Evening star., 1923-03-26

As q result of Saturdays excellent
showing against the Cards, Scout
Billy Smith, acting field secretary of
the National squad. expects good
turnout at the games. He has in
structcd all the recent additions to
the Nationals who may be idle tomor-
row and Saturday to be prepared to
assist "a the box Office and gate,
thereby greatly pleasing the young
sterS. They are wild about doing
such work, so wild. in fact. that
| Scout-Field Secretary Smith may have
to pursue to the marshes and trap
them before getting them on the job.
That Smartly- earned win over the
Cards Saturday made the Nationals
'perk up considerably and they
came here today eager to clean up
the three-game series and make their
wins overbalance their losses in the
exhibition matches. If they are sue
cesstul. they will carry back to Tam
pa more than third victory over
| the St Louis National Leaguers, per
| haps fiat car will have to be chart
cred to convey to Plant Field the
kennel for Branch Rickey's angora
| that was left at the Nationals strong
| hold last week. In that event, the
| Card managers hat bill also Will be
| increased. for he breaks his straw
kelly when angoraed.
| Hickey has been widely press
agented as being an exceptionally
| proper person. one refraining from
| for a coarse display of temper. In
| fact. the Card pilot has been pictured
| as a man we'll qualified to conduct a
| Sunday school picnic for nice little
| boys and girls. But something seems
| to have Soured his disposition.
"Reyerend" Hickey Is Gone.
| 1t may be the Florida climate, which
| is capitalized to the nth degree
! throughout the peninsula, or it may
! be the work incendental in handling
! a camp of nearly hundred ball play
! ers that has wrought such a startling
( change in the once almost reverend
| diamond boss. But the old Branch
! Hickey is gone and in his place Is d
manager who in quality and In guam
| tity of protestation rivals Jawn Nc
| Graw in his palmiest days.
Hickey was not SO gentle in his
| demeanor when the Nationals visited
| this town last Friday, but his out
| bursts then We're Is soft as the mur-
/ murings of pebble-b -bottomed brook
| in comparison with those at Tampa
Saturday. Then he was the roaring
| lion, infuriated by wounds. the snarl-
| ing wolf, crazed by hunger and a
flock of other wild things of the
earth, sky and sea. And all at one
Yet the players of the Fort Smith
Western Association squad. the men
of the Syracuse International League
club, the BradentOn Florida State
| leaguers and the Cards, all training
| here swear by Hickey, not at him.
| The St Louis men admire the way
! their manager fights for them on
| every point and the veterans with
| the squad are more pleased than ever
| with Branch.
| The tempeTamental Hickey is likely
| to have some fellow mourners IF man
| a gers of other teams to meet the Ma
| tionals have their goats tethered as
| loosely as was the st. Louis pilot s
pet.
Only Five Lack Condition Now.
| Should DOME Bush's charges con-
| ing the past week they will take a
deal of beating from the big league
clubs training in this sunny section
of the country. Right now. all of the
=, four catchers and five outfelders.
! eight of the ten pitchers and six of
| the nine infieldeTs with the National
| squad are in tip-top condition. The
| hurlerS not yet ready for duty are
| Kay Beach, whose sore arm seems to
be almost healed. and the veteran
| Walter Johnson, who reported only
| last week. OF the ailing infielders
Evans still is in the ring. and Peck
| is due to take his pace al shortstop
this week. Judges leg still bothers
| him. and he probably will be given a
| longer rest than was at first thought
necessary.
! From this lot Manager Bush is put