Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-29

SnOulu De prepared 10 WlIIlSCdIlS
the likely chilly spell to be en-
countered at Boston, where the!
are to enter a series immediatel!
after opening the country'S baSt
ball season in Washington or
April a. The f1aSco of % anC
80 ought not to be repeated.
No less an authority than Mike Mar
tin, trainer of the Washington base bal
club. declares this:
You know, at the openings of the
past two seasons the club had to play
in very bad weather, weather absolutely
unfit for base ball. says Mike, and II
did not do it one bit of good. In fact
it harmed it to such an extent that
following the start in Winter-like
weather in Washington two years age
the club did not get back in good trim
again until late in the Summer, and
last year its players were in poor shape
almost all the time.
Stiffened by Cold.
Each year the players came up from
the South in good condition, too. In
1928 they trained under the hot Flor
ida sun well into the first week OF
April, and 1t was a good and sound lot
that went through the exhibition series
on the way home. Then what hap
pened. The men ran into two very
cold days in Washington before the
season opened and the opening day
itself was really wintry. Muscles stiff
fened, many players caught cold and all
the benefit of the Florida sun was gone.
Last Spring don't think a finer
conditioned ball club ever left Florida
than the Washington club. 1t was in
wonderful shape physically. Every man
was ready to work. Everything went
along fine until we struck Charlotte, N. G.
During the game there a hailStorm
came along and cold weather. very cold
weather, set in Immediately after. We
went straight from Charlotte to Wash
ington to find much colder weather,
and once more all the good gained in
Florida was gone.
But I am sure it will be different
this year." says the veteran trainer.
I'VE trained under better conditions in
many ways at Biloxi than we had at
Tampa in some seasons, and when the
club got to Chattanooga almost every
man was in trim. The Biloxi camp
was free of colds and the air there was
bracing. nothing like the Florida air
that, with its steady heat, often sapped
the strength Of the players. It was a
hardened lot of men that left Biloxi
this month, lot of men not likely to
be upset by sudden weather changes.
Mike is Satisfied.
ST think the present condition of the
players after undergoing the chill of the
week at Chattanooga proves this. They
withstood it wonderfully and now are
as sound as / could want them. So
sound, think it would take eXcep-
tionally bad weather to put them out
OF commission. And remember we still
have more than a week of training to
do in this climate before we move slow
" to Washington. This should help the
club more.
Believe me-" says Mike, "this club
should be in tip-top shape when it
reaches Washington and should hold
shape despite the cold weather we are
likely to run into at Boston. Time and
time again have seen the Washington
club meet with very rough weather in
Boston the middle of April. And have
seen its players lose condition as q re-
suit. But am confident theren be no
such trouble this year.
1.-THE inf1elderS, outfielders and
catchers are fine now" Mike contends.
Buddy Myer has a slightly sore throw
ing arm, but Buddy always has that
trouble in the Spring. AT least, he has
had it since I have known him in base
ball. Jack Hayes arm is o. <. His
trouble came from a too sudden cooling
in the wind after brisk workout, but
1t did not last long. Sam West, too,
will have his arm right again in a day
or two. Nothing to worry about.
And, look the pitchers over. Ex-
cepting this young fellow Pyle. who is
troubled with neuritis, and Braxton and
Jones every one is right up to snuff.
Pyle, I don't know about. This neuritis
is tricky" figures Mike, "but Braxton
is fast trainer, you know, and he'll be
around soon even though he started
late. AS for Jones, that old war horse
knows how to take care of himself. He
could go now. I am tickled with the
condition Of the club, tell you."
Griffs to Keep Busy.
Martin thinks the exhibitions the Ma
tionals are to engage in rather steadily
from now until the opening Of the
championship campaign are about all
needed to give the club the fine edge
it should have on April IA. Following
the tits with the Chicks here today
and tomorrow the club will have but
three days without games in two weeks,
and this stretch of competition will
find all hands busy.
The Nationals were not given much
trouble yesterday by the Giant second
Stringers at Chattanooga. Collecting
the left-handed Hen Hensel and the
right-handed Jim Kenneth, rockies,
the Washington bunch won. 10 to 8.
Five Of the runs were cleaned off Scott
in the first six rounds. Five more were
made in the seventh off the young
SterS
Ossie Bluege, old-timer, and Jimmie
Mcleod and Jake Powell, youngsters,
did some fine seeking for the Nationals.
RlfynOn in Nn fraV oIa
bases with two-bagger; Mcleod, with
double, drove over the first run of
the big seventh round and Powell came
along with a triple to score two mates
Ad LiskR took a siX-round turn
against the Giant rockies and allowed
them but two hits. These were clus-
tered in the third inning and Melted
the opposition tally after two were
out. The New Workers had made a
run IN the second session from Bluege's
two-base wild throw and a brace of
felders' choices. Bob Burke left-handed
his way through the last three rounds
and gave up two safeties, one a homer
by Kenneth. Burke struck out six bat
tiers, retiring the side in this manner In
the eighth.
The Nationals went into the third
Two runs back but squared accounts
with pass to Ruel and singles by
Loepp, Barnes and Myer. Then came
the fat fifth and seventh frames to
salt the game.
Muddy Ruel took a nasty knock on
the right thigh from a fouled ball early
In the fray yesterday. but stuck to his
task through six innings. The bruise
still had his leg sore today.
Myer, sore arm and all, did some
nifty fielding for the Nationals. He
played six innings at second base and
handled Clearly seven chances. He had
to make six throws to first, but did not
put much into them.