The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-06-08
High Class Recruits are
Scarce
MINOR LEAGUE LEADERS
Also Having Troubles of
Their Own.
Managers are Willing TO Pay
Almost Any Price for First
cla,s Ball Palyers.

Despite the great demand TOT tlrSt-
class lall tosssrs all along the line
it is impossible for some of the clubs
to secure firstIclass players. Not
lcnly is the cry from major league
Teams but from the minors. One
lstrons minor league has been soour-
ing the cast diligently for first
lclass iIfielder, and has been willing
to pa almost any sum within rea-
son to secure such a one.
President povey of the Boston Ma
tional. has been after a collection oil
playeri-outfielders catchers and
ssare lrlsI1er-and has found IA
mighty difficult to get what he Is af-
ter. II has been said often that there
are moi enough high grade ball toss
ers "a the country TO man two major
leagues, and this comes near TO be-
| ing the truth "Wanted-First class
ball tcssers" coptinues 10 be the cry
Of the day. When a club allows vet
Gran material to go in the hope OF
securing something better, it has
might, tough contract on its hands,
PfttsbLrg parted with Second Base
man Claude Ritchey-had to do 1t, so
tits Ssjd-but AbbatichiO comes
long way from being a Ritchey.
Clarke Griffith has now been en-
gagged five seasons in collecting a
championship team and still has his
troubles. He came within one game
of IL at one time, but this season
seems to lack considerable of being
at the head of a pennant winning
icomb'ration. On the other hand
Comiskey achieves wonders with a
team which is much of the pick UP
description, yet 1t does wonders and
no team IN the country puts UP
more interesting game. The RobisoGs
have expended immense sums season
upon season In the endeavor to Sc
cure Q good ball club, and can at
test 10 the difficulty OF the task.
! So with the Washington club. The
club was not last season simply bc-
cause of the Generalization of the
BOstol club-,no other reason. This
season new deal has been made, and
Cne OF the indefatigable workers in
1.-The country was secured as manager,
and there can be no doubt at all that
lie viii he an improvement upon the
previous order OF things President
Ban Johnson cannot always hit the
rail OF Uhe head, and he missed fire
considerably when he planted Jake"
Stahl To handle the Washington club.
Jones proved to be ono out of a great
many and exceeded all expectations.
Collins lasted a long while in Boston.
,ClevelGLd has yet 10 have a manager
who can land pepnant winner and
the same Is true of Detroit. 1t looks
as If etroit is nearer the winning
path this season than since the club
vas a member of the American league.
Hugh jennings has done finely with
Tie club and has not belied the ex
Irectat 'Ons of tho e who prophesied
Ithat he would make good, That the
Bostoi Americans could we'll use such
q marager cannot be gainsaid.
If the club cannot secure a first
Iager IL far preferable, for the reason
the game has grown so that the man
who handles the playing end of the
iclub sLocld not be hampered by any
thing outside the supervision of the
men. The Boston Americans are now
the only club that has a playing man
lager OF the clubs of { ne eastern sect
aud suriOusly enough the same Is true
Iof The Boston Nationals for Tenney
Is the only playing manager in the
case. Chicago and Pittsburg have two
first class playing managers, and
both have strong clubs 10 handle.
Many are of the opinion that I.ajoe's
game would he helped immensely
were he not burdened with the
weIght Of managerial responsibilities
Still, l. must be admitted the club
has done as well under his charge
as under a bench panager This does
nlt 81 nw anything that THE
club has not yet hid desirable man
on the bench to direct the club.
A ranager cannot hope to accom-
pl-nH any uNNullS uiltoS ilt IN blNCu
carte blanche and Ia entirely freed
from Interference of the officials of
the club.
Th0 only way to get winner is
to keep hustling. The most consis-
tent winner In major league ball is
Connie Mack. He always has trou-
blesome club and at cost that
make other clubs look ridiculous. II
Garry Hermann had a manager
of Matks ability he could easily af-
ford tc pay him $4,000 per annum
and Mack would earn it,
II d. odd. indeed, that the rule
makers did not abolish the ridlcu-
lous state OF things which permits
batsnlen to make the rouns OF tae