THE TRAINING CAMPS
Since it was first thought of more than 70 years ago, baseball's spring training has become an American institution. Today the clubs are almost as closely identified with their training camps as with their own ball parks. For instance, the Cardinals of Busch Stadium in St. Louis are also very much at home at Al Lang Field on the shores of Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is here, against a misty background of stately palm trees, that Mark Kauffman dramatizes the dual purpose of spring training: to iron out the kinks for the veterans and give the club brass a good hard look at the rookies. These purposes are served in the practice of such tactics as covering first base after a pitch (opposite page) and the other time-honored exercises of the spring, as shown on the pages following. For a report on how the Cardinals pitch camp, see page 21.
Racing hatless across outfield in hot Florida sun, rookies impress the Yankee camp with their hustle
Spiked foot bursts through explosion of sawdust in sliding pit
Live oaks dripping Spanish moss tower over green fence that silhouettes Dave Jolly (16) and 19 other hard-running Braves
In practice, grinning Stan Musial dives, misses fly ball (white blur), rolls over laughing
Green light tower rises out of Cardinal bullpen and orderly row of palm trees lines fence beyond bleachers
Newsreel cameramen in colorful sport shirts crowd into batting cage to get shots of Yanks' Bill Skowron
NINE PHOTOS
MARK KAUFFMAN