Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-19
BASE BALL FACTIONS

"Factionalism prevails among the MEM
bers Of nearly all of the major league ball
clubs" remarked a man who knows
good deal Of base ball politics. 1T Is rare
ehat the players of a big club are not d.
vided into camps or groups. And in some
OF these groups all sorts of knocking goes
on continually. Sometimes the factions are
evenly divided. and when this is the case
the dove of peace doesn't perch very Sc
curely over the fortunes Of a team. The
team divided against itself Is In a state OF
sneerfng warfare all the time. and the
fancy cracks fly as thick as hailstones In
Kansas when two opposing aerial currents
meet and clash. Teamwork Is destroyed,
no matter how clever the majority of the
players may be individually. and the fans
can't figure out what the trouble Is, not
knowing the inside politics of the club.
las a general thing, however, the ma
jOrity OF the members Of team are firmly
welded together against one or two menu
bers of the club. Jealousy is usually at
the bottom of these coalitions. Base ball
players as a class are more jealous than
grand opera singers. The young players.
those who have only recently butted into
the big leagues from the minors. often be-
come sore on their new companions under
the big tent who attempt to give them
pointers. It might naturally be supposed
that the young fellow just taken out OF
the ranks of the minor leagues would be
tractable. willing to learn more OF the
game, even eager for instruction; but this
Is rarely the case.
THE average young player, brought into
a big club from a minor league. does not
keep his perkiness long under cover, nor
does it take him long to gravitate to the
camp of the kicking faction that is nearly
always organized among the younger play
ers against the old-timers Of team. These
young fellows do not usually figure that the
old-timers can teach them anything about
the game Of ball. They frequently advert
to the seasoned players, who have been IN
the game for many years, as back numbers.
They often claim to know as much, II not
more. about the game of ball than the old
time players, and they sometimes balk at
any kind of instruction or coaching from
the veterans. They even resent, inwardly,
at any rate-and worldly when they get
with their group of observation-disclosures
passed out to them by team captains or
bench managers.
"Often the little factional groups into
which teams split up will get together for
the deliberate purpose OF downing one man
attached to the team. 1t Is generally Inn
possible for an outsider, no matter how
closely he may be associated with team.
to ascertain just why all hands have 1t IN
for this one man; but jealousy Is almost
invariably at the root of 1t.
1.-The rank and file Of clubs players
don't like the teams stars, and they are
often in a state of secret, and sometimes
open, revolt against them. Few star pitch
ers get on well with their team mates. The
latter are prolific with their sneers direct
ed at the crack finger. They are Jealous
of the big money he draws down and of the
secret bonus that they are sure awaits him
II he makes good up to a certain point, ana
they secretly enjoy his discontinue on the
inevitable day when he Is batted out OF the
box.
II am speaking you understand. in
general sort of way, and not of any par
ticular club. The pitchers attached to
some of the big teams mighty jealous
of and sore on each other. no matter how
they may strive to keep up an appearance
Of friendship. One team that has pitch
ing staff of six men is notable for this Kind
of soreness between the twirlers In that
three of the pitchers live in state of open
dislike of the other three. 1t Is an even
division in numbers, but not In ability. The
three under dogs whose work Is in no wise
comparable with that OF the other three
grid at the latter whenever they get
chance and unhesitatingfy profess that
they don't get the support In their games
that the three top-tossers of the team get
when they are on the mound. This claim
on the part of the three under dog pitch
ers has made their supporting team mates
sore so that there is a sort of all-hands-
around clashing Of cliques In that club
pretty nigh all the time.
'"The players are not often fond of the
utility men, especially when the latter are
good all-around players, capable OF jump
ing into almost any position at a moments
notice. The regular players look upon the
utility men as fellows who are eager to
have some accident happen to the regular
players that will give the utility men their
chance to go on and make good enough 70
nail regular playing biliets.
Upon one point all of the factions of GER
tain clubs unite. and that point Is in
furtive but thoroughly well-sustafned oppo-
Sition to a bench manager.
1.-The day of the bench manager Is rapidly
passing Ball players don't like bench
manager from any point OF view, and those
among them who are stars of such magni-
with impunity make no bones OF giving
utterance to the dislike which they feel
toward the man who directs the opera
tons on the diamond In his street clothes
1.-The PLAYERS have several reasons for
their dislike of the bench manager. They
claim that In the first place, man has
got to be actually in the game to know
what is going to be the best thing to 90
in certain situations, and they say that
no matter how much bench manager may
know about the game. his view of things
Is bound to be warped and OUT OF !lne Wnen
he is watching the situation from the
bench.
is provided with too much power. and tnat
his position is such that he may do unfa1r
things in the handling Of the players with
out their having any chance to get pacK at
him, as they would have IN the case OF
III.
having the bench manager instruct them
how to pitch to certain batsmen. Not one
pitcher in five really pays the slightest at
tention to such instructions, but they don't
like to have to receive such instructions at
all.
1T seems to be the accepted fact that
bench managers are far more of1ctous in
their manner of instructing players during
the progress of games than team captains.
It is gradually coming to be seen by base
ball leaders that the less ball players are
instructed during the progress of games
the better they will play.
lone of the secrets of the success OF
Napoleon Lajoie, the sorely- missed captain
of the Cleveland club. has been his complete
willingness to allow his players to do what
they want to do in a game In their own
way. When Lajoie first took the captaincy
Of the Cleveland club several of the Cleve-
land players, willing to give such big
chief of the game all that was coming to
him as one of the greatest luminaries OF
the diamond asked him what they should
do at certain stages of the early games.
Don't ask me anything about It was
I.ajoie's invariable reply You fellows
know how to play ball. or you wouldn't be
here You go up there and do the thing
that strikes you ought to be done, and I'll
stand for 1t, whether you get by with 1t or
not You're not kids In the game, but ball