Evening star., 1919-03-31
TEAMS SHOWING
GRAT|F|ES GR|FF
Not a Man in Entire Squad in
Poor Health. All Being
Fit as Fidd|es.
PITCHING STAFF FRIGHT"
BY DENMAN THOMPSON.

AUGUSTA tia March 3l.-Clark
Griffith has every reason to be graft
fled at The progress being made in
the annual task of getting his play
rrS into condition for the start of
hoStiliticS Arriving week ago. h"
found the tatchers and all of the
pitchers. with the exception Of John
son. Ayers and Shaw. who did not
come with thr first bunch. we'll ad-
Vguccd IN their work The last
named hurl-rs hAV" protited greatly
10y the training they have undergone
since they landed and the pilot has
had the satisfaction OF seeing the
other performers take long strides
toward the point where they Will be
ready for the grind OF the champion
ship season. now but Il little more
than three weeks distant.
There Was not "A man IN the entlre
squad of tWenty-Srvem who report
ed in poor health. Some We're over
weight AS was TO he expected but
All were feeling tine, and /" date no
At
up to mar 1h" prospect OF 9oins +"
The wire with a solid array "t attn
let..S a. liz ~ the proverbial fiddle.
The hig four of the pitching" StHfi
appear 10 hr in particularly fine t"t-
liz. this spring. Johnson shows no
evidences Of the attach of Influenza
that laid him up last winter lie
says his arm feels as good as ever
ami. as is customary Tor him whil" IN
training. has started t" put ON weight
Walter always gains while SoJourning
At camp. He already has put on i've
pounds and 10y the time he has added
as much more he Will be ready.
With Shaw the opposite always is
the cast. Jim showed up heavier
than usual this year. and viii have
to boil out to III" extent of nearly
twenty pounds before he Will b. IN
shape to do himself slice. l he
Pittsbureher should not tip the beam
much more than lso in order to be at
his best He has made a good start
and as ne is a hard and faithful
worker should have no difficulty IN
getting down to the required pound
age by the time the bell rings. His
wing is in good shape.
Doc Ayers was making hne prog
reSs in his training until stricken
with a violent attack of spring
fever" The Hillsvillian says he feels
80 law it is an effort for him 70
walk from the porch to the dinner
table But he is too conscientious
TO loaf much while i'll uniform. and
when he gets that elbow of mis- salary
wing thawed out he will be ready.
II requires about two weeks under
a hot sun every spring to get this
joint properly oiled up.
Harry Harper never was in as good
shape at this early date as now. The
southpaw has his Souper we'll creased
bv two weeks of steady toll and is
whiStling the balls over the plate
with the same loose hhrkyjerky mo-
tion that makes him dne of the most
formida bic hurlers in the league. He
has felt no return of the trouble re-
suiting from being hit on the arm
with a batted bail in Chicago in 1916
and which made il appear the fol-
lowing spring that his base ball days
were numbered. Harper still is but
a youngster. Although he has been
in the game for six years. he will
not celebrate his twenty-fourth BIRTH
day until next month. and by every
line of reasoning should have his BAN
ner season. If he starts off at the
pace he finished in 1918 and main
tains it he will be by far the best
lefthander in the business this sum-
mer. He developed a heavy cold yes
terday. but should shake that off
within day or two.
propresS being made bV the vet