Nor Heat Nor Rain Stays Spring Practice

Don Drysdale and Roger Craig began a game of pool. Johnny Podres wrote letters. Occasionally he rose to peek out the window.

"What do you see, John?" someone asked.

"Still raining."

On the porch just off the lobby a few rookies were gathered around a bowling machine. They played automatically and without enthusiasm. And soon they quit. At a corner table playing bridge sat Don Zimmer, Ed Roebuck, Coach Jake Pitler and a rookie. The rookie was confused.

"Lead where it'll hurt them, kid," said Pitler. "Lead that big suit."

"Hey, Jake," complained Zimmer, "why not write him a letter?"

"Shut up and check the weather," answered Pitler. Zimmer went to the door and looked out.

"It's still raining—harder than it was an hour ago," he said. "Damn rain."

Run, Ron, run

Ron Jackson, the 6-foot 7-inch first baseman of the Chicago White Sox, worked out on Al Lopez Field in Tampa for several days before the first official day of training for the Sox. That day Coach Tony Cuccinello took the entire squad, including Jackson, into left field and had them run, run, run for more than 20 minutes, back and forth across the outfield under a blazing sun.