discuss the question
with him.
| Grin looks with favor upon Augusta
80 training camp. and undoubtedly
viii decide to go back there II suitable
arrangements can be made. but In case
there is any difficulty in the negotia-
tions with Augusta he viii not be at
| a loss for another camp, as he has re-
ceived an offer from Tampa, Fla. to
take his athletes there. Through Z. G.
Darlington, q proposition for the. Ma
ttlonals TO train at Tampa has been re-
ceiyea by Griffith and taken under con-
sideration The offer presented by Dar-
liingtpa was made behalf OF the
Tampa Training Club. an organization
of business men of the Florida city
similar to the Board of Trade and
Chamber OF Commerce here. Darlington
assured Griffith that in addition to an
iexceiIent diamond and good clubhouse
facilities advantageous rates for hotel
taccourno nod ations could be assured the
| Washington club. The Chicago Ma
| tionals who this year are going to the
Pacific coast. for several seasons train
| ed at Tampa Last spring Tampa had
no big league guests. and the business
tmen are anxious to induce the Wash
tingtor club to train there as means
of advertising the city. Manager Grif-
| nth will fully consider the inducements
held forth by both Augusta and Tampa
before reaching decision.
| According to persons thoroughly ac-
quainted with the situation in the Blue
! Ridge League, the success of that cir
I cult next season depends upon the issue
of Sunday base ball. H. w. Flannery
of Hagerstown, Md, in sizing up the
prospects for 1918, says that IL Sabbath
| games are permitted in even one-half
| of the cities of the league It can be de-
pended upon to weather the rough
going In prospect; that the receipts
! from Sunday games mark the margin
| between the clubs doing enough busi-
ness to keep going or doing 80 little
| that 1t is a hardship to maintain the
| sport for the fans.
1T is a matter largely in the hands
of the league directors. and II they are
lliberal-minded enough and progressive
enough to vote for the privileges the
fans demand. then the Blue Ridge
League is safe" Flannery says The
case Of umberland is an instance OF
what Sunday base ball means in this
league. Cumberland plays Sunday ball.
and on Sundays Cumberland draws
crowds that overflow the park and that
rival those of the holidays. When
Cumberland took the Chambersbfrg
franchise Chambersburg was yelling
for aid for it was badly in debt. Cum
berland came in with the provision
that it should play ball on Sunday, and
with ball on that day erased the debt
of Chambersburg.
Last year, when the vote on the Sun
day base ball question was taken the
objectors were Hanover, Gettysburg
and Chambersburg. and they blocked
Sunday games with tie vote. Cham
bersburg already is eradicated: Gettys-
burg says it will not be back next sea-
son. and Hanover will follow Gettys-
burg. SO the league thus loses the OBJ
1ectors. Then 1t stands to reason. pro-
vided those cities that are admitted
are as liberal as those already in. that
the Blue Ridge will play ball on Sun
day. At least one of the towns will
likely favor it, and that alone will
break the tie. II the league is a four
club one the majority already 10 for
Sunday ball II it is an eight-club
affair the situation Will be different,
but one in which those that are not
fanatical still can hope TO see their
cause triumph