The Washington times., 1928-02-20
COSTS JACK
To Train
PLAYERS
BY Louis A. Dougher

TAMPA, Fla, Feb. 20.-Today
Sir Mique Martin starts cracking
the whip over his slaves. the first
sauad of athletes reporting for duty
ON plant Field. and President Clark
c. Griffith begins unloosing ms
money bags. 1t costs real money to
nrepare a team to open the major
league campaign.
The highest of work. is marked
out for the boys here today. 1t y
confined to playing with the medl-
cine ball, fielding hunts, circling
thes track, tossing the ball under
strict orders against OVERRIDING II
s nd 5circling the track some more.
Really it's not baseball, so let go
hack to Clark Griffith's exercise,
that of opening and closing ms
purse and emptying and filling MS
gnld.trimrned fountain pen. Yes, II
costs money to come down here and
get a ball club ready to lose a pen
nant. which seven out OF eacn
eight does every year.
There's but handful OF ath-
Vetes here today, but when they
All arrive President Griffith will
face the task of supporting 81
athletes. 3 coaches and u pair
of trainers, a total Of 43 men.
Yes. and that will last through
% days before the training
camp breaks.
Grim experience says that to send
the players from their homes 10
this pretty little city cost OF S9V
ia incurred. George Sister - com
ing from faraway California, Aep
Milan and Lane, West, GrifIln ana
Marberry from Texas, Hadley from
Massachusetts, all even 1t up Tor
these who come from nearby points
ike snow Camp, N. c.; Grove Hill,
Ala and washington, d. G. Group
ing the bunch, it averages about
800 = man to get them here. And
there will be AZ Of them to get
here.
Until camp is broken on the night
ofMarch % this gang will have to
hA fed. housed and cared for IN
MANY WAYS. And it all costs money.
It will cost an average OF about
$3.50 day, without considering
such things as supplies of bats and
halls. medical care here and there
and such like.
well. without considering the ex-
fras and keeping wholly to- that
$3.50 per diem. the Old Fox Will
have to sign q check for q lot or
lack when the transforming trip
comes. One man alone will cost
around 1923 and the 43 Will cost
about $4,000.
Nine days are to be spent on
the road before Washington Is
sighted. Again grim experience
makes 1t an average OF 81 70
fote the boys around. That
makes one man cost about SlO6
~ get him to the Capital. and
there'n be 43 of them.
Most fans like to have these fig
ures all reduced to columns, SO here
they are:
Total players, coaches and train
ers 43.
Average cost per man to
camp .............''... %"o'oo
Total cost for 43......... 0'Sto.VV
Average cost per man at
camp o'"O
Total cost for 3S days at
camp ...'''''' A"'oo"'N
Averag cost per man
travelling ....'.:.':
Total cost for days
travelling ........'....... 4'O44'0O
crard +otal 22.403. 90
Now this grand total is subject
tn some shrinkage. 1t may be that
$500 or 81 900 may have to be ex-
pended for medical charges. but no
account has been taken OF the in
come from the exhibition games.
However, not since 1925 have the
Griffs received as much as they
have spent In the spring.
According to club secretaries an
average of $500 comes from the
exhibition games. The Griffs have
eight exhibitions on the road ne.
tween March % and April Z, ana
their total of receipts would be only
$4,000. Bad weather may cut that
to a lower figure. too Seldom Is
every game played. and many are
PLAYED under wretched weather con-
ditions.
The Florida exhibitions have never
been money-makers. over In st.
petersburg 1900 folks pack the
stand. and they're usually on hand
when the Griffs play their one game
there.
Tampa comes out in gOOdly
style for the first game, which
this year will be on March ~
when the Boston Braves are
here. Possibly $500 paying Gus
toners will see that game. The
New York Giants should bring
out another crowd on March %.
But the ether games will some
times attract as few aS 100.
especially when minor league
outfits are here. There's no
money In that.
According to such experienced
travelling secretaries as Col. William
smith. of the Griffs: Eddie Riley
OF the Boston Red Sox and Braves
Jim Tierney, of the Giants; Mark
Roth. of the Yankees. and Willis
johnson. of the Browns. a club IL
fortunate to get back half it's train
ing expenses.
FLORIDA hotel rates are rather
well known, IL not liked. In recen
wears railroad rates have mounted
too. Little has come down. 1t costs
a lot OF money to get a team ready
for the big league campaign, ant
the one ray of sunshine is that thu
PLAYERS draw no salaries. They don
begin till the day the season opens
~