The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-15
ANSON FIRST TO. START BASEBALL
 TRAINING CAMPS
Clubs Now Spend $5O,OOO to Condition Big League
 Athletes
Editors Note: Following is the sixth and last of 2 series of winter baseball stories.
BY GEORGE KIRKSEY

O \ NGO4SNG FANTASIES
 United Press Staff Correspondent
 New York, January 15. = (UP) = The sixteen major league clubs will head for Florida, California, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi next month to engage in six weeks of intensive spring training for the opening of the baseball season April IS. They'll spend more than $600,000 conditioning the players, trying out rockies and engaging in exhibition games.
 Spring training, 1888 variety, is far cry from the training camp of the old days. Pop Anson, manager adn first baseman of the Chicago White Stockings (Nationals) is pop ularly credited with holding the first spring training camp. After win ming the pennant in 1885 the stars of the White Stockings rested on their larrels during the winter and came back sadly out of condition. Many of them were hog fat from tOO AAuSAA A1I1A AOOO thA1O NCC1s
 '1t's impossible to open the sea- son with this club" said Anson. You men will have to go to Hot Springs and take the baths"
 That's how the first training camp started. Other clubs picked up the idea and nowadays even the minor league clubs go south for their preliminary work. Florida alone will play host to 9 major and minor league clubs.
 If Anson gets the credit for es- tablishing the first training camp, John J. McGraw should be awarded the honor of popularizing and de- veloping spring training. It was McGraw who battled to get the lead- ing hotels to accept the ball play CTS as guests. The old-time ball player was far from model citizen. He was rowdy, ill-mannered at at meal time and inclined to e1nbar- rass the hotels other guests.h But McGraw spared no expense n hous- ing his athletes and he finally in- duced the better hotels to cater to the Giants.
 McGraw was the first manager to take club to California to train, going there way back in 1907. Later he took the Giants to Marlin, Texas, which in its day was perhaps the most colorful and finest of all comps. It was at Marlin where Mo- Graw and his court, which included the joyial, fun-loving Wi1bert Rob inson, engaged in many of the old time pranks which made the train ing camp famous for its horseplay and hilarity.
 But the days of sending rockies on snipe hunts, initiating the new conner into the sudden return of the travelling salesman and other pranks are forever gone from training camps as far as the ball players are concerned. Training nowadays is dead serious business. Some of the clubs spend from $40,00O to $50 900 to get their athletes in condition and they don't want their chattels engaging in high -jinks at their ex- pense.
 Occasionally club like the New York Yankees or pennant winner with 8 big drawing card can show profit on spring training. When Babe Ruth was in his heyday with the Yanks they frequently made money during a long exhibition tour. Once they showed $6O,0O0 profit. They may d oit again with Joe Dimaggio as the big magnet. The Giants under Bill Terry also have collected big money during their spring tours. Terry's theory has been to shift camps every spring, and draw down guarantee from the city which the Giants deign to honor. Several cities have paid the Giants $lO,O0O to train within their borders. Last year the Giants were at Havana, but this spring they move to Baton Rouge, La- where the state is building a ball park for them.
 The Chicago Cubs permanent training base at Catalina Island off the California coast is perhaps the best training camp. On this island P. K. Wrigley puts his Athletes up in style at fancy resort hotel and they train in picturesque setting which would make old Pop Anson rub his eyes.