The Washington herald., 1909-08-03

Joe Cantillon will not manage the
Washington Baseball Club next year.
His three years contract now about
completed, will not be renewed
This is tacitly understood all around
by Cantillon as well as the club owners.
He does not expect TO be re-engaged. and
there is no thought IN any quarter Of 10
engaging him.
Cantillon has doubtless done his best,
but he has not made good. He has dis
played ability IN securing players. but
has not succeeded IN making them play
winning ball. His third year. which
opened auspiciously is turning out disas-
trously. washington. in all the history
Of It's ups and downs-mostly downs
never before cut sOrrier figure in base
ball than II is cutting to-day.
Tho season Of 19oS-09 has brought Joe
Cantillon his Waterloo. Major league
baseball will know him no more forever
in managerial role. In the parlance OF
the game. he VIII be canned" and re-
turn to the minors.
That he has struggled hard 20 give
Washington a credItabla position in base
ball nobody doubts. He wes paid hand
sonely TO achieve that end. and tried
hard 10 earn the money. He is trying
hard to-day. But he has failed And
as nothing succeeds like success. SO moth
ing fails Ike failure. Cantillon's failure
IS complete
Hard luck has been his portion-the
rankest sort OF hard luck. The team has
gone from bad TO worse There Is, Of
course. a deeper and more rational rea-
scn FOR the present plight than hard
owners could hardly be expected to en-
dure and prolong a management so az
flicted with hard luck In Joe's case It
has become chronic. Even II the owner
ship were disposed placidly to await a
turn OF managerial luck. the baseball
patrons-the most loyal and Iong-sufrering
lot OF fans the national pastime ever
knew-would not longer stand for it. Al
ready a dwindling attendance is costing
the owners a pretty penny A change.
therefore. is inevitable Canullon is sure
TO 90.
$500
The Washington club has spent money
freely TO get together a winning team.
Cantillon has been free-handed. He is
free-handed to-day Money has been
spent more freely than at any time in
the past. AS many as thirty players
have been carried on the pay roll, and
they were by no means all cheap play
ers. either. Cantillon himself has been
paid handsomely-S7,OOO a year and a per
centage OF the profits. His season last
year. 1t is understood. netted him nearly
$4,000. There has been no nlggardIy
policy IN running the club. True sports
manship has been shown IN all directions.
and the baseball public ought to appre-
ciste II. But it has come 10 naught-
resulted in abject. inglorfous failure-and
the work and expenditure OF money must
all be done over again, and at other
hands.
When this statement Of fact is printed
It will naturally bring forth an oficiaI
statement Of fact that no change Is now
impending. OF course not. A change
cannot be made at once because Can
tillon's contract runs 20 the end Of the
season; but. as already said, It is tacitly
understood-tal1en by common consent
all arOUnd-that he IS not 10 be re-en-
gagged. Any other thought, II not II
dioulous IN view Of conditions, would be
80 financially suicidal In its bearing as
not 70 be entertained. Hence It is that
the passing OF Cantillon Is a foregone
conclusion to-day.
Who viii his successor be7 That is
yet TO be determined. The question Of
a selection has not been taken up.
formally or officially. The names Of two
or three available men have been dis
oussed tentatively, however, and one OF
then-a player-manager Of demonstrated
capacity not unknown to the Washington
himself strongly TO the
controlling owners. There is 70 be care
ful elaboration before a choice is finally
made. The air1 VIII be TO avoid another
mistake, II IS not within the range Of
possibility that Connie Mack or
Hughey Jennings viii be found for the
emergency, but there Is hope that the
wait until next year" will not again
prove so meaningless and Disappointing
Some old players Will disappear from
the ranks OF the Washington club. This
also is sure as fate. They may even pre-
cede Cautillon. It IS recognized that they
have outlived their usefulness here. They
arc not winning ball players-not for
at any rate The fans have
tired Of them. 1t is an open secret that
Hughes and Smith are slated to go. They
have been 50 slated for some time. Dele
hanty is another who Is In disfavor.
lie has not played up TO last years
form any time this season. Unglaub. a