The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-13
O'CONNOR TO PLAY FOR HIS
FRIEND, MANAGER MAILER
Sturdy Bcsop Will Scarce Accept Proposition to Manage the
Denver Team-The Causes Which Led Up the Depoflar
Patsy Donovan-Mcn Personal Worth Are Scarce
Among Baseball Players

not less than three clubs. In Cleveland
Pittsburs and New York O'Connor ha
practically managed the team he rlayet
with on the field. He actually put thu
New York American team together.
That is to say. he signed all its players
and presented an organized team to Clarl
Griffith. What o'Connor did for Cleveland
when he was Oliver Tebeau's first lieu
tenant is history. That he was the men
tai nainstay of Pittsburg was amply dem.
onstrated by the work of that team ir
1868 as compared with Its performances in
1907. That o'Connor was the only man
on the Pirate team of 1902 who knew the
| game of baseball in anything but a me-
| chanical way has since been made plain.
| When lie quit the club there was nothing
! from stealing third base with man on
| the Dag any time they took u notion to
| run.
| FRIENDLY FEELING EXISTS.
Between OConnor and McAleer there
exists Il friendship Of years. McAleer is
| a man of rare personal worth, straight
forward. honest. upright, plain-speakins
fellow. in whom there Is not an atom OF
! itician. McAleer never bent the pregnant
| hinges OF the knee that thrift might fol-
low fawning. He sticks by his principles
and his principles are high; He sticks by
his friends and his friends are usually
worth sticking to.
o'Connor Is man OF much the same
type, though much more OF money
say that O'Connor ever forsook principle
or deserted a friend. He Is wolf when
it comes to pushing a business deal with
a manager CIR IL magnate.
Man 10 man. however. friend and prin-
ciple considered. Oconnor is very little
OF politician and very much of a man.
He may go to Denver. II he does: no
one can blame him. But II he has given
his word to McAleer that he will play. If
he has accepted salary offer. it can be
taken for a certainty that OConnor will
him is plain. He is a tirst-class catcher.
rot as brilliant a thrower as Criser o.
Killing. bu: a dealy safe man behind the
bat in q game of baseball. His arm grows
better with years and he hit fairly we'll
last season. though he Is not by any means
a heavy hitte-. as rule.
CONTRAST WITH DONOVAN.
Quite different type Of a man from
McAleer and O'Connor is the popular Pat
Donovan. The tall captain OF the Car
dinais can go out in a great city unknown
and unheralded and make more friends in
two weeks than McAleer or O'COnnor
could make In 2oo years. But at the END
of two years OConnor and McAleer will
have more friends left than Donovan will
1t Is not that Patricio Is not good
fellow. a decent fellow or man Of worth.
He is all of these things. But he lacks
the rugged manhood of the other fellows.
He has large bowling, tanning and hand
shaking acquaintance, but Pat seldom has
a real bosom friend. Among women in
hotel corridor the tall fellow is the beau
ideal of a man and ball player. Among
men Of rugged ideas Of friendship and
Loyalty and pronounced opinions, Patrick
is a very nice kind of grass widow.
In ballroom. in tanning match on
the stree. or in the eye Ct the public
Donovan 6ut.0oks. outacts and outplays
McAleer and O'Connor. But with men who
have been with all three when their man.
hood was tried, will vote for the other
fellow with perfect unanimity.
Donovan is likable ana always makes
himself popular Strangely enough
seems to wear poorly. Pat once enjoyed
II greater mead CT public favor in Pitts