The Washington times., 1937-03-11

Athletes Wait
InterCIub
Games
By FRANK BUCK" ONEML

By FRANK BUCK" O'NEILL
ORLANDO, Fla, March 10.-A
new game came into the train
ing camp life Of the Griffs TO-
day as the boys romped out on
the diamond at Tinker Field to
go through their daily stunts.
On all sides you heard Giants"
and If the spirit continues to
blaze as it blazed this morning,
we may have banners stretched
from the Angebilt Hotel across
North Range Avenue bearing
the legend, Beat the Giants"
The opening game Of the
spring season for the GriffS will
be played on st. Patrick'S Day
with Terry's tourists from Ha-
vana, You might think that
this game counted in the sea-
sons average, for the boys are
out to win.
They're going to start earnest
practice on Saturday morning,
if the weather permits. The
regulars, with Capt. Buddy
Myer in charge, viii mingle with
the Yannigans under the direc.
ton of Capt. OSsie Bluege. OF
course, if the wind whips out
of the North as it did early yes
terday, making clothing from
home necessary, the skirmish
will be postponed.
Myer Ready
Buddy Myer announced this
morning that he was ready to
start hard work. For the last
couple of days the second sacker
has been nursing a stiff neck. Un-
able to swing hard at the ball, ana
naturally unable to take part in
the infield work, Myer has been
doing q lot Of running. He ID
at playing weight, and says he
never felt better in his life. He
wants to face the Giants.
'T feel ready to work now"
Buddy said this morning. II
had little hard luck in bObbing
up with . stiff neck, but You can
bet that from now on I'll be
doing the full stint"
Clark Griffith has worked up
a healthy peeve against the Giants.
Griff resents bitterly the fact
that Terry sent the New York
club out on the field against the
CubanS before the Giants were
ready to play.
''If them CUbanS can beat the
Giants, we can beat 'em," said
Griff to Harris today. ''They
may be in little better shape
than we are but we n take
'em."
Griffith regards two Of the men
in camp as his key players for the
season. always excluding the
pitchers. They are Buddy Myer
and Frank Hogan. AS they go, so
will go the Washington club, pro.
viding that the pitchers do their
share. OF course, if the pitchers
fall down then ball park full Of
HoganS and Myers won't save the
team.
'Tf Myer plays his best ball,
and / am pretty sure that he
will he is going to work wonders
with the infield," Griffith said
today. "If Hogan Is able to
catch half Of the games, and
I'm expecting him to catch at
least half the games, he win
work more wonders.
1T will work out in this way:
ID
can help Travis improve his
game at shOrtStOp. A good SEQ.
Ond baseman can do that easily.
Last year Travis felt as strange
as q cat in strange garret. He
staggered around at ShOrtstOp
for while and never felt really
1T home. It will be different
this season with Myer there
helping him out.
WILL HELP BOLTON
''Now in the case Of HOgan,"
Griffith said, "he is going TO do
lot of good for the pitchers,
and he is going to help Bolton.
Cliff catches well If he has Q
certain amount Of rest, and
Hogan can give him that rest.
"The pitchers like to work
with Hogan" Griff said. II
know how they feel about those
things, I remember when I
was working with the Chicago
White SOx. I had Malachi
Kitteridge as my regular Re.
ceiver. He was q fine re.
ceiver, and he was q fighter.
1 managed the team, but he
used to bawI me out If I
didn't pitch the way he wanted
me to pitch. He would rive
signs standing up, changing
them while I was winding uD
If he had to.
another catcher was Billy
Sullivan. I used to tell Billy
that on the days was pitch.
ing he was manager. He made
me pitch certain ways to certain
hitterS. Sometimes didn't
y agree with him, but believe
me, I always did what he said.
If he was wrong / bawled him
out.