Evening star., 1933-02-28
Pals With Players, Has All
ToiIing EarnestIy-Has
No Training Fads.
BY TOM DOERER.

OF his waistcoat, still one Of the gang,
Cronin will surprise a lot Of the critics
who felt that the kid pilot of the
peaceful pastime would have to shun
overalls and place a top hat upon his
pate to get respect and obedience from
an aggregation of ball players to whom
he had been just part of the crowd.
Taking his managerial duties as more
of sideline than his main occupation
in base ball, Cronin accepts the new
role with the same gracious boylshneSS
that he received the mOSt-valuable-
player o-his-team honor, last years
bay flower tribute from the sports writ
ers-and the last three years of praise
showered upon him for his sterling
duties at short.
THOSE critics and fans who expected
L the kid leader to start off in boyish
zeal and ambitions to revolutionize
training methods, lash whip to hurry
on veteran pitchers who have their
own way of getting into shape are
going to be sadly wrong if these few
days Of Cronin's activities are an indi-
cation of what he will do the remainder
OF the season.
In return for this back patting,
honest friendliness, constant mixing
and milling around with the boys, the
lobby flaming bees and nightly gather
ing with the flock around the fireplace
the players are giving Joe the finest
sort Of spirit your observer has seen at
any training camp.
There is no whip-lashing out there
on Biloxi ball field in the morning
drills, no orders from Cronin and few
10 Yly rif nf
veterans feeling that Joe understands
that they know enough about their
condition to start and stop at the
proper times, are running through their
PAGES in splendid fashion.
There Is not shirker in the crowd"
Joe tells me. You know I'm a ball
player first, manager second, and
the boys know how I feel about it. I
can't tell you how much I appreciate
the wonderful spirit they are showing
IN training and the fine straightfor-
ward manner in which they deal with
me. We are all ball players-the play
ers make the manager and not the
manager the players-so you can un-
derstand how I feel toward such a
loyal gang.
IT do not feel any different toward
the boys because I'm manager. The
fact is, want them to forget that I'm
pilot and view it from the angle that
I'm just another ball player helping,
with them, to give Washington flag.
Only I'm the fellow who has agreed
THAT IS how Cronin reacts to his
i new task, which may or may not
surprise a lot of people in base
ball who had varied views on what was
Eodng to happen when a 26-year-old
player took the reins OF ball club
With pennant aspirations.
Whether Cronin would continue this
attitude should the team drop into a
losing streak, Is something which will
have to be taken up at that time. But
down here he is a prince of good fel-
lows, q pal to the vets, friend OF the
rocks and the most obliging news
source an annoying newspaper man
would want to meet up with anywhere.
am convinced that Cronin is so
much of a ball player he will not let
the annoyances of managerial work
interfere with his playing. As he said
and meant-he is q player first and .!
believe this will be shown during the
coming flag fight. Not even the glory
and tumult of winning flag, I feel,
would deter Joe from trying to remain
the best short fielder in the American
League.
n7HERE was plenty of let's-do-it-for-
i Joe spirit in yesterdays workout.
For a time 1t appeared as II the new
manager Of the Grifts would have 70
get a Biloxi policeman and cause the
arrest of Whitehill, Russell and Al
Thomas, the pitchers who were scorcn-
ing around the field to strengthen theH
underpinning. Later on, Whiteh1u trleo
To carve a few Initials with a curve
Mike Martin had the boys take up
tag ball. It Is q game In which tne
players, in circle, rapidly pass
medicine ball to one another, WINE q
man in the center attempts 70 tag ~.
If he touches the medicine ball, ne Is
replaced in the center by the man VINO
last threw the big sphere and the
game goes on. ,,s,-,
tongues were hanging, shoulders
drooping and legs wobbling when the
half hour of tag ball ended. 1T Is
GREAT stunt for working up a gooo
perspiration," said Mike.
HHoE BERGS arrival yesterday
IVl morning brought out the camera
men and the world Traveller, Wnom
Griffith insists came nome & py way ta M
Siam and the Suez Canal, because ne
O0layeQ Ill CO1AA0AS w ~~N>f,
to 20 through lot OF posing.
However, having no japanese lan-
terms. nor kimonos, Moe, NICK AltrocA
and AL Schacht squatted IN japanese
fashion for the boys and trlcK props
were obtained from the hotel.
Bere's presence here makes the party
complete. Bill Smith will be down TINS
Afternoon, Griffith says, and some OF
the desk work will be turned over 10
The field secretary Cecil Travis, the
infielder, will report tomorrow; BUGGY
Mver. regular second baseman, Will
come in Thursday and Heinle Manusn
NAV come towering in q day earlier
than the rest of the boys to indicate
that It may be depression and IL may
he the earnestness Of this nag ngnt
which is bringing to camp young men
Who ordinarily would rather stay back
home and play pinochle until the last
whistle blew.
nuOxI weather yesterday was noth-
ID ing to write home about. The
Chamber of Commerce issued
hourly apologies. The skies were dark,
but rain was holding back The work
out was the best since the Grif1s have
been encamped here.
Hudson Hamm of Fort Lauderdale,
Fla. won the Florida public courts ten
- titls this year for the fouJth tmA