The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-07
McGraW Proves He
Knew Ball Players
Stuck to Marquard, Merkle and
SnOdgrass When Fans
: Wanted Them Re-
leased
(New York Mail.)

| (New York Mail.)
| If John j. McGraw had cut three
Giants adrift in the order of their
initial failures, as other managers
have done with other later developed
stars. the bulk of public opinion would
have backed him up as keen-eyed
mogul who didn't care to carry any
dead weight or surplus bone around.
| But at one and the same time the
Giant caravan to-day would not be
topping the front of the procession
| in this breezy year of 1911.
| So, while good many thousand
clamored madly for this trios dis
| missal-or at least two of the trio
McGraw decided that he would rather
have a shot at the flag some doy
than pick up the huzzas of the mas
seS.
The triumvirate in question COM
prises no others than Vanguard,
Merkle and Snodgrass-the national
gold brick of 1909, the national
goat of 1908 and the national un-
known of the same Merkellian year.
In deciding to ride above popular
clamor in the retention of these
three 1911 stars McGraw marked him.
self as a. mogul of unusual judgment
for which every one comedies him
The Giant chieftain alone figures
the situation a simple. one. ITO begin
WITH reminisced McGraw, tive will
take up Merkle's case
THAT 1908 affair with Chicago
looked then as if it had doomed him
pected me to hold him with the club.
But there was another angle which
most people overlooked.
mo one figured Merkle poor ball
player mechanically. The judgment
in general was that he was a bone
head. But I happened to know that
whatever Merkle's fault or faults
might be, that he was anything but
a marble dome.
81 knew him for a pretty wise
young fellow, inexperienced, and per-
haps a trif1e thoughtless but ball
What reason was there, then, for my
dropping a good man because of one
mistake?
''It was easy enough to see that
Merekle had a bright future before
this 1908 affair, and / figured then
that if he had enough to him to stand
up against all the abuse he had re-
ceived that he was bound to make
good
'.And at the time I sized him up
as man who was not only there.
physically and mentally but as one
who had courage enough to come back
into the face of all this fire and fight
harder than ever.
"It is my belief now that Merkle is
a better ball player to-day than he
would have been if the Chicago af-
fair had never happened. For he not
only stood up under it all but went
out to make good with much more
determination than he would other
wise have shown.
Its simple enough when you think
man on the club who uses his brain Or
thinks quicker than Merkle does to-
day.
This has been a hard, rough cam
paigin, but how many bone-headed
plays do you RENE mber that Merkle
but they were errors of hand or eye
and not of brain.
Coming Ito Marquard, the case is
entirely different. 1t was only nee
essary to see this fellow pitch half
dozen balls to tell that he had but
few equals in the game. He had
speed, curves and the build to stand
up and keep going through a hard
fight.
"But he was young and inexperi-
enced-he had never been seasoned
through even one full campaign in
and all this s11,0OO business had sim
ply gotten his goat. He was over
anxious to make good.
eff he had been Indifferent I
wouldn't have held him for a week.
But why hold it against a man whom
he is too anxious to please?
"Conceding that Marquard was a
great natural pitcher, the only propo-
sition left was to keep working with
him until he finally got started-un-
til he had gained his balance and was
settled.
81 made no attempt to hurry him
along, for when he finally got right
I wanted the foundation to be there
strong enough to hold him up for
good. I figured this spring that he
would probably get going some time
in the race and so began to use him
as often as possible early in the
year to get him steadied and used to
fighting under fire.
His lack of control was due TO
nervousness rather than any physi-
cal wildness. Once, then, that this
nervousness was broken up it was
easy to see that the rest would come
to him
E eff he hadn't made good this year
he would still have been with the
wanted to farm him out for further
experience in a smaller league could
never have gotten him out of the cir
cult
Half a dozen clubs would have
claimed him at once, and if he was
good enough for them he was good
enough for me.
The case of Snodgrass is still diff
ferent. He came to us as a catch
er. But with good material back of
the bat he wasn't needed there. I
had noticed him work out, however,
and saw that he was fast, had a
good arm and a natural swing at the
plate. This is exactly what an out
fielder needs, with experience in
handling fly balls, so 1 decided to
give him his chance at ne0 job
where he looked to be better suited.
II thought he would make good.
but of course couldn't tell until I
had tried him out. But after a few
games it was easy enough to see that
with further development he had the
making of a f1rst-c1ass man."