Evening star., 1909-02-14
AMATEUR COACHES
BEING FROZEN OUT
Big Colleges Have Profess
SionaIs to Look After
Ball Clubs.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

ball coaching furnish conclusive evidence
and found wanting. Within the last two
weeks Yale and Pennsylvania, two men,
bers Of the Big Six" which have been
experimenting with graduate coaching
have been obliged to engage professionals
or look forward to being overwhelmed by
their rivals. The craze for graduate
coaching seems to take possession Of our
leading institutions of learning every
few years. but it speedily runs it's course
and always ends with the installation OF
professional.
At Yale, while T. A. D. Jones is nom-
inally in charge as a graduate, the real
work is being done by Walsh, the Chi
cago American League pitcher. the first
professional to be engaged at Yale since
the departure of Lush. The University OF
Pennsylvania has found 1t q hopeless task
to turn out creditable team with grad
uate amateurs and has decided to place
Roy Thomas, the former Philadelphia and
Pittsburg National Lacquer, in charge.
With the return of Yale and Pennsyl-
vania to the ranks of graduate coac hing
every member of the Big Six with the
exception Of Harvard. is being coached
by an out and out professional. In the
case of Pennsylvania her team is in the
also graduate of the Quaker institution.
Cornell is also being coached by college
man in the person of Daniel G.. Coogan,
who is graduate of Pennsylvania. Har-
ward is being coached by l.. W. Pieper.
who has had considerable success as a
graduate coach.
Why Graduates Fail.
There is ample cause for the failure of
graduate coaches. Base ball has now be-
come such an exact science that there is
about as much difference between the col
lege and professional player as there is
between the respective abilities of the
grammar and high school students. Now
and then there is a player who as grad
uate has a mastery over the great ma
tional game and has phenomenal success
In teaching 1T. Such a man was Forsythe.
who coached the Princeton champions a
few years ago. But 1t is the exception
rather than the rule.
The college season Is so short that the
students do not much more than get d
taste of real base ball than they have
to quit for the season. Again the mid
winter practice. which usually begins In
February. affords professionals, who want
to keep in condition, most remunerative
pastime without interfering with their
big league engagements AS d rule they
can have their teams fairly well selected
by the time their own season opens so
that a graduate coach can finish out the
season.
the professional coach is his ability 10
size up the material almost at a glance
and to separate the good from the poor
candida tes. 1t was said of Fred Clarke of
Pittsburg that when he coached at Prince
ton he could cut the squad down from
100 to % men inside of a week. and
that the season always confirmed his
judgment.
Big Teams Equally Handicapped.
AS far as the loss and retention of
their 1905 veterans is concerned, all of
the big teams start the season Of 1909
on practically even terms. Cornell Is
perhaps little better situated than the
other colleges having lost but two
veterans Yale Pennsylvania, Princeton
and Harvard are obliged TO find five
new men each and Dartmouth three
Columbia, cnce upon time regarded
as a prominent member of the Big Six,
is minus several veterans, but the num-
ber of candidates from last years sub
stitutes are especially strong. so that
prospects for the Blue and White are
encouraging enough.
OF the entire six PENNSYLVANIA has
probably the hardest problem to solve
This is due TO the fact that the five
men missing frCm the Quaker squad
were the strongest players on the team.
An investigation by the faculty of sum-
mer ball players disclosed the fact that
five of the men had played semi-profes-
sional ball since the close Of the 1908 sea-
soa, and they were accordinly prohibited
from becoming candidates this year. The
men were Capt. Londrigan. second base;
PauXtis. first base, both drafted this year
by the American League; Port. the catch
er: Twitmire, pitcher, and Spring right
fielder. The loss of these men leaves
the team very weak, and Coach Thomas
will have a tremendous problem to find
new men.
At Princeton. whose team won the
intercollegiate championship. the greatest
problem will be to find pitchers to take
the place of Heyniger and Clark The
former, especially, was one of the very
best that Princeton ever had, and while
Drewes performed splendidly last year.
he does not look to be the equal Of
Heyniger even with more experience
Princeton will also miss her excellent first
baseman. Fish. as well as Harlan. the
hard hitting left infielder. Wister makes
the fifth veteran missing.
Yale's Battery Gone.
Yale's chief difficulty will be to find
a battery to take the place OF the Jones
brothers, Tad behind the bat and Howard
in the box. The former won the reputa-
ton of being the best catcher the college
world has turned out in decade, and