Evening star., 1925-04-05

At Birmingham Monday the club
will resume activities in the select
base ball circle with the Giants as
opponents. Six more contests with
the New Workers are to follow, and
If the Nationals would finish on the
better side of the ledger in their ex-
hibition dealings with the majors
they must sweep everything before
them.
Their chances of doing that are
quite remote and almost as remote
are their chances OF bagging six Of
the seven tilts remaining in the lit
tie world series to gain the edge over
their rivals IN the late blue ribbon
event of the diamond sport
1t is the Giants, of course, who have
caused the Nationals record this
Spring to be such a sorry one. The
Dodgers and Reds were played to a
draw, and the Braves, although they
swept the two game series with the
worlds champions, did not administer
severe beatings But the Giants, after
being fought hard in early engage
ments, have turned upon the Ma
tionals and trounced them unmerci-
fully.
Giants Pointed for Series.
And here's the whole affair in
nutshell: The. New Workers., hungry
sor revenge upon the team that nosed
hem out SO unexpectedly to the ma
jority of the base ball world last Oc-
tober in the world series, trained at
Saratoga ostensibly to fit themselves
for the National League champion
ship, but really made of prime i'm
portance the impending 13-game Sc
ries with the Washington Club. The
Nationals. while they were keen to
reassert their supremacy over the
New Workers., were groomed more to
can League pennant campaign than
for Spring battles with the Giants,
Both clubs followed carefully plan
ned training programs. with the re-
suit that the Giants were almost at
mid-Aprfl form when the series be-
gan. while the Nationals still had
several weeks to go before their gem
eral condition would be up to such a
standard.
This is not meant as any alibi for
the Nationals. They displayed plenty
ries and fought the Giants tooth and
nail, only 20 be barely beaten. But
superior condition, especially in the
pitching department, began to tell in
favor OF the Giants, and everything
began to go bad for the Nationals.
In the late games the Washington
moundsmen faltered grievously and
on occasions the fielders did not dis
play much fire. Recently, 1t has been
case of a team full of fight and
form running roughshod over a team
apparently lacking stamina and sta
biiity.
Harris Course = Wise One.
However, 1t probably is just as well
that the Nationals held to their pro-
gram calling for gradual Develop
ment instead of casting all caution
aside and priming mainly for the lit
tie world series. This week, ardent
supporters of the Giants In close
touch with the club have expressed
fears that perhaps the New York
pitchers have been forced too much
in training this Spring and that there
is grave danger that some Of them
may find themselves burnt out"
when the terrible grind OF June and
July arrives.
No one need fear that such will be
the fate of the National hurlers.
Most of them are at least a week
away from seasonable form and some
are not likely to be ready for sus-
tained action until the American
League campaign Is week or two
old. But when they finally round
into condition, they should be able to
maintain 1t throughout the season, SO
careful has been their preparation.
Now that Walter johnson Is not ex-
pected to regain before another two
weeks the form that made him Lead
ing pitcher of the American League
last year, Manager Stanley Harris Is
devoting most of his attention to the
training OF Walter Ruether, port
slider purchased from Brooklyn, and
Stanislaus Coveleskie. right-hand spit