Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-23
SPEAKER AND RICE INJURE
LIMBS AND ARE DISABLED
Join Harris and Johnson on Shelf as Result of Barn
storming Activities-Criffmen Are Shut Out
by Cardinals, 8 to O.
BY JOHN b. KELLER.

BY JOHN II. KELLER.
CLEARWATER Fla, March %
Seeing Florida may be fine for the
pleasure seeker, but whether it is par
ticularly good for athletes supposed
to be devoting their time to prepare
: ton for a base ball league champion
!. ship campaign is something else again.
- At least, that's how those in control
of the Nationals now are viewing the
i matter, and the view may bring about
a change in policy in the scheduling
of exhibition games next year.
Of IL contests in which the Nation
ais have participated so far this year
seven have been played away from
Plant Field, their training base in
Tampa, and for their twelfth engage
ment of the preparatory series, that
with the Dodgers today, they again
are away from home. These games
away from Tampa have necessitated
trips in a motor bus crowded to ca
pacity over distances ranging from
- 80 to 90 miles one way, and the Ma
tional bosses are beginning to believe
that the jaunts under such conditions
may offset to a great extent the phys
ical benefits derived from the train
ing course at Plant Field.
= Club Has Slowed Up.
Certain it is that the club generally
has slowed in it's work within the
past few days. And almost to a man
the players claim that the frequent
tours about the gator State, involv-
ing as they do great changes in diet
j and in drinking water-there seems
to be special variety of drinking
water in each town in the State-hin-
der them in their conditioning work.
Then, too, the many kinds of fields
they play on affect the athletes I'M
favorably. At Plant Field they have
x comparatively good ground now.
And the diamond they used. at ST. Pc
tersburg was fine, too, but the field
b. at Sarasota was spongy; that at Bra
= denton baked almost to the hardness
of cement, the Orlando plant about as
loose as ashes, and the Avon Park
Field still in need of much raking and
rolling. Today they were to perform
p upon a diamond that several years ago
was splendid, but since has so hard
ened that the game might just as
well be staged on a city street.
A field below par took toll of the
Nationals yesterday while they were
losing to the Cards for the second sue
-cessive time in an s to 0, eight-inning,
rain terminated engagement at Avon
morning said that he had been ex-
periencing more trouble with his un-
derpinning this year than ever before
in his Big League career, had to retire
after singing in the sixth because of
q leg strain.
Speakers Leg Hurt.
iris Speaker, while a-field in the
sixth, hurt his right leg and was
forced to leave the contest. With
Nick Cullop already in Rice's place
in the lineup, Ollie Tucker, the only
- other substitute outfielder at Avon
Park with the Nationals, and who had
: batted for Horace Lisenbee in the
fifth frame, was permitted by the
Cards to return to the conflict.
The three cripples now in the Ma
tional camp are not likely to get back
into the lineup for some time. Man.
ager Bucky Harris had an X-ray made
of his battered right-hand index finger
in Tampa yesterday and learned that
bony growths around the joints, the
result Of old injuries, had been
cracked. He now has his hand in a
sling.
iris Speakers right knee was &C.
verely wrenched and Sam Rice pulled
charley horse in his right leg in
yesterdays engagement. Speaker
returned to Tampa ahead OF the other
members of the club and was ordered
to bed Immediately after his hurt limb
was treated.
Rice, though. had to endure the
tedious return trip to the Nationals
training base in the motor bus with
his eliminates. He suffered much pain
in his leg throughout the journey that
was made through q driving rain, re-
Quiring more than four hours.
Harris does not expect to return to
the lineup until some time late next
week. Speaker may swing into action
again when the Giants are encoun.
tered at st. Augustine, while Rice
probably will be ready for those tits
How Club Bosses Figure.
OF course, the clubs bosses bring
their charges to Florida ostensibly tt
get them in good shape for the
arduous grind OF q championship race
And In addition to general conditioning
work they are eager to send the mer
into number OF games, for after all
playing base ball still is regarded al
the best way to learn base ball. Ever
the old timers need these Spring games
as well as the rockies, for the ole
timers usually develop a few meta
kinks during the off season.
However, a training campaign
costs a club a deal Of money. Trans
portation, housing and feeding of tive
score athletes hit the club pocketbool
solidly. And the exhibition games ar,
supposed TO partially replenish thu
clubs exchecquer as well as build III
the players. With so many OF thei
men showing the i'll effects of juantint
about Florida, though, President Clarl
Griffith and other club bosses are be
<Fwarr e. l.
let the treasury suffer a bit at thi
time and keep the players at thei
training base more that they may b
better conditioned for the big bushes
OF the year-the championship race.
If the club is physically stroni
enough to give its best during tn
flag chase the treasury probably Wi
take care OF itself, the bosses think.
Phillies at Tampa Tomorrow.
Tomorrow the Nationals will sho,
on their home field for the only tim
this week. Their guests will be tn
Phillies, who were trimmed by tn
Harrismen in tilt at Bradenton no
so long ago. Then. after a Frida
given over to long practice sessio
they will board train for the tediou
trip across State to st. Augustine
where the Giants will be encountere
Saturday and Sunday. That will b
the last hike until the northwar
Journey home starts on April 3.
The venerable Grover Clevelan
Alexander and Young Eddie Dyer, tn
latter a southpaw pitcher, made tn
Nationals seem dubs yesterday a
Avon Park. Alex yielded but fiv
hits in the six innings he toiled an
only one National got as far as thir
base in that time. All they gleane