The Washington herald., 1908-08-12
MANAGER Is BLAMED
Fans Depend on Leader for
Success OF the Team.
Is NOT ALWAYS AT FAULT
Players Were Charged with De-
featH In OIden Days, hut Time Has
Wrought Changes-Interferen on
the Part of Owners Responsible
for Poor Showing of Many Clubs.

What makes man a success as a
manager OF a baseball team That IS q
question that has been asked for twenty
FIVE years past. and il IS stu unanswered
It probably always VIII be. for. in real
ity. there is no answer
But there are bright and shining ex-
amples OF how men have made good as
managers. Just as surely as there are OF
those who have failed when II came 20
the crucial test-that OF handling other
men as they would be handled them
selves
That's the test right there The man
who can handle other men as he would
be handled himself IS usually a success
when IT comes 10 handling ball players
Not always i is true. but when il =
not true. you VIII fnd that there is some
thing back % it ali. and In nine cases out
Of ten the thing back % IL is that the
manager Is being interfered with by
the owners OF the players he IS supposed
10 handle
Back in the old days. back in the days
Of Capt. Anson. Nike Kelly. Dan Br-uth-
ers. Deacon White. Tim Keefe. Buck
Ewing. Silver Flint. Goldsuith. Pfeffer.
Dunlap. Jerry Denny. Hor1unE. Glass
cock. and even Charlie C7misley, now
owner Of the Chicago White Sox. the
manager Of a ball team had little 70 DO
except 20 see that he had enough players
10 go on the field each day.
Good Days for Players.
Those were the good old days of base
bali so the old timers say They sure
were the good old days for the players.
They did what they pleased then No
manager had 10 Worry about them But
that was twenty-five years ago.
In the present day baseball game the
manager is the man who has TO stand
or fall It's up tc him as FAR as the public
goes And YET how many Of the fans that
go 10 the bali game know. or even care.
who the manager Of a team Is, as long as
they are winning But Il they lose
Wow, Then the manager gets il. and
gets II good and plenty The fans only
blame the manager. They forget there Is
an owner behind the manager who may
be more 20 blame than ne.
Take for instance. the Cincinnati club.
Take the Cleveland club. Take the High
lanGsrs. or the Brooklyn team Take the
Detroit Tigers up 10 the time HuEhey
Jennings took hois Of them a year ago
last spring These are examples of clubs
that have managers. but are managed by
the owners
Ned Hanlon. admittedly one Of the great
est handlers Of bsiiplsyers that ever lived.
brought success to Baltimore and Brook
lyn when he had free rein as manager
He left Brooklyn and went 70 Cincinnati.
where he had a most likely looking
bunch OF ball players. What did he do
with them2 Nothing. He could not He
vas only the manager, and the owner had
all there was to say
Clarke Has Full Sway.
Take Fred Clarke. OF the Pit-sburE Pi-
rates Clarke LED the PIttsburg team in
the top Of the National League pennant
race in Is1l, 1872 and 1853 Then his team
was shot to pieces by the war between
the American and National Leagues. but
he managed 10 hold it up IN the race
and has ever since Right now they look
Ike the real goods in the National League
race. It's because Barney DreyfUss. own
er OF the team. has let Clarke 60 ahead
and shape the destinies Of the team
himself
The chicago American team IS a strik-
ing example Of the real value Of a man
ageT who knows his business. Fielder
Jones Is not a wonder by any means.
but he has the knack Of keeping his play
ers working in harmony. True. in this
club every once in a while there is some
conflict between Charlie Comiskey. owner.
and a player L IS always over money
matters. and after the player has finished
HIS money scrap with COmiskey he viii
so out on the playing lot and work his
head of for Fielder Jones. his manager.
4T y rT-lr A.
letics. IS the real goods in both ends OF
the game Connie has been manager Of
the Philadelphia team ever since the
American League invaded Philadelphia
in 1871. and also owns a hiz interest in
the team. But Mr.. McGTuicuddy keeps
his Athletics up there every year and
lighting.
Secret of McAIeer'S Success.
There are two other managers out OF
many that might be mentioned. and both
are in the umeIight right now. one is
Jimmy McAleer. Of the St Louis Browns.
Desp.sed outsiders for years the Browns
are now Up in the American League race
sust because Jimmy McAIeer has been
able to get his players working together
and working for him McAIeer for six
years has had an absolute free rein in
the manag cement Of the St Louis team
but was handicapped at the start by hav-
ing lot OF dead wood unloaded on him
IS q result of the war between the Amer
fcan and National leagues in 1901 and
.9d2 Bob Hedges. owner or the Browns. (
has stuck TO NcAleer. McAIeer has built
up team that looks mighty dangerous
right now
The other manager is Larry Laioie. Of
the Cleveland team In ability ne is the
hall ufrT-ar
known. not excepting Hans Wagner. I
Backed by one OF the greatest collec-
ton OF ball players ever gotten together
for the last five years. the tribe from
Cleveland has failed to land a pennant
or get dangerously neaI it. It's the same (
old trouble with the Cleveland team I
Owners bUtting in on the management {
Laioie may not be a manager. but he
could get more out OF his players II he
had q free rein He is handicapped BY /
orders from headquarters