Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-06-09
MANAGERS PROBLEM
Number of Pitchers to Carry on
Team Puzzles Handlers.
YOUNGSTERS CARRIED ABOUT

Many Recruits Travel For Weeks
Without Getting Single Opportunity
20 Show Whether or Not They Are
re For Fast Company.
One OF the most difficult problems
that the baseball managers now have
before them Il the number Of pitchers
TO carry on the payroll for the best all
around results.
Last season and the year before the
Chicago Cubs won the championship
OF the world with six box men-Reul-
bach. Brown, Overall, LundgFen. Fra
per and P1ester-and this number Of
pitchers was considered low for such
. grand performance, ever with big
money in sight for winning the final
series.
The weaker clubs carry more pitch
developing a first string box man.
while the minor leagues carry along
nearly as many as the big leaguers.
ONe-half of the army of youngsters
hooking for money for pitching were
made possible by the knowledge hat
O ball pitched with moistened fingers
would take a peculiar twist without
any great skill on the part of the one
who delivered the ball. Ehis idea
drove q lot OF strong arm boys into
Ia business at the expense OF the
game.
This a the major leagues are
carrying from seven to eleven pitch
eFs. and the chances are that not one
half OF this number will work in q
dozen games. Several have been car.
red for years withoutF one chance of
their ever making good In fast com
pany. Others are carried along be-
cause they a pitch effectively
against some one club. In fact, the
general belief is that the chief reason
Tor carrying SO great q number OF
pitchers is that Box men are strong
against some individual club.
You win find Jones reserved for one
club and Brown for another, each strtv,
Ing to get the.better Of one another In
th6r box. New, II there was q rule
made to cut theFmajox league pitchers
% i've and the minor league to thRee
you would find fewer sore arms and
more Interesting Lot Of pitchers, -mer
with better control and more apt tc
. their brains.
Row, before q game a dozen pitchers
win warm I'D IN front Of the grand
stand, going through some graceful
stunts, especially GA ladies' day. And
Why notf The manager usually sits
On the players bench watching thu
movements Of his men. The catchers
IN noting the condition Of the pitch.
ora. and after the warming up a short
-eonference on Nhe bench. and the boz
man showing form and willingness ia
work IL sent into the game.
If the pitcher is not anxious for the
exercise he develops q lame back OF
has nothing. as the catcher Will notify
the manager, "He hasn't got a thing
today" That IL a tip to the manager
% chase the pitcher to the stable &oE
o good rundown and q front seat In
the pavilion. to be admired by the
rams, who remember some good work
or the past, for the well bred fan will
never call a players attention to the
taeeeats, passing over this column te
mo victories.
With q first class team for support
every pitcher In the game Is willing
TD0 be called On If but halfway right
fDut. knowing the weakness Of theil
rapport, they are perfectly willing II
q q fellow workman take the defeat
There are a number Of clever pitch
eeFs wise to the fact that the arm mus
:Wtve out sooner or later and that each
hard game bEings the end In double
quick time, to cut of the princely sal
aaRy fol- a new move on the checkeF
hoard Of life.
More money is necessary at the pres
cent time 10 secure a first class staff Of
f1ox men than vas paid gu to a whoh
team less than twenty years ago. sim
MY because three times as many pitch
sew are considered necessary for /
major league team.
Thirty years ago Tommy Bone
pitched the Boston club into the cham
Daonship single handed. At that dm'
the clubs only played about 100 games
sGch season, and there were severa
very weak clubs In the circuit
some twenty years ago Tim Keefe
Mickey Welsh and Ed Crane did tn
pttchtng for the New York Giants ant
handed a winner. playing q 1872 gam
schedule. Keefe and Welsh were tn
SECULAR men, with Crane$to fall bacl
On, while Titcomb was groomed 70
emergencies.