New-York tribune., 1912-04-29
COMMENT ON SPORTS
President Of National League
Errs on Side of lenienCy.
COOMBS WILL BE MISSED
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equitable way between Bill Dahien, man
ager Of the Superbas. and Cy Rigler the
umpire. for their passage-at-arms at ahe
Polo Grounds on April %. If anything, he
erred on the side of leniency. Under a
revision Of the constitution last winter the
National League narrowed the power OF
its president in enforcing discipline, but ne
could have gone bit further in this case
without an appeal to the board OF dl-
rectors. and the maximum penalty would
not have been too much to atone for the
disgraceful scene OF an umpire and man
ager swinging punches at each other under
the eyes Of those who had paid their
money 10 see a baseball game ana not
boxing bout The incident, however, is
closed. but II may be suggested that Mr..
Ivnch's hands are in no way tied, so far
ga his umpires are concerned, and repeti-
ton OF the trouble should mean instant
dismissal, or. at best, suspension for
three months.
It cannot be said that the pennant hopes
Of the Philadelphia Athletics were dashed
when Jack Coombs, the brilliant pitcher'
suffered from a return OF an old injury
week ago Saturday. 1t may be said, how
ever. tnat the chances of Connie Mack
men repeating were sadly impaired. A
chain is only as strong s its weakest Ink,
and even such a wonderful baseball ma
chine as the astute manager Of the world S
champions has built up is bound 10 run
less smoothly with the weakening OF the
pitching staff. CoomOs may or may not be
able 10 get back IN the game within rea-
sonable time, but the chances at present
are against It. II may be recalled that
what the doctors called a strained ligament
in his side put him out OF the world
series with the Giants last fall. 1t Wss
thought that he had entirely recovered
but apparently the same old trouble has
returned, and In an aggravated form.
To show Just how much part Coomos
was Of the Philadelphia team 1t can pe re-
called that he pitched his team to victory
IN nearly one-third Of the games necessary
10 capture the American League pennant
last year. He took part In forty-scVen
contests, Of which he won twenty-eght'
lost twelve. started foIr which he did not
finish, and went TO the rescue in three oth-
ers As @ matter Of fact he won more
games than any other pitcher in the Amer
ican League, and was equalled by only one
man In the National League-Grover CieVe-
land Alexander capturing the same num-
Der for the Phillies. Coombs did even bet
ter I'm 1910. when the Athletics won the pen
uant and the worlds championship from
the Chicago Cubs. In that year he won
thirty-one games and lost only nine. and
while his team headed the standing with
l02 victories ninety-two would nave oeen
quite enough, which means that Coomos
was responsible for full one-third Of the
games necessary 10 carry the flag to Phlla-
dclphia These statistics show in STRIKING
way the value Of a pitcher like Coomos. and
IS NIr Wiseguy' says in The Philadei-
phia Exchange: Without wanting TO be
pessmistic or picture any unnecessary
gloom the fans must hope for the speedy
recovery of the big Iron Man from Maine.
No matter how much Connie Mack's $780,
coU infield Goes Oh the defence; no matter
how many home runs J. Franklin Baker
hits or how many members OF the team
bar 800, the pitcher who won thirty-one
games one season and twenty-eight the
next is going to be missed"
Connie Mack is quoted as saying that
Lefty Russell will take the place OF
Coombs and prove himself we'll worth the
s11. 900 paid for his services to Baltimore
in the falI OF lSlU. CONNIE ND ~ OS
admired for his optimism, and hoped
for his sake that Russell may So, prove
that the time, money and energy expended
on him will bring It's fair return, but most
baseball fans are suddenly swearing al
legisnce to the prosperous state of Missouri
as IL bred and born there. One thing Is
sure with Coombs out OF the game, the
struggle for the American League pennant
is bound TO be more stubbornly fought than
vas indicated on paper when the season
opened. At this writing the Boston RED
Sox. the Cleveland Maps and the Chicago
White Sox appear TO be the teams most
likely 10 be in at the finish with the world S
champions, but the Detroit Tigers and the
New York Yankees are almost sure to be
contenders also, once they settle down and
get to moving smoothly.
In my mail a few days ago came letter
in which the following question vas asK"u
WHY is It that the managers ard players
IN the National League wrangle with AMI
browbeat the umpires so mich more than
ie the case in the American League" on
the tacc OF It. perhaps. the answer is sim
plc. and may be summed up in two words:
Better discipline. As a matter OF fact, ball
players and managers the country over, &ni
10 matter what the league, are prone 70
stand up for what they consider their
rights Most managers work on the prin-
cipIe that good, healthy kick will have
it's effect when the next close decision
comes, even while knowing that the umpire
will not change his decision, unless possibly
on a question OF the rules. There are eX-
ceptions, OF course. and Connie Mack, OF
the worlds champions may be pointed out
as glowing example OF what may be ac-
complished without a peep, so to speak, on
any ruling made by an umpire. but few
managers are blessed with such a ph.eg-
matte disposition as the redoubtable Connie,
and il is human nature to get bit eX-
citable and express ones views In the heat
of conflict, particularly when the winning
or losing Of a game may hang in the bal
anCe.
Nv correspondent is wrong however. in
saving, as he did. that umpire batting
was the exception In the American League
and the rule in the National League. One
week ago last Saturday Jimmy Callahan,
manager of the Chicago White Sox, was
disciplined by an umpire, while in game
between the Senators and the Athletics on
the same day Clark Griffith. manager of
the Washington team; Captain Mcbride,
Walker Groom and three four others
were ordered off the field one after an
other IL Is true, nevertheless, that the
players in the American League have a
greater respect for the umpire than those
In the National League, and the reason lies
in the fact that the club owners in the