Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-03-28

Veteran ball players who have re-
tired from active work on the diamond
and who have proved their ability to
handle promising recruits to the ma
jor league ranks are being signed each
year by enterprising managers of the
big-league teams as special coaches for
the young players under trial.
Last year Manager McAleer Of the
Browns inaugurated the innovation by
appointing Jack O'Connor as assistant
manager or special coach for the st.
Louis team, ond so successful did the
plan prove that this season three other
major league clubs have signed vet
eran catchers to coach the young twirl.
ers, and Manager McGraw has gone a
step further by signing Arlie Latham
to coach the New York team during
the game. This is not Latham's first
job of this kind, however, as he held
the same kind Of a position with Gin
cinnati while John T. Brush, now pres
1dent Of the New York club, was the
principal owner of the Reds.
kid" Gleason of the Philadelphia
Nationals, Charlie Farrell of the New
York Americans, JON Mcclure Of the
Cleveland Americans, and Wilbert
Robertson of the New York Nationals,
are the four who hold positions as spe'
cial coaches of the players.
The training of the young pitchers
in the spring is one of the duties which
every manager gives his strictest at
tention to, for it means great deal
to the club as we'll as the pitcher.
Every year each club in the major
leagues has several pitchers on it's
list who never make their appearance
in a regular championship game. But
this does not mean that they have
been found worthless. Many of them
are not. ripe for big-league company,
and when they are sent back to. the
minor leagues for another year Of sea-
soning the manager of the team that
sends them back generally has a pretty
good line on what may be expected of
the youngsters in the future. -.
In selecting the promising material
and picking out the men who are
worth carrying on the regular pay roll
it is the wisdom Of the veteran player
that shows itself, and this is where
veteran players like Gleason, Farrell,
Robinson and Mcclure come into play.
When the team goes south for its
spring practice the young players need
to be watched. Ambition to show up
in good shape before the manager, with
the hope Of landing a permanent place
on the team, often causes the young
player to injure himself, so that he is
of little use to the club for several
weeks, and this means heavy expense
to the club, and probably the loss OF
q job to the player. u !. r. a. =
The reports from the southern train
ing camps are generally filled with
what the young players are doing and
how fast they are working. But one
seldom reads of the veteran players
killing themselves getting into condi-
ton in 4 hurry. They v have been
through the mill, and know what it is
to take care of themselves until the
time comes to let out their true form.
With. trained man in each camp to
watch over the over-anxious players
the chance Of having the hospital list
full all the time is greatly Elessened,
and this is one of the things figured
out by Manager Bresnahan when he
decided to hold Billy Gilbert to watch
tho Cardinals in their. work.