New-York tribune., 1909-03-21
Fred Clarke Success

L would be unfair u omit the name OF Fred
Clarke, head Of the Pittsburgh club Clarke has
1eea II charge Of that club toT years, and mas
never turned out bad team. On three oCCa-
SONS he has Won the championship. Like Nc
ti-aw and Chance. he is one Of the few managers
vino realize that q PLAYER Of ability means more
= q club than the manner IN which the game
should be played II let alone good players
VII formulate plans themselves, and they can
get along with an ordinary manager On the
other hand no manager. no matter how able ne
may be, can produce winner unless he mas the
players U begin with who can think.
Fred Clarke success Is due to the fact that
ne knows good players when he sees them. lie
IS not s. much Of q developer as he IS q dlscOV-
ereL 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
f1e cold, delbeTatlVe stamp In hln there IS
no hunoT. He knows how the game ought to
he PLAYED, and tells ms men u do II that way
tie IS not inventive, but his Judgment on the
ability of men is wonderful Clarke Is inclined
70 scoh at al the talk about new plays, clever
trckS, etc.
"A lot Of bosh about that " he said to me
once ne plays you fellows are always boom
1g as something ncE have been used for years.
tIye me the players who can hit and field, and
youca have allthe tricks and so called science.
From that It can be seen that Clarke IS some
what Of a Cynic.
A peculiar fact concerning McGTaw, Chance,
and Clarke is that they never place any re
Str1ctlons on the members Of their teams
Neither Of them believes that q ball player
should be treated Ike q soldier IN barracks
lie players can have what hours they please
@Io eat and drink what they please, 50 long as
Iaey show up On the diamond ready for work.
lhey hglre that when the responsibility IS put
On the player, he VIII shoulder It II he falls,
ne IS The loser, and IN recent wears the players
nave begun 70 know Il
Some Of the teams that are continually
elaSsed IS losers have regular hours for retir-
ng- and str1ct rules as D. diet and drink.
Ihe winners dg as they please; but It 50 hap
pens that when thev have such men as Chance,
AcyTraw, and Clarke behind them they please
70 20 exactly The night thing at the night time.
Connie Mack's Traits
TIE charaltcrlstIcs Of managers vary as
widely as those Of the players On one
Land vii 5e a successful baseball pilot who IS
Ae1lTsl Wi while on the other IS a man equally
Is Successful who IS almost ministerial IN hls
4oS and actions
I0nnie Mack, who has led the Philadelphia
a,lstics % two pennantss could easily be
'aEen Tor q minister He wears serious clothes,
sld his face IS almost as melancholy as that OF
Abraham Lincoln Beneath that stern com
Pslre, however. there IS a spring Of humor
nat bubbles forth every once and awhile and
eI9ws Tho league into fits Of laughter
Mack made ms first shrewd move as manager
y cutting down his name. He was born with
lie name OF Cornelius MctIllicuddy or words
:. !. nat eiteec. He promptly pruned that down
:; OonIlle Mack, and was d success Immediately
-" y would hayc been impossible TO have made
OoEne1us McIGilhcuddy" fit IN the headline
ype o. any newspaper, and Mack acCUmno-
-SIngiy trimmed Il up for the convenience Of
tutors and Official scorers. Having done that
much ior baseball, he next conferred a blessing
0n the game by cutting down Ossic SchrecLen-
kJSt name 50 as 70 make II PLAIN D Schreck
That would tlt any style Of tyue and IS good
enough loT "a baA player who does not Int over
900 anyway.
Mnen Mack took charge II She Philadelr,bia
4'n.etiss. there were many czu-essionS of
-Se5' d u the success Dt the American League
Sa1cn Wa then just starting. Iohn McGTaw
Sls day referred u the Philadelphia club as a
~l-@ elephant gn the hands u the American
@eae That ranked IN Mack's cr.w. He
s-@C9ul u nrsanIze winning team. and the
- Sliflg aIyotly knew he had won the cham
fLI1sliip ana the Athletics were Outdrawing
e national Club Of Philadelphia two u one.
n tlis day Mack insists on keeping th. White
cP-''nI nag Tying over the park
o'laie Mack has the peculiar ability # tx
- al pa player whom othcrs have cast aside.
~ ~ y ulinrning UP ms fetlCcIzs. turning hIr1
sn5 MI I1cnstlp player. His greatest trial
Pi inmate success, however. was IN handllng
ys "allt.lr the most eccentric player the
49, ever knew WaddeT has a Drs5voLyin.,
VI llS1TBTle.s~gfIrs at 4-r1..e