Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-21
Fred Clarke's Success

been in charge of that club tor years and has
never turned out a bad team On three occa-
sions he has won the champ onship. Like Nc
Graw and Chance, he is one of the few managers
who realize that a player of ability means more
to a club than the manner in which the game
should be played. If let alone, good players
will formulate plans themselves, and they can
get along with an ordinary Manager On the
other hand. no manager no matter how able he
may be, can produce winner unless he has the
players to begin with who can th.lk.
Fred Clarkes success is due TO ne fact that
he knows good players when he sees them. He
IS not much of developer as he is discov-
erer In Wagner and Leach he has two of the
greatest players of the day; but he lets them
do the playing. Clarke is another manager of
the cold dehberative stamp. In him there is
no humor. He knows how the game ought to
be played, and tells his men to do it that way
He is not inventive but his judgment on the
ability of men is wonderful. Clarke is inclined
to scott at all the talk about new plays clever
tricks, etc.
"A lot of bosh about that he said to me
once. THE plays you fellows always BOOM
ing as something new have been used for years.
Give me the players who can hit and field, and
you can have all the tricks and SO called science
From that it can be seen that Clarke Is some
what of cynic.
A peculiar fact concerning McGraw Chance
and Clarke is that they never place any re-
strctions the members of their teams
Neither of them believes that a ball player
should be treated like soldier in barracks
The players can have what hours they please
and eat and drink what they please, so long as
they show up on the diamond ready for work.
They figure that when the responsibility is put
on the player he will shoulder it. If he falls.
he is the loser. and in recent years the players
have begun to know it.
Some of the teams that are continually
clasSed as losers have regular hours for retIr-
ing. and strict rules as to diet and drink
The winners do as they please; but it So hap
pens that when they have such men as Chance,
McGraw and Clarke behind them they please
to do exactly the right thing at the right time.
Connie Mack's Traits
THE characteristics of managers vary as
widely as those of the players. On one
hand will be successful baseball pilot who is
natural wit, while on the other is man equally
as successful who is almost ministerial in his
looks and actions.
Connie Mack, who has led the Philadelphia
Athletics to two pennants, could easily be
taken for a minister. He wears serious clothes
and his face is almost as melancholy as that of
Abraham Lincoln Beneath that stern COM
posture, however, there IS a spring OF humor
that bubbles forth every once and awhile and
throws the league into fits of laughter.
Mack made his first shrewd move as manager
by cutting down his name. He was born with
the name of Cornelius McGiilicuddy, or words
to that effect. He promptly pruned that down
to Connie Mack. and was success Immediately
1t would haye been impossible to have made
Cornelius McGillicuddy" fit in the headline
type of any newspaper, and Mack accommo-
datingly trimmed it up for the convenience of
editors and official scorers. Having done that
much for baseball. he next conferred blessing
on the game by cutting down Ossie Schrecken-
costs name SO as to make it plain o. Schreck
That would fit any style of type, and is good
enough for a ball player who does not hit over
400. anyway.
When Mack took charge of the Philadelphia
Athletics. there were many expressions of
doubt as to the success of the American League
which was then just starting. John McGraw
one day referred to the Philadelphia club as a
white elephant on the hands of the American
League" That ranked in Macks craw. He
set about to organize winning team, and the
first thing anybody knew he had won the cham
pionship and the Athletics were outdrawng
the National Club of Philadelphia two to one.
To this day Mack insists on keeping the White
Elephant" flag flying over the park
Connie Mack has the peculiar ability of TAX
ing old player whom Others have cast aside
and by trimming up his fetlocks, turning him
into championship player. His greatest trial
and ultimate success, however, was in handling
Rube Waddel, the most eccentric play CT the
game ever knew. Waddell has provoking
habit of disappearing at times. and he cannot
be found for weeks On one occasion he was
gone for two weeks, and Mack discovered
HIM working as scene shifter in "A melodramatic
play.
Ossie Schreck is also rather eccentric; and as
he and Waddell were great friends Mack