Evening star., 1919-03-20
YOUNGP|TCHERS
ALMOST PR|MED
Appear Certain to Be Ready
When National Regulars
Reach Augusta.
ABSENCE OF SORE ARMS
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

| AUGl SlA, Ia. March -V.-1oou
results are being obtained in the
| course of sprouts the youngsters OF
| the Washington club are being put
| through. The juvenile pitchers are
| responding in fine shape to the pro-
gram of exercise laid out for them
| and from present indications they
| will be ready to furnish the pitching
| necessary for the regulars as soon as
the veterans get sufficiently loosen
ed up to WELD sticks.
| Thus far there have been no COM
plants of sore arms or stin JOINTS
/ and the signs of the times are there
| will be fewer walls along this line in
| 1919 than has been the case in Tor
mer seasons not only in the Nationals
camp. but all along the line.
For years it has been customar! TO
condition of tho diamond athletes: In
| the case of star. every twlnSe
meant paragraph and the same
went for bruise. while lacerated
finger or strained ligament was
good for half u column. But the late
unpleasantness in Europe has brought
about a change. The aches and pains
of ball player incurred in working
! two or three hours day to mt hlm-
self for hauling down several .l.ou-
ceive no more than the attention
they deserve, which. in comparison to
the hardShips undergone in camp
and trench by hundreds of thousands
of boys in khaki for a dollar day
and no hope of reward except the
feeling of an obligation performed,
are the height of triviality.
Ball players are noted for their
brass They kick like steers over the
food and service obtained at hotels
where the club is footing the bills, but
when they are paying their own way
they dine at a beanery and sleep in a
fiophouse. The busher who can troll
ley in from the ball park with SOL
dier carrying crutches and lament
about a torn nail on his little finger
must have hopelessly warped perspec-
tive and be totally devoid of sense of
humor.
Batting practice already has been
started for those of the squad who
will be expected to accomplish some
thing with the stick this year-Davis.
Thompson, Picinich, Agnew and Char
rity. The pitchers have not been
called upon to swing a bat, their at
tention being centered upon getting
their arms in shape. Nor have they
been drafted for pitching duty in the
batting practice. Altrock is attending
to that. This veteran is remarkable
IT.
the daddy of some of the boys here.
yet seems to possess as much stamina
as any of them and does infinitely
more work He is the first man on
the field and the last to leave. and
throughout practice is applying vocal
prods to the boys who show an in
clination to loaf. In addition. he is
Mike Martins chief assistant turf
doctor. and when not knocking the
ball around for infield practice or
keeping the boys on the run after
fungoes in the outfield he is busy
with a rake. hoe or shovel, massag-
ing the infieid. filling in ruts and elm
mating bumps. He seems to have an
undiminishabIe store of energy.
Picinich has put on some extra
bondage since quitting the team last
summer. and it will be recalled he
was no lightweight then. He is rather
lacks in height he makes up for in
heft He will not have to make room
for any sliding base runner at the
plate this summer. He and Charity
had some difficulty getting hold of
the ball in batting practice. due in
brand of control, but the more agile
Thompson and Davis, by hopping
all over the batter's box, met his
offerings with fair success. and Davis
lifted a straight one over the center
fed fence by way of showing that
he can take a mean cut at the ball.
Molly Craft was interested to learn
that "SH EIDE" Risberg had signed with
the White Sox. 1t was Risberg who
put Craft on the bum in Chicago
year before last. when he crashed
into hin>at the plate and broke his
ankle. Molly says he is going to fan
Risberg every time he faces him this
year.
Ban Johnson's selection of Ollie
Chill to fill the vacancy on his staff
of urnpires caused by the death of
"Silk" OLoughlin also is causing
, comment Chill called so many close
ones against the Nationals in 1916,
before he was panned into the Ameri-
can Association. that he came to be
regarded as a jinx. He and Manager
Griffith used to get along like two
strange bulldogs. Chilrs tour Of duty in
i the A. A. may have improved his judg-
ment on balls and strikes. There was
| lots of room for it.
! Headlines appearing in a New York
! paper received here to the effect that
the deal for Robertson had been con-
! summated caused a short-lived cele-
i bration in the camp. 1t ended when
it was read farther down in the dis
pa tch that Griffith has placated Bar
ney Dreyfuss by promising him an
outfielder and that it might be Sam
Rice, as the Washington boss would
never consent to part with Milan or
/ Bert Shotton. the stars of his outfeld."
| Guess prohibition wouldn't be such a
| bad thing for New York after all. 1t
| is evident they still sell the stuff
there.