Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-17
MANAGERS OF BIG TEAMS
tomething Ab,ut the Men Who will
Handle the Players
LEADERS OF TEAMS ON THE BIG CIRCUITS
Jones, Grimth, Mack. stahI, Jennings,
CHntillon, MoAIeer, Laioie, Nc
Grnw, Clarke, chance, Tenney,
Murray, HnnIon, Donovnn.

Many Of the men who will manage ball
teams. not only IN the National and the
American leagues, but also IN the leading
\ minor organizations, such as the Eastern
league, American association, Southern
league, Western league and Pacific Coast
league, are well known to followers OF the
national game. Naturally the two major
leagues monopollze the managerial talent,
but three managers in the big circuits this
year have only just graduated from the
minor leagues-Hugh Jennings OF Detroit
Joe Cantillon Of Washington and william
Murray OF the Philadelphia Nationals. The
success Of any ball team lie generally up to
the manager, who Is usually held RESPONSE
BILE for the work and behavior OF the play
ers, but in many cases the manager, ham
pered by the club owners is not actually
to blame.
Ups ana Downs of Managers.
It is a case Of ups and down with nearly
all these team leaders, whether they direct
their men from the bench or are players
themselves The manager Of a champion
team is always hailed as n wonder and Is
lauded to the skies. The newspapers print
his picture, the fans present him with a
gold watch or a diamond pin. the owners OF
the club and the scribes banquet him and
everybody else wants to shake him by the
hand. Whatever he may say about base
ball is regarded law, and nobody has
the nerve to dispute him. But the very
next year this same manager may find
himself at the head of a bunch of tail
enders. There has been dissension among
the players, accidents have put the best
men in the hospital and thousand other
things have helped to send the team to the
bottom. Then 1t is that thoughtless per-
sons blame the manager. Why didn't he
engage whole lot OF good substitutes early
in the Year, What did he let so-and-so get
away for2 Didn't he arrange the batting
order with rank Judgment? Who told him
that he knew thing about team play?
The hammers are kept busy and the anvils
are beaten so steadily that their surfaces
are as smooth as glass.
The indignant stockholders, who generally
don't know a base ball from a Bartlett
pear, hold a meeting and the manager is
summarily dismissed to satisfy public
clamor. Other managers come and go, the
team is dlsorganized, and 1t is sometimes
many years before some man. luckier than
others, comes along and builds up the team
once more. OF course he is a hero and all
that sort Of thing, but his time finally
comes like all the others.
Some who Are Famous.
1t has often been said that players gen.
orally make the manager. But this Is
not wholly true in the case of such veteran
handlers Of big ball teams of days gone by
as Captain Arson, Buck Ewing, John Ward,
Ned Hanlon, Frank selee and others who
developed an army of young players and
also won the highest honors in base ball
playing The same may be said Of some
OF the present managers in the two big
leagues Fielder Jones, who led the Chi
cago White Sox to victory is a self-made
manager who, with Charley Comiskeys
y. advice constantly ringing in his ears, pro-
ceded to build UP a wonderful ball team
with only ordinary material at hand.
Jones first became prominent as a player
when the Brooklyn club dug him up and
put him in the outheld Always fast
runner, a hard clean hitter and a superb
fielder, Jones soon attracted the attention
OF base ball men all over the country.
When the American league began to ex-
pand, therefore, Clark Griffith, who was
then the manager Of the sox-and won
pennant with them, toO-went after Jones'
From the day that no first appeared in a
Chicago uniform too, Jones was prime
favorite with the Windy City fans, who
swear by him today because of the memo
rabIe victory over the Cubs in the worlds
series.
Clark Grimth's Record.
Clark Grifith, who will manage the New
York Americans this year, has always
been a close student of the game ever since
he first became a star pitcher for the
Chicago Nationals under Captain Arson.
Griffith was always worker and hustler.
He pitched as well as any man in the coun-
try at different times and his steady habits
soon convinced Comiskey and Ban John
son, when they were laying the pipes for
the American league, that he was valua-
BILE leader and possessed the quality of a
competent and successful manager. When
Griffith left the Sox TO take hold Of the
New York Americans he tackled the hard
est task of his career, running up against
all sorts OF dinicult problems and much i'll
fortune at the start In this city. but
. finally convincing the metropolitan public
;. that he was At to handle the team as well
as anybody. In 1904 Grlfith came within
one game OF winning the American league
pennant from the Boston club, while last
year his plucky fight with the Sox right up
TO the flag end of the season is still fresh
in the minds OF all ball cranks.
Griffith, like Jones, Is still player-man-
ager, In that he always wears a uniform,
coaches his men from the lines and occa-
sionally goes into the pitchers box with a
fash Of his old skill. Griffith has developed
many fine young players since he came
to New York which shows that 10 him be-
longs all the credit. He has polished on the
rough edges on Catchers Thomas and
Flelnow, Pitchers Hogg, Doyle and Clark
SON. First Baseman Chase, Third Basemar
La Porte and inheld substitute George Nor
iarity TO say nothing OF Danny Holman
Connie Mack "A CrackeTinck.
While Jones ana Grifhth are both re-
garded as hrst-class managers there IS
another noted team leader, Cornelius Nc
Gulicuddy, or Connie Mack, for short, who
has been in charge % the Philadelphia
Americans ever since they were first or
ganized. Mack is an old ball player him
self In the SOS the well known battery
Gilmore and Mack, made such record
with the Hartford club that they were
purchased by the Washington club. Gil
more did not last very long IN fast COM
A -pany, but Mack instantly became one OF
J the best catchers in the country, He went
10 the Buffalo Brotherhood club in 1890 and
afterward 10 the Pittsburgs, where ne was
manager and captain for several years
But II YVES not until he had assumed
charge OF the Philadelphia Athletics that
be bacame really famous. Taking d lot of