Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-04

- of the Nationals has been
in camp now for from a
week to 10 days, the initial group
reporting February % and the
second contingent getting into
action on the 26th-Spring prac-
tice really didn't get under way
until today when the first batting
drill was held.
UP until this time the condi
tioning efforts of the athletes on
hand consisted only of limbering-
up calisthenicS, such as tossing,
bunting, fielding, a session of vol
ley ball and a jog or two around
the park.
Starting this forenoon, however, the
spacious Biloxi stadium assumed more
OF an aspect of real base ball with
succession of pitchers appearing on the
HILL shooting their offerings plateward
where nlaskmen in regular catchers
regalia were stationed to receive them,
while a procession of stick wielders
stepped up to the platter for two
swings and a bunt" as rapidly as their
turn would arrive.
There is nothing any ball player
likes to do quite so much as hit, this
applying equally as well to fingers,
who as class are poor at the business,
as to the players who get more chance
to develop ability in swatting by getting
In the game every day, and all hands
embraced the opportunity with avidity.
Infield Was Uncertain.
There had been some question
uyk1 otfino nPtiPa would
augurated today, because of the I'M
certain condition of the infleld, some
what softened by recent rains, but
when an inspection of the diamond
satisfied Trainer Mike Martin that the
recently applied top dressing of black
loan had set sufficiently we'll on the
yellow clay base and Manager johnson
gave the word to proceed the athletes
chorused a whoop Of satisfaction.
The start was made after the per-
spring delegation had gotten steamed
up to the proper stage through the
medium of the usual preliminary ex-
ercises and between turns at bat each
of the athletes continued some form
of activity to avoid cooling of and
getting chilled.
Not all of the Is fingers on deck here
went to the mound to offer targets for
the wand wielders as such a pr 5cedure
was considered unwise in the cases of
some of the veterans and others vino
are bit shy on seasoning. Sam Jones
and Fred Marberry, for instance, con-
tinued to do all of their work on the
side lines, as did Ad Liska, Bob Burke
and Al Crowder. Art Fidler, who halls
from far of London, Ontario, and Mel
vim Eckfelt, fresh of the wind-swept
prairies in the vicinity Of chilly Chi
cago, also were directed to postpone hill
g. 1a.nk ktaA 0kt1
each put in a trick of pill pushing last
ing for about 10 minutes.
All efforts at curves were strictly
tabooed, the Fingers in most instances
being content to do little mere than
lob the ball III the general direction OF
the pan. but some of the more adj
vanced of the corps were permitted to
put a little something on the ball in
the way of speed, and for majority
OF the players standing at the plate Tor
the first time this year the zip gen.
Grated by Walter Tauscher and Lynn
Griffith proved little too much to cope
with successfully. Joe Smith, for whom
pitching TO batters comes easy, due to
the experience he acquired in that Ca
pacity with the Nationals last season,
and Lloyd Brown, whose arm seems TO
be made of rubber, displayed unusually
good control, but Bump Hadley, Carl
Fischer, Ray Mcmahon and George
Grayson had some difficulty keeping the
ball where the hitters could get a fair
crack at IL.
AS a result of the hurlers' natural
preseason wildnesS, Pat Charity, Ed
Kenna and Cliff Bolton, who split up
the business of receiving, were kept
busy stretching for wide balls, digging
them out of the dirt and leaping for
high ones, and in some instances, the
pitches were so far eff direction they
completely missed the portable back
stop placed in the rear to prevent fouls
from getting scuffed up against the
grandstand or sailing out Of the in
closure.
Sam Rice CIouts Pill.
First in line when the batting prac-
tice got under way was Sam Rice, who
is supposed to do nothing more strenu-
Gus this week than play golf, but who
started his base ball drilling yesterday
under the impression that an oppor-
tunity to do some hitting would be af-
forded him then. The veteran dis
played the same smooth swing with
which he has amasSed an average of
around 1926 for his IS years in the big
show and sent many a sharp liner
whistling over the head of Al Schacht,
who was s@ationed in the diamond back
of the bo-; to cut of balls relayed in
from the outfield and feed them to the
pitchers.
Sam West was second on the list and
he met the easy offerings served up
soHdly. but refrained from any lusty
swinging. It was in lunging with a bat
that West hurt his throwing arm here
last Spring. and Il was while whaling
savagely at a pitched ball late in the
season that he suffered a recurrence Of
the injury, so Sammy is taking no
chances this time.
From this time forward batting drills
are to be regular feature Of the daily
workouts and it is expected that by
Monday, when the inflelders and out
flelders are scheduled TO inaugurate
their training, the pitchers will be in
flne shape TO undertake the assignment
nf sha manning .nrntins for the all i'm