- Outside of a Few Other Ailments the Team Is All Right and Ready for the Spring Series, Huggins Says
- Pitching Staff Is Main Reliance.
Not one of the Cardinals who returned to St. Louis Thursday morning was frost-bitten during the stay in St. Augustine, Fla., an alleged training camp. It was very cold in St. Augustine, but the players successfully combatted the elements and escaped injury from weather. They return here to get in condition for the spring series, which opens Saturday, at Sportsman’s Park.
“We had some tough breaks in the weather,” explained Manager M. J. Huggins who really isn’t given to the alibi as he emerged from a Pullman. “Some of my players, especially Whitted and Steele, are bringing home sore arms, while there an abundance of aching limbs in the squad. It was simply too cold at times to work off the soreness and as a result we are not in the best possible shape.”
Hug says he will put his men to work Thursday afternoon in earnest, as the weather here Is warm enough for a stiff session. He aims to use his regular lineup Saturday, with the possible exception of a switch at third base, where Cozy Dolan may replace G. Bostick Whitted, and figures to give the Browns a battle royal, even though Rickey’s men have the bulge in condition.”
Here’s the Cards’ Regular Team.
Hug’s regular team as constituted in the late practice games in the land of sunshine (joke) is as follows: Huggins; 2b Magee, If; Butler, ss; Miller, 1b; Wilson, rf; Whitted or Dolan, 3b; Cather, cf; Wingo, c.
His full squad totals 28, which was by all odds the smallest army encamped in the South this season. Manager Rickey of the Browns took a squadron of 47 to St. Petersburg and will return tomorrow with upwards of 35, after having released a score or more.
Pitchers are Sallee, Steele, Doak, Robinson, Perritt, Niehaus, Hopper, Hagerman, Griner, Williams and Brower.
There only was one drawback to the Cards’ home-coming. That was the announcement made by a club official that the Robison Field diamond was not yet ready to receive the athletes. A belated attempt was made to “build up” the playing field at the Cardinal park, and as a result the diamond isn’t in shape for playing. Hug has ordered a workout Thursday afternoon, regardless.
Most of the players, after leaving the station, boarded a Laclede Avenue car so that they could take a peek at the new Federal league grand stand. Many of them doubted that the outlaw park is as near completion as the newspaper reports had It.