The Washington times., 1936-01-28
SportCan
Gathers
Tonight
Bv KIRK MILLER
lines Sports Editor


q blowout every year, as he
is doing for the second con-
secutive year, this evening, in
honor of his prize Herford
radio broadcaster, Arch Nc
Donald, he may ultimately be
, responsible for giving Wash
ington that long needed annual
sports gathering not enjoyed
here since the days Of Lou
Little.
For years Lou staged a banquet
here under the auspices Of the
GEORGETOWN "G-Club," that was
assuming immense proportions up
to the moment Columbia Univer-
sity beckoned Little thither. The
early installments were held in
downtown restaurants, but their
popularity grew with Lttle'S and
ultimately the assemblages taxed
the capacities of WaShlngton'S
grandest ball rooms.
Something to Anticipate
There was an annual stag fix
ture toward which every sports
minded man in Washington
: looked forward from year to year.
Just after the 1884 world series
DR.. Gibbs conceived the idea OF a
banquet, with Arch Mcdonald, his
faithful sports announcer, as the
nubbin thereof. and a notable
gathering of gentlemen sat down
to the repaSt.
. It was a thoroughly satisfactory
evening in every respect, most
especially because on every hand
the guests were either leaders in
sport, participants therein or ad-
diets thereto. 1t was quite IN
formal and everybody felt genu-
inely at home.
A lot of the boys, who, like NC
Donald, make their living trading
on sports activities of the hour,
are sort Of grateful that Clark
{: Griffith, washington club owner
will be unable to be present TO-
night, because, incident to the pre-.
. vious Mcdonald ceremonies, Grill
got us all out of bed at 8 a. m. the
morning after, to announce tne
Cronin-Red Sox deal.
Griff EVened Everything
If Griff ever had any venom
stored up to wreak upon the type,
writer technicianS, he eVened all
scores on that occasion. some
how one hardly feels like answer
ing the telephone on the morning
following bread-breaking with
DOC" Gibbs and his ally, McDon-
= aid.
In many respects the Cronin-
Red Sox story was the story OF Ine
: century, and it needed clear alert
E, heads to handle.
You may be more profoundly
impressed with the sweeping sue
cess of that initial Gibbs-McDon-
aid festival when I remind you II
is harder to get ticket thereto
than for a camel to pass through
the eye of needle:
One informant tells me they are
actually being scalped and that
. a transaction of late last week
saw two tickets for the Liberty
League dinner traded even for one
ticket to tonight's jambouree.
Deals ALI Over
But there'll be no big baseball
deal announced in the morning,
so all hands can relax tonight.
. IN, prettv nositive of this, as I
questioned Griff about it last
week in Orlando, and he declares
he's going to press next April WIN
what he's got: that is, unless col;
Jake Rupert changes his mino
and decides to give half million
dollars for Buddy Myer.
And now that I'm back-tracklng
Z down memory's lane to Orlando
it might be the proper moment 10
state that Washington will start
s.: training next month in what
- amounts to a veritable nest OF
important major and minor league
training sites.
Why, you can knock a good
long fly over almost any fence at
1UlkG OAA0AASAOS N~~~
land in a baseball camp.
Such a condition affords the
Griffmen the kind of an exhlbl-
ton schedule that is calculated to
bring the club up to competitive
edge for the April opening, an ele-
= ment which Biloxi totally lacked.
All Easy Shots
Winter Garden, where Albany is
played, is only maShie-n1blc up
the road, and Kissimmee, where
the Baltimore orioles are to be en-
countered can be reached with a
good brassie. Chattanooga is to
be encountered at Sanford, so
close you can smell what they're
cooking for breakfast.
There are two open dates in the
Griff schedule and Minneapolis,
ensconced at Deland, is sure 70
attract the GriffS for one Of them,
with Montreal, training a few
miles away, being considered for
the other. All of these places are
easy bus jumps.
: Fact is, the Griffs will have to
hop the rattlerS but once to COM
plete their schedule before leaving
& Orlando to come North; games
:. with the Red Sox at Sarasota and
; the Cardinals at Bradenton on sue
: ceSsive days being the only occa-
:. sion on which the Washington
;sclub won't sleep at Orlando during
4 "a efaHy to GJiAJsi6a