The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-09-10
BENCH Is PLACE
FOR The MANAGER

Cornelius McGillicuddy, who has
Justly been dubbed ''the Fox" is one
OF the deep thinkers OF baseball. It
is his cleverness alone which is respon-
sible for the present standing of the
athletics In the American league pen
nant race Connie at the start OF this
season had lot OF green material,
which he succeeded in seasoning in
side OF a couple OF months, and now
he is being picked as the one man who
has chance to beat the tigers out of
the flag.
Mack does not think it is necessary
for manager to get out on the field
with his players to attain the best re-
suits. On the contrary. Connie believes
that he can pick out the flaws better
from his position on the bench than
IL he were to get into a suit and toss
the ball around the lot with his players.
During tanning bee one fan put the
following question plumb at the ath-
letics' leader:
A bench manager has a distinct ad
vantage over a playing manager, hasn't
he, CONNER"
"Oh, / wouldn't say that at ALL" re-
piled the great leader Of the athletics,
IN his usual guarded way. There have
been, and are, some great bench man
ayers. and there have been, and are,
some wonderful playing managers,
meaning by playing managers men in
uniform who get out and hustle, as do
Clark Griffith and Hughey Jennings.
Med Hanlon and Frank Selee were
two of the greatest bench managers in
the history of baseball. Hanlon won
pennant after pennant, and Selee, let's
see, didn't he win five flags for Bos-
ton? Then there's George Stallings
today. He seems to be doing right well.
Then look at the playing managers
who have been eminently successful
Fred Clarke. Frank Chance, Clark
Griffith, Hughey Jennings. Jimmy Col
Inns. Fielder Jones. Muggsy McGraw
and many others.
Bench Man Has an Advantage.
There rs, or course, one slight ad-
vantage the bench manager may be
said to possess If he has a good cap
tain-there are two pairs of eyes
watching every play from different
angles. The man on the bench may
see something that the man in uniform
does not, and vice versa But even
this advantage scarcely obtains when
one is contemplating such men as
Fielder Jones, Clark Griffith, Hughey
Jennings and men of that stamp.
DO you know that this baseball
game is getting to be fearful and
wonderful proposition" Connie went
on. why, 1t isn't so many years ago
when the players bus would back up
to the hotel door. ten or eleven men
would climb in, and away the rig would
go on it's way to the ball park
Has to- Number Players.
How is 1t today? why, the mana
ger has to stand out by the bus now
and do stunts in mental and visual
arithmetic until he's dizzy. He counts
the men in sight-'2O, 21, 20, 23, 24-
and then he has to stop and recall how
many players he has on his staff. Lots
of times I've forgotten altogether, and
had to go in and look over the hotel
register to see how many men were
drawing salaries from the athletic
club.
why. the major league club owners
and some Of the men in the minors
too-go out and buy players right and
left nowadays without giving a
thought. apparently to the question Of
where the money to pay them is COM
ing from. Yet they are bound by IRON
clad resolutions to find this money
somewhere.
Problem in Baseball.
Il tell you there are problems in
baseball of which the fans have only
a meager understanding.
Then think of the humber OF play
ers reserved by each team nowadays
suppose I'll have more than fifty
this fall. II the other seven teams in
our league have as maryland some
of them will have sixty-there you
have over 400 players to make up eight
mines. In the old days the number
wouldn't have been over 100 at the
most.
Sometimes hear talk about ''mer-
cenary magnates.' can't see the JUS
tice Of that charge, honestly I can't
Why, in what other business in the
world do men invest their money with
such absolute recklessness?
I'm the hope of getting one star, one
first-class man. a club owner will go