The Washington times., 1922-03-20

In st. Petersburg, but wait till cur
n the Boston players lamped it be-
ID their wonder.
We've got a good hotel" remark
ed Manager Mitchell. but we don't
hsve all this room. You fellows are
living like kings here"
All of which serves to call to
mind some Of the camps ball clubs
have In the spring. The woman.
who evidently thought camp
meant living in pup tents some
much Of the matter as did her es-
cort.
About the worst training camp
any ball club ever had was that at
Charlottesville, Va. where the
Washington club battled frigid
winds and snowstorms for some
five years. Griff must grin as he
looks at things around here, espe-
cially II he recalls how he used to
boost Charlottesville.
"We've got the best diamond in
the whole United States" GriY
would say. when war correspond
ents howled over the conditions.
But usually It was under snow or
swept by perfect gales off the
snow-capped hills in the distance.
Two empty houses were hired and
the cheapest kind Of furniture placed
in them. There the players lived
as best they could. Occasional enter
tainment was provided by some
darkey songbirds on Saturday night.
Card games and Joe Engel's dancing
varied the truly terrible rnonotony.
This is making old men out of
young Ones" Chick Gandil said on
,his first visit, in 1918. He was Just
about right, too.
The food at Charlottesville was
excellent. 1t was built along a diet
planned for football players. though,
and one grew tired OF It. For In
stance, ice cream came twice a week
and prunes stared at you each and
every morning.
The contrast between Charlottes
Vile, Va. and the Tampa Bay Hotel
Is remarkable. The Older players.
like Johnson. Milan and Shanks
must think they are in heaven hers
Where they lived something Ike
tICy dEC ~
tourists enjoying themselves In one
Florida. Where they froze, here
they bake In warm sunshine.
Where they killed time In . small,
dirty town, here they enjoy all the
delights OF . small, clean, busy
city.
At the Tampa Bay hotel the play
ers are on no such diet as at Char.
,ottesville. They may have Ice cream
every night, and do. They are sd.
vised against eating too much and 10
be sparing with desserts. The tra.i.-
er Is no car here. though very mucr
on his Job.
There Is music at dinner, followed
generally by a concert in the wide.
chair.filled lobby. Ladies In the
height Of fashion make pleasing pic
lures for the eye. II seems almost
as II this is civilization. whereas the
other must have been the stone age.
Here the diamond may not be "the
best In the whole United States" but
neither is 1t covered with snow nor
swept by Arctic gales. 1t lies, green
as any lizard, under the soft Florida
sun. with the heat tempered by Il
iALy breeze.
+ Two workouts a day at Charlottes-
vile were necessary under those aw-
full conditions Of weather and sur.
rounding monotony. Here one is suf-
ficient, with spare time passed stroll
ing in a beautiful park beside the
hotel. listening TO concerts there or
visiting motion picture theaters.
Those wishing may Journey to Sun
set Beach and bathe in the warm
waters Of the Gulf Of Mexico.
Had she peeked into that Char.
lOttesville camp, the inquiring
woman would have asked no ques-
tiOn. She would have recognized
the camp as . camp. She might
have wondered whether Il was q
road gang or not. though.
In 1911 Jim McAleer had the Wash
ington club cooped in a motheaten
hotel up against a railroad in At
lanta. The city was alright, and %
was Ponce de Leon PARK. but the
hotel was terrible.
The diet was Of the cast iron
variety. Today you had chicken
for lunch and duck for dinner. To-
morrow came the duck for luncheon
and the chicken for dinner. There
was absolutely no variation through
all the five weeks the team trained
In Atlanta.
Finally driven from Charlottes-
vile, Clark Griffith went to Augusta,
Ga. They served motorman's
gloves for breakfast and dinner in
that hotel. each cooked in cottonseed
oil to a deep green. The following
year the club moved across the river
and had little better luck. The hotel
man wanted to become rich srI
many Of the lads, as the year before.
ate in restaurants down town.
In 1920 some grand good friend OF
the Washington club suggested com.
Ing to Tampa. No wonder President
Griffith told the Kiwanis club the
other day that ne intended making
this his permanent camp. He can.
not begin to better Il anywhere IN
the land and, good az Santa Catalina
may be for the Chicago Cubs. Il
cannot outdo Tampa. Fla, as n
training camp for a maj"r lcagu"