Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-20
ONE OF THE DEFEATED TIGERS
EXPLAINS THAT THE TEAM WAS
OVERTURNED MOT UP TO MARK

unwisdom OF asking ball players any
questions as to such matters. But there
they were. all the same, warning with
each other. The club was split into little
factions. These groups would hang with
each other around the hotels, and there d
be little or no commingling or foregath-
ering. 1t couldn't be dOped out. even
by one right along with the club, just why
this was. but the situation was as l am
stating it. In these circumstances, of
course, there was no chance for the club
To do the work on the diamond of which
1t was capable. I figured the Detroit
club even at that time to be pennant
possibility If the men on the team could
ever be got together | am not saying
this in any I-tOld-yOu-so' spirit or with
the purpose of exhibiting the possession OF
a post-mOrtem prophetic power. but the
club did look mighty good to me at that
time. | didn't think then, nor do l think
now. that the Detroit club is the best in
the American League. ] think the Cleve-
land club has been the best in the Amer
lean League any time these past four
or FIVE years, and. with any sort Of a
manager like Jennings. I can't see how
the Clevelands could have lost the pen
nant during any of those years. But as
! say, the Detroit outfit looked like a
pennant possibility even when | was with
II As correspondent. except for the awful
handicap Of its internecine stn e. And
with all due respect to Bill Armour per
SbudtIS one OF the QGNeDeSt men in the
game, he didn't look to be the man to
straighten out these CliquclSh kinks Ar
mour Is naturally reserved man. and a
suspicious one. He isn't u talknr. He
has an immense amount OF base ball sense
but he quite lacks in the mixing fa ciiit5.
He never, as it seemed to me- got 49,
where near to his players. He ok the
situation too much on j business basis.
He appeared not to study the men-and
it's the certainest thing e?C- that in these
DAYS the base ball players who are worth
while simply must be studied. ana, a e r
being studied, coddled and humored and
pampered by their managers.
II is IN m spirit of darOGati0n that one
says that the vast majority of ball play
ers are the merest unreasonable boys as
to their mentality. They ara whimsical,
Illogical, grouchy, complaining. capri
clous. jealous and exceedingly difficult to
handle. taking them as 4 class. 1t would
be curious If they We're not. considering
how most of them rise from nothing to
a state where they ar; constantly in the
public eye. where they are enabled to
pose at all times. and considering. too.
now little preliminary preparation most
of them get to enable them to endure
all of this glory aud glamour. So they
are a hard lot for the most acute and
patient sort of manager to get on with
II would not be overstepping the mark to
say that no arctic explorer. Frivoling
around within few degrees of the north
pole, has more difficulty in handling an
overbOrne crew than the average ball
club manager has with his gang day in
and day out during the base ball season
BlIl Armour. taciturn, s0ft-spoken
when he spoke at all. and perhaps little
bit disinclined by nature to put up with
the multitudinous manifestations of kinki-
ness shown by ball players was not then
the man 10 get the most out of that De-
troit ball-Rlaying outfit. ! used to Won
der just what sort of a man could do
that trick and get the gang together
And just as often as I thought of this
phase OF 1t. | had to give the problem
up. | couldn't frame up in my minds
eye any sort of man who, as it seemed
to me then, would ever he able to take
hold of those fellows and fetch them
into a state % unison and harmony
Jennings did the trick. was with
the Detroit gang frequently during the
clubs last visit here, and l was amazed
TO see how the old breaches had been
healed How Jennings did 1t nobody but
himself knows. However he did IT. 1t
was, within its sphere and on the scale
appropriate to it. one of the neatest twists
in diplomacy that l know anything about
That Deal for Stab1