The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-22
WHY NASHVILLE
WON THE PENNANT
Manager Bernhard Was Free
From Handicaps
NO REAL STARS ON TEAM
Team Work With no Friction and
Free Rein in Handling the Play
ers Were the Essentials That
Gave Victory.
NO REAL STARS ON TEAM

ers Were the Essentials That
Gave Victory.
WHY Nashville won the Southern league
pennant for 1905 and how it was done
il fully explained by Grantland Rice in
the Tennessean in few words. Bern
hard had full swing as manager and per
mitted no friction among his men. THESE
two requisites are necessary in man
aeer and for a manager and will be fol-
lowed by success ana an enthusiastic
spirit in any league town which also helps
TO win games.
Success in managing a team always
spells two things-high rank in pen
uant race and dollars for the club treas
urv. the latter of which is also an essen
tial in making the game what it should
be. for a liberal management will not
employ cheap men and thus iniure the
chances of the team in the race and pos
sibly hurt the whole league by making
the race one-sided.
Grantland Rice says:
And this was the kind of team that
Bernhard ran. There was no friction on
the club-no internal chickering's or trou-
bile of any sort-and If there had been,
the offender or offenders would have
been sidetracked on short notice Bern
hard believed in being fair to MS men.
All he asked in turn was that they De
fair TO him. When Mccormick jumped
the team he was more hurt than sore
II never had anything in my life to hurt
me more" he remarked. Il didn't believe
the game had a fellow like that in it,
And for the benefit of President Kuhn
and the club directors it must be SAID
that they stood by Bernhard loyalty. They
gave him no directions, but placed the
running of the club within his hands
What he asked for was freely granted,
for it took them but little while to
see that what he asked for was needed
and their actions through the entire cam
paign were most commendable.
There were seven old men from last
seasons tail-end team on hand when play
began-Hardy Duggan, Sorrell, Perdue,
Mccormick, McElveen and Wiseman,
The men he brought on were Daubert,
Butler, Bay. Seigel and Kellum.
Seabaugh, Hunter, Sitton and Hess had
already been purchased before he was
signed.
Hess. sorrell and Mccormick proved to
be drawbacks rather than aides, East
taking McCormicks place.
- With this array of new faces upon the
foundation of a tail-end season preceding,
he started out for the flag in April. For
the first three months of the race his
team was never looked upon as PEN
nant contender or was rated by few as
fast enough to finish in the first division.
The critics cheerfully admitted that his
pitching staff was good, but there all
bouquets ceased.
Through April May and June the club
swung like a pendulum back and forth
from the 800 mark, while New Orleans.
Memphis and Atlanta were setting the
pace. But Bill never worried-or if he
did no one ever grew wise to the fact.
We've got a good team here he often
remarked. We'll be in there yet"
Breaking into the limelight first by a
great road trip through the west, the
club at last emerged from a second di-
vision berth into a pennant contender.
supplanting Atlanta and Montgomery and
moving up with Memphis and New Or
leans For the first time in the race his
team took the lead on August and held
it through August II. August IS found
New Orleans on top again. Next day
found the Volunteers back in front, where
they remained two days longer and then
dropped back into second place again on
August % This was the last time they
ever reached the top until o'clock Sat-
urday afternoon, September 10, when the
curtain dropped upon the finish of the
most spectacular drama this or any other
city ever witnessed.
All Southern league attendance records
were broken by Saturdays immense out
pouring of Bug Humanity. The full at
tendance and full receipts have been fur
nished by the club and they total as fol-
lows
First day. 1886 paid, netting $1713
Second day, 1872 paid, netting 1851 .05.
Third day, 1911 paid netting 1854. 35.
Totals 20,2OS paid, netting s7OsS 40 for the
series.
From this amount Franks share was
S2163 so. The home clubs figures reached
$4S75.90, as the grandstand patronage all
came their way.
While only 107l1 tickets were sold Sat
urday the estimated attendance is placed
at fully 1900, many hundreds got
by in the rush without coming across
with as much as cancelled postage
stamp.
Up to Saturdays game Atlanta held
the record with 1881 paid for one days
play.
So, with the returns all in we have our
third fiag-another Southern league rec
ord, as Nashville is the only city In the
circuit that has bagged the pennant on
three occaSions-the record of the only
finish of its kind in baseball history, and
the record of having set new batch of
attendance figures that should stand for
many a day to come.
Three records in one year-and these
by manager who was starting out his
first campaign as a club leader.
Nashville has now won the pennant
three times; Memphis twice; New Orleans
once; Birmingham once, and Atlanta
once. In other words, after eight seasons
of play the central city of Tennessee has
a third of the pennants to her credit
and with Bernhard on hand, the chance
to add one or two more.
For Next Year.