The Washington times., 1936-01-23
.GriHO.Ks
Orlando
Camp
By KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

OnAANOO, Id, Jan. A0'
One month from today the
Washington ball team will
start doing handsprings here
in Central Florida's orange
belt in preparation for the
1885 season, under the most
propitious climatic conditions
the team has enj oy d for
spring practice since it aban-
doned Tampa as its February
and March branch office,
some five years ago.
Owner CLARK Griffith has been
here since last Sunday verifying
the glowing accounts that Hon
est Jack" Camel rendered as to
the desirability Of Orlando for
preseason workouts, and today
the Washington club president
expressed himself as being Of
the belief that Honest Jack" ex-
aggerated in no detail.
Griff and Honest Jack" you
know, have been good friends for
the better part Of the current
century, Honest Jack" having
been Griff's very efficient first
baseman back around 1904. when
the old Fox was plotting and
pitching for the old New York
HighlanderS.
Camel Sold Griff
Honest Jack" finished out his
baseball association in Rochester,
N. Y, where he operated the ball
club for Walter Hagen, the golfer,
and then promoted oil and real
estate issues before going into the
citrus fruit industry here.
He is now one of OrlandoS
leading orange and grapefruit
packers and owns a patent on
process to make table wines and
cordialS out of the luscious fruit
which abounds on the nearby
lake-infested countryside.
It was Camel who went to
Washington last fall and sold"
Griff on Orlando, taking with him
weather statistics to prove that
the Brooklyn club, training here
two years in succession, expert
enced but two hours of rain IN as
many season.
Camel also carried along with
him certain monetary guarantees,
and between the latter and the
weather records, Griff capitulated.
Ideal Training Spot
Therein the grey fox Of the
House Of Griffith emphasized his
faith in Honest Jack" Camel,
when you come to think of it. No
little gamble is entailed in agree
ing beyond recall, to train a ma
jor league ball club in a location
about which you have only brief
description and one mans word.
With punch packed with neither
Chamber of Commerce capon nor
Camel after-dinner nquer, I can
state to the baseball fans OF Wash
ington that it would be an unap-
preciative ball player indeed who
will not like Orlando's set-up for
spring training.
Tinker Field, the ball park here,
which was used for eight years
by the Cincinnati Reds before
Brooklyn blew in for two springs,
is as spacious as Washington's
own park at Seventh Street and
Florida Avenue, which incidental
ly, is one of the most commodious
in baseball.
The local enclosure is just two
miles from San Juan Hotel
which in all probability will be
baseball headquarters here, al
though it may be decided to
move across the street to the
Angebilt with its larger dining
space.
Spacious Park
At Tinker Field, which has a
grand stand seating 5000 people
and bleachers for 1900 the out
fielders and batters of the Wash
ington forces can bear down in
every respect. Like at Biloxi, the
outfielders can roam far and
wide, as we'll as deep, as the
center field fence is $40 feet
from the home plate. Right
field is 423 feet and left 381 feet
from the batter.
Only twice have home runs
been hit out of the park, Jimmy
Fox being responsible on each
occasion, both blows going to the
shorter, or left field. A fine stand
of grass already ornaments the
outer reaches. and Griff is quite
satisfied with the scraped inner
works, asking only that some
black loan be hauled in from the
SwampS to take the glare off the
white sand which has been lifted
to the top following the recent
rains.
Morning and afternoon prac-
tices will be the camp order from
the very day the rawest rockies
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