The Detroit times., 1908-10-10
sy PAUL u. sRuskE.

10 The late 3, f.. Angus ana VIII
lam II. Yawkey, who furnished the
money; to Ed Barrow and to William
r Armour. that prince OF baseball or
ganisers who spent IL, and to Hugh
Ambrose Jennings, who took the CON-
pleted machine. altered IL bit In
the way OF few improvements. sped
II up to its limit and then perched
himself with Wee-ah on the safety
valve. Detroit owes q deep obligation
these days. The combination men
toned has resulted In the organiIa-
fion Of a team that has already won
two consecutive American league pen
nants and gives promise OF long en-
during prosperity under the present
policy of adding ut least one good,
young ball player to the regular list
each season.
The history OF Detroit's pennant-
winning aggregation IL merely long.
dreary hunt for promising minor
league material. with which to sup
pleinent the nucleus secured by Mr..
Angus In wartime. II really came TO
z climax--though nobody knew IL at
the time--in 1907. when Mr.. Armour
turned II over to Mr.. Jennings with
the aforementioned result. Through
AL the years the two wealthy Detroit
citizens mentioned were content TO
see their money spent with the sole
end Of getting their home city win
ner, profit-taking being as unthought-
Of AZ its arrival has been unexpect-
ed.
The Detroit management. has never
favored the sweeping trades indulg
ed In by two or three of the other
American league aggregations nor has
Il since war time INDUCED In the
questionable pastime of paying large
prices for proven major league stars.
Each recent year the club has spent
thousands in the purchase Of the
cream Of the minor leagues and its
proeess has proven successful In the
lang run. though. until last year, the
wait was firing one.
The Detroit American league clubs
OF 1900 and 1901. managed by George
StalEngs and owned by him In part
nership with Sheriff Jimmie Burns
were fair minor league aggregations,
able to about hold their own In
league. which was admittedly a Sec
ond-class combination. When Burns
and Stallngs sold out to s. +. Angus
and his compatriots, they turned over
with the good will, ball club OF very
doubtful class. II comprised the fol-
lowing:
Pitches-Miller, Cronin, Siever and
Yeager.
Catcher-Buelow.
In0elders-Dillon, Gleason, Fiber
field and Casey.
0utnelders-Hariey. Barrett and
Holmes.
Not one OF these remains q member
Of the club, though two are still In
the bic league.
Starting the year, Mr.. Angus in
creased the strength OF the team by
signing Jim MCGUIRE, the veteran
catcher, and Win Mercer. the Wash
ingt0n pitcher. A promising young
pitcher named Mullin was also added.
With substantially this outfit, under
the management Of Frank Dryer. De
trott enjoyed An unusually disastrous
season. hnfAhing seventh with only
baltimore below. The teams work
was featured BY Q general inability to
hit and long before the season was
over Nr. Angus determined that radi-
cal measures were necessary to brace
NJ his club.
With the assistance of Manages
DWyer, Winnie Mercer and Jim Nc.
0uire. Mr.. Angus cut loose his agents
Who made a bloody reprisal on the
National league for the prior wean-
ing away OF Miller and Croniu-these
pitchers had Jumped the club In mic
G6neOn--and secured the sigma
t9roe to Detroit contracts Of three OF
tn greatest stars Of the game in Sam
C1wford, Of Cincinnati, and Pitchers
BDnovan and Mtson, of Brooklyn,
hon1ing these men contracts Of vary
Ing length calling for an average OF
4l,6oOl . year. Mr.. Angus was perfect
~ willing to 60 further and offered
fa1nDous sums TO Scheckard. Keeler.
Bomgmont, Wsgner, Willis and other
Nox1onal league stars who were kept
o. their original teams only through q
teSrfnc salary-boOting which Mr.. An
rus campaign made necessary.
The management OF the team In
1879 would have been entrusted to
Pitcher Mercer. but his tragic suicide
Tt winter caused a change OF plans
80 big, bluff Ed Barrow was put In
charge.
Barrow brought with him bunch Of
new players. most Of whom came from
she Eastern league In which he had
won his spurs as q manager. Charlie
Carr was his first baseman, George
Ssn3th played second and Joe Yeager
started ct third. Soon after the oper-
Inc OF the season barrow took a step
baokward In trading Elberfeld, his
c1nosy short stop for the veteran Her.
man Long. Courtney and $1,000 to New
York. His team finished the year in
The lead Of the second division. but
w. Se111 far from being q nrstclass
aggregation.
Dur1ne ne winter the ownership of
IL team was again changed, Mr. An
- Withdrawing. largely on account
~ MING heath, and selling to VIM.
III Yawkey, wealthy young bust
n1oD man Of Detroit. Mr.. Yawkey,
u1nblo to give his personal attention
20 the matter, turned the executive
aNAirb Of the club over TO Frank J.
Xnvin. Detroit lawyer and close per-
coal friend, now president and part
ouner h the club. under whose care
~ property has continued to I'm
p1oVe and who, while claiming to be
- baseball general himself. has prov
u 4 bulwark Of great strength In an
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